arrests resisting Big Mountain coal eviction

Walter Epp (for7gen@idiom.com)
Sat, 14 Jun 1997 03:09:27 GMT

Four people have been arrested on the land of Lawrence Altsisi, Dineh/
Navajo of Big Mountain, for resisting the bulldozer that came to destroy
his home. These people do not have many financial resources; they have no
lawyers to represent them. Mr. Altsisi's mother was convinced to sign
papers without realizing what it meant. She does not read and was not told
that signing meant giving up property rights. Mr. Altsisi himself was
missed by the 1992 census of HPL people and so did not get onto the
official lists.

Elsewhere on Black Mesa, members of the Benally clan sat in front of a
bulldozer that came to scrape their land for coal.

Peabody Coal has been sucking over a billion gallons of water per year out
of the aquifer under Black Mesa. Wells and springs are drying up and
sinkholes are appearing. The water table has dropped 100 feet, and USGS
projections indicate if current consumption is not stopped, it would drop
another 100 feet. This is desert country, where water is life and lack of
water means death.

Some of the people living on Big Mountain can trace their habitation of
that land back for 25 generations, longer than the USA has been in
existence. But since 20 billion tons of coal are believed to lie under
Black Mesa, mining interests have been trying to get rid of them.

This area once had some of the cleanest air on the continent. Existing
mines and power plants generate such enormous air pollution that when the
astronauts first looked at the Earth from space, it was the only man-made
thing they saw. Much of the power is exported to Los Angeles and Las
Vegas. Air and water pollution have caused sickness and death of animals
and people. Additional mining would increase the damage.

Who to contact:

President Albert Hale,
The Navajo Nation, POB 9000, Window Rock AZ 86515
520-871-6352, fax 520-871-4025; navajonation@igc.apc.org
Ask him: Why is the Navajo Nation not defending its people?

Chairman Ferrell Secakuku,
The Hopi Tribe, POB 123, Kykotsmovi AZ 86039; 520-734-9497, fax 520-734-6665
Just a couple months ago, Hopi Tribal Council officials were assuring the
public that there would not be any forced removals before the year 2000.
Call on them to make public all their closed-door dealings with Peabody
Coal and other mining interests.

Ada Deer, Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1849 C St NW, Washington DC 20240
202-208-7163, fax 202-208-6334

Attorney General Janet Reno
Department of Justice, 10th Street & Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20530
202-514-2000, fax 514-4371

radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, other media: where is the coverage of
this issue?

for more info & action:
Sovereign Dineh Nation: www.primenet.com/~sdn/ sdn@primenet.com (520)522-8683
Dineh Alliance: www.primenet.com/~dineh/ dineh@primenet.com
Big Mountain Coalition: 415-339-8332; 415-255-1946 (Michael Shellenberger)