Letters: HB 2023 would make it harder for Navajos to vote

The Arizona State Legislature is considering legislation that will make it more difficult for rural Arizona voters – like our Navajo people – to participate in state elections. The Republican-led state legislature has created barriers to limit and discourage Arizona voters from performing their civic responsibility of voting. Therefore, the Navajo Voters Coalition stands firmly on appealing Arizona House Bill 2023.

It is difficult to understand the rational for HB 2023. The idea of a democratic government is to encourage all to participate in government by voting – make it easier to vote.

HB 2023 addresses the issue of early voting and voting by mail. It’s the mailing part that concerns NVC. HB 2023 in part states: “The early ballot, together with the signed affidavit, must be enclosed in the self-addressed envelope and delivered or mailed to the county recorder or deposited by the voter or the voter’s agent at any polling place.”

This means that the voter must pick up voting materials from the post office, fill out the voting forms, and return them to be mailed. The legislation mentions that the “voter’s agent” could handle the mail for the voter. The agent can be a family member, a household member, and/or a legal caregiver. The penalty for anyone else handling the mail for a voter is 1.5 years in jail and/or $150,000 fine. It is a Class 6 felony. More information is available on the Arizona Legislature website.

For Navajo voters, especially our elders living in rural areas, HB 2023 makes voting more difficult – perhaps impossible. While this legislation claims to protect voters from instances of fraud, for which there is no evidence, it works to discourage Navajo voters from participating in elections.

The Navajo Voters Coalition considers this legislation very important. The Navajo Nation government, the president, the attorney general, and the Council delegates should be advocating on behalf of the Navajo voters at legislative sessions in Phoenix. The question is: Are they? Our Navajo elected officials should be advocating for the Navajo people.

If you need to voice your opinion and you feel strongly about this legislation, you can get in touch with your representative by phone or email. The information is on http://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster.asp.

For our people living on the Navajo Nation, contact Sen. Carlyle Begay at 602-926-5862, our representatives Jennifer Benally at 602-926-3079, or Albert Hale at 602-926-4323. You can also contact the Navajo Nation president and your Council delegate and express your concerns.

Ernie Yazzie
Board Member, Administrator
Navajo Voters Coalition
St. Michaels, Arizona

Forget Escalade, develop U.S. 89

Two-and-a-half years ago, I wrote a letter that was printed in the Navajo Times regarding The Escalade Project, which raised questions that were valid at the time on this project being built on the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Objections were raised by thousands upon thousands of our Diné, whose voices were heard and this foolish project was stopped. Or so we thought.

Here I am writing a letter again. This foolishness has reared its ugly head again like a bad nightmare and it continues to cause turmoil, disharmony and unbalance among our Diné. The outside developer from Scottsdale decided to try again to dazzle the new council delegates and new president with his promises, painting himself as the savior of our Diné, though he is now asking to borrow $65 million from us — the Navajo Nation — so he can build his resort. Why are Navajo Nation Council delegates continuing to entertain the idea that this Escalade is a good thing to do?

All of the concerns listed in my letter I wrote in 2014 are still valid and now more questions and concerns have arisen. In addition to the cultural and spiritual aspects that are and will be affected by building this development, I believe that we Diné are not being told the full and complete plans that are being contemplated by outside developers and instead we are being fed spoonfuls of sugar to hide the taste of the bitter.

My first question is: How will the Navajo Nation Council delegates find $65 million without raiding the Permanent Trust Fund or the Sihasin account? Shouldn’t we be using those funds for roads, electric lines, waterlines, scholarships for our children, helping our elderly, veterans, and the thousands of real needs that our nation can provide instead of giving a biligáana developer and his partner Albert Hale our much needed funds? This is bitter!

No. 2 concern: As was raised in my first letter, who are the investors that “Mr. Scottsdale” and Mr. Hale keep alluding to who are supposedly ready to pour money into this development and why is this being kept secret?

More importantly, why is Mr. Scottsdale asking to borrow money from us (we Diné are the Navajo Nation) when investors and partners are said to be biting at the bit to fund this fiasco? This is bitter!

No. 3 concern: There is no water where this is being built. Where will thousands of tourists go to use the restroom? Oh wait! Mr. Scottsdale and Mr. Hale have indicated that they will build a sewage pond. Good. But there is no water. We are suffering from droughts in Western Navajo. We hardly have water for our basic needs and yet Escalade will be given priority. Can you imagine the odor emitting from our beloved western lands and the magnificent Grand Canyon? Tourists are not going to want to be near sewage ponds. That is a fact and it is bitter.

No. 4: A glowing picture has been painted of how the Navajo Housing Authority will build houses for workers. Council delegates: There is no water. NHA has been embroiled in controversy for several years. Do you delegates really and truly expect that this will come to fruition? We want and need houses yet Escalade will be afforded priority. This is bitter!

No. 5: Where will electricity be found to power gondolas that are expected to haul tourists to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up to the top 24 hours a day/seven days a week? The Bennett Freeze has affected Western Diné in every aspect of our lives. We want electricity but Escalade will be given priority. That’s really bitter!

