By Barbara Soderlin Journal staff | Posted: Saturday, May 15, 2010 Rapid City Journal Charmaine White Face, known as an environmental and Native American activist, organized a protest Friday that was more personal than usual. Her son, Marc Wisecarver, 40, has been incarcerated for more than 15 months. Now, he is being held in Pennington County Jail, awaiting trial Tuesday on charges of depredation of government property. She said he is being held unlawfully and that the charges should not have been filed. The charges stem from an April 29, 2008, incident in which a Bureau of Indian Affairs soil conservationist drove a government pickup truck onto Wisecarver's land near Manderson on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. After an argument, in which Wisecarver told the agent to leave his property, Wisecarver fired a rifle round into the grille of the truck, because he heard the agent rev the engine and was afraid he would be run over, he testified in a January 2009 federal court trial presid

By Journal staff Posted: Friday, May 14, 2010 3:24 pm Rapid City Journal Article The murder trial of John Graham and Thelma Rios has been moved to Nov. 29. Graham, 54, and Rios, 64, are charged in connection with the 1975 slaying of American Indian Movement activist Annie Mae Aquash. The state charges involve incidents that allegedly took place in Rapid City shortly before Aquash was killed on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, had been scheduled for July. During a Friday hearing, 7th Circuit Judge Jack Delaney also granted a request to remove defense attorney Matt Stephens from Rios' case. Rios' other attorney, Matt Kinney, said he would ask Delaney to appoint new co-counsel. Rios' attorneys have asked that her trial be severed from Graham's, but Delaney has not ruled on that motion. Two other men have already been tried in federal court for Aquash's murder. Arlo Looking Cloud was convicted in 2004 and is serving a sen

The South Dakota state trial date for John Graham is set for Tuesday July 6, 2010. Recent court documents have been added at: http://www.grahamdefense.org/courtdocs/ Amongst other things more information is available about destruction of evidence by the Denver Police Department and the money and benefits Serle Chapman received from the US Government for his activities. Regarding Chapmen see e.g. http://www.grahamdefense.org/courtdocs/740.pdf Chapman's own statement from March 29, 2010 is at: http://www.grahamdefense.org/courtdocs/719.pdf

Richard Marshall found not guilty in 1975 AIM slaying Heidi Bell Gease Journal staff | Posted: Friday, April 23, 2010 6:30 am A federal jury deliberated for less than two hours Thursday before finding Vine Richard "Dickie" Marshall not guilty of murder in connection with the 1975 slaying of American Indian Movement activist Annie Mae Aquash. Marshall's supporters, who filled one side of the U.S. District courtroom, erupted in cheers and applause when the verdict was read about 2 p.m. Marshall stood and hugged Dana Hanna, his court-appointed attorney. Afterward, Hanna noted that people have said a Native American cannot get a fair trial in front of an all-white jury in South Dakota. "We have proved them wrong today," he said. Prosecutors had tried to prove that Marshall, 59, provided the handgun used to kill Aquash, who some in AIM believed was a government informant. Arlo Looking Cloud, who was convicted in 2004 of her murder and is serving life in prison, was t

The following biography and essay are written by the author: (Mario Gonzalez is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and presently serves as legal counsel to several Sioux tribes. He is the first recipient of the Distinguished Aboriginal Lawyer Achievement Award (1995) given by the Native Law Center of Canada, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Sask. He is also co-author of The Politics of Hallowed Ground: Wounded Knee and the Struggle for Indian Sovereignty (1999). He can be reached at mario@mariogonzalezlaw.com). [Part One] Why the Docket 74-A award must be rejected By Mario Gonzalez A federal class action lawsuit called Different Horse v. Salazar was filed in U.S. District Court by the Ketterling Law Firm of Yankton, S.D. on April 15, 2009, to force the Interior Department to distribute the Dockets 74-A and 74-B Sioux land claims awards in per capita payments to tribal members. The awards with (interest) now total over $1 billion. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe has taken the le

U.S. Supreme Court UNITED STATES v. SIOUX NATION OF INDIANS, 448 U.S. 371 (1980) 448 U.S. 371 UNITED STATES v. SIOUX NATION OF INDIANS ET AL. CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF CLAIMS. No. 79-639. Argued March 24, 1980. Decided June 30, 1980. Link to Opinion http://laws.findlaw.com/us/448/371.html

Here is our first posting to the new blog created by the Lakota Student Alliance . Declaration of Purpose December 2, 1995 The Lakota Student Alliance is an alliance of grassroots Indigenous peoples and Students of the Lakota Nation whose mission is to advocate, sponsor, promote and encourage public awareness education among grassroots Indigenous people in the struggle toward Sovereignty and Independence. The fundamental purposes of the LSA are: * To extend our support to grassroots peoples movements by assisting our communities in their goals toward Sovereignty and Independence. * To provide continuing education for the grassroots people and the Lakota populations. * To increase awareness of cultural, tribal and academic objectives of Lakota Colleges and universities.. * To assist local organizations and peoples in achieving their goals. * To advocate, educate and promote the fundamental rights and duties of students of Lakota Universities, colleges, and secondary institu