No. 6: Liability issues come to mind. Thousands of tourists will be riding up the air in the gondolas to the bottom and back up. People are already falling into the Grand Canyon weekly, some intentionally. Imagine the Navajo Nation being sued for people accidently or intentionally falling to their deaths. That’s the nightmare that is the Escalade. Very bitter!
The list of concerns and questions (i.e., red flags) is quite lengthy. I’ve listed the ones that are most concerning to me.

Now, there is an alternative to Escalade that Navajo Nation Council delegates and the OPVP must seriously consider. There is a major road that runs north to south on Western Navajo (US 89). This road runs from northern Utah down through southern Arizona. There are millions of tourists from the United States and from around the world who travel on this road to go to Lake Powell, to the South and North rims of the Grand Canyon, to Monument Valley, to visit Navajo and Hopi lands, to see Supai and Hualapai lands, and to see the Vermillion Cliffs. There is a corridor that they travel that goes right through Western Navajo. This is where we should be building businesses to capture tourist dollars.

There is already an airport that can be utilized. We can build restaurants, hotels, gas stations, convenience stores, art galleries to showcase the talents of local artists, museums, and bed-and-breakfast. The list is endless of what can be done. This corridor of US 89 runs from Marble Canyon in the north through Bitter Springs, Cedar Ridge, Gap, Paiute lands, Tuba City, and Cameron to the south. This will bring the economic development that is so desperately needed in Western Navajo, which was devastated by the Bennett Freeze Law for over 40 years.

These businesses will bring our children and grandchildren home. We have thousands of Diné who are professionals, who are qualified to be in positions of management, and to be owners of these businesses. Let’s capture the tourist business by being where they travel. We don’t need to be building an atrocity like the Escalade in the Grand Canyon. We Diné who live in these areas are the ones to decide our destiny, not Mr. Scottsdale or Mr. Hale.

We are the ones who hold on to these lands in reverence, we are appreciative of the bounty from our mother, the earth. Because we were born and have lived in the desert, water is truly sacred to us. And yes, I do say my prayers with my corn pollen. I view each day as a gift from my Creator. The Holy People do continually watch over us.

A thought for the Navajo Nation Council delegates to consider: Some of you are medicine men (healers) and some of you know a medicine man. They may be your grandfather, your father, your uncle, your brother, or your friend, but you do know one and some of you go to them for ceremonies, for prayers. These medicine people do go to the Grand Canyon to pray to make offerings. The Medicine Man Association already has issued a resolution two years ago that said not to build a resort at the bottom of the Grand Canyon where they pray. Why are you going against their wishes?

Rita Bilagody
Tuba City

Albuquerque Diné need a center

Ya’at’eeh, Valencia Zah yinishye. Tódich’ii’nii nishli Tábaahá bashischiin. Ak’ooteego Diné asdzani nishli. I have lived in Albuquerque going on 20 years-plus and have continued living in the city upon receiving my degree.

We urban Navajos have an urgent need for a resource center which can provide social services, education, health care (Affordable Care information), enrollment services, a voting site, and just a common ground so urban Navajos feel their needs are being met in the city. According to the 2010 U.S. Census Navajo Nation Population Profile, there are an estimated 20,000 Navajos living in Albuquerque.

Having some patronage from the Navajo Nation president and people in support of a “mini Navajo resource site” would significantly benefit our urban members. I am almost positive there are many families who will read this and agree their loved ones in Albuquerque need a Navajo Tribal Resource Center.

Families may lack financial funds to head back to the reservation for taking care of paperwork such as enrollment, scholarship documents, or going back to vote. Economic barriers such as lack of transportation and unemployment hinder folks from going home to the rez to take care of business. Just living in the inner city is a big challenge urban American Indians struggle with.

It can affect an individual emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually making it in the western world.

Cities across the nation have urban Indians that for many reasons live in the city, with two being education and employment. It is honorable to keep ties with family and ceremony when making it in the two worlds. It creates balance and harmony with oneself in knowing who they are as a Diné in the inner city. I believe it can empower a person in knowing there is a resource center from our nation to go to when taking care of business away from home. Ahe’hee.

Valencia Zah
Albuquerque

Economic development starts with schools

The Begaye-Nez administration assembled a Council of Economic Advisers. I wonder what the goal(s) are for the team? No question inclusive growth has eluded this administration. Past administrations have used this same approach and as we all know there is very little to show for it.

I presume the members were selected because they know something about how to create jobs, or because they study the problem(s) and can discuss the issues.

For obvious reasons, I would much rather have advisers who know how to create jobs than ones who just talk about it.

I trust this will not just be another theoretical confab but will get into strategies, including steps to take to develop good paying jobs people can use to improve their lives. There are thousands of pages of economic studies that are collecting dust, maybe this group will review them and put to use the idea that makes sense for getting something substantial started.

Apart from doing something that will register for the Diné people, especially those seeking employment, the challenge is to make the benefits of any growth trickle down to the grassroots.

Additional measures are desperately needed to boost entrepreneurship. Terrible red tape, lack of access to credit, poor infrastructure, and weak government leadership have dampened the growth for Navajo-owned micro, small and medium enterprises.

One thing for sure: I hope this experience will help our elected leaders realize that in order to attract any type of economic development, our education system must be improved both K-12 and college training. It is no secret Navajo spends millions of dollars on education that provides very little return. Our elected leaders seem unwilling to own up to the turmoil in our schools and appear incapable of addressing the problems.

We continue to throw scarce funds into a dead-end hole while allowing school boards to abuse an education system that has proven ineffective.

If there is one thing we can change to improve right now, it’s the Bureau of Indian Education Grant School Board set-up. It is way, way past time for our elected leaders to find some guts and recognize what this is doing to our children in BIE schools.

If this administration (executive and legislative) is intent on making economic growth inclusive and sustainable, this administration must understand that developing our economic infrastructure must include improving our education system.

Wallace Hanley
Window Rock, Ariz.

Lethal force must be last resort

Law enforcement’s motto is “To serve and protect.” Cop shootings are unjustified where the victim is much weaker as in Loreal’s case or near incapacitated (drunk) as in the 2006 case of Clint John in Farmington. In these situations where the officers felt threatened, the end result was five shots and a dead human being. The motto shifts to “Protect the officer at all costs”.

Police officers are taught discipline, fitness (to be physically strong), self-defense, take down procedures, and negotiation skills to defuse confrontational situations. Then they are equipped with body armor, a baton, tazer, pepper spray/mace, and their firearm. With all these abilities and defenses, it is not reasonable that an officer would shoot to kill at the slightest provocation. There is no doubt that the vast majority of officers have a greater and proper regard for human life and we sincerely appreciate their service and compassion.

This commentary is a plea to all law enforcement agencies to evaluate their “use of lethal force” policies to assure that the protection and preservation of human life is of utmost importance and always the top priority. Use of lethal force must and should always be the final and absolute last resort. Government leadership must prevail upon the law enforcement community to make this evaluation.

Chili Yazzie
Shiprock

Stop blaming Loreal for her murder

If you are on social media or read the Navajo Times, you are aware that Loreal Tsingine was murdered on March 27 by a cop in Winslow for an alleged shoplifting.

Since then, I’ve read articles, social media posts, and comments made by Natives and non-Natives. Many people have justified her killing with simple reasons such as she was intoxicated, she shoplifted, she had scissors, and/or she was aggressive.

My reaction to the above justifications has been an increasing level of anger and disappointment, particularly when espoused by Loreal’s own Diné people.

None of these are sufficient reasons for Loreal’s murder. Even if all those statements were true, they would not justify her murder because the issue we are dealing with here has nothing to do with the supposed reasons for the killer cop’s actions.

And, here is why: We, as brown people, know that even compliant, crimeless, weaponless, and sober brown people are shot and killed by the police (a recent high profile example is Philando Castile’s shooting and death which was streamed live on Facebook by his wife). In Loreal’s case, the presence of alcohol and an accusation of shoplifting is a convenient circumstance.

Another example of Indigenous people being killed based on an accusation is when Col. Chivington and his soldiers massacred Black Kettle and his people at Sand Creek based on the accusation that warriors from Black Kettle’s encampment were raiding and attacking white settlers.

It turned out the accused were not even associated with the Sand Creek encampment.

I would venture to say that Loreal would have been murdered even if she were waving the U.S. flag over her head like Black Kettle before he was mowed down by the legally endowed Col. Chivington and his soldiers.

This might be a slight exaggeration, but the point is that we should not take this murder out of its historical context, and we should not default in favor of murderous authority. The policy of kill first and justify later is older and more embedded in the American identity than freedom and equality.

In the context of our history, Native people have been killed because the oppressive American imagination has and continues to think of us as incompetent, vanishing, or savage-like. In the worst cases, it is all three.

It is never remembered that we are still a people fighting for our families, language, land, and ability to live life on our terms. It is also never recognized that we are still living in occupied territories. The murder of a Native sister is and must be understood within these conditions.

We — Diné people, Loreal’s family, and Loreal — do not have to apologize or explain her actions.

Rather, as Diné people we should assert that settler colonialists – behind the shield of heteropatriarchy – have violated, raped, aggressed, and controlled Native women’s bodies since their arrival.

Given this fact, Loreal is only guilty of standing up to this centuries-old power of domination. We need to accept that any time a Native sister asserts her power over her body and personhood, it is an act of resistance. I encourage you to (re)watch the recently released police body camera with this in mind.

Loreal’s murder should also serve as a reminder to Indigenous peoples that it still does not take much for us to be killed by those who continue to occupy our lands and enforce racist and sexist ideology.

Indigenous peoples have never been nor should we ever be a people who succumb to the violent onslaught that has been acted upon our people for 500-plus years. Never should we excuse these acts of violence nor should we shift the blame to the murdered.

Jerome Clark
Tuba City, Arizona

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