TULALIP – Due to jail reforms meant to eliminate overcrowding and prevent offender deaths due to medical issues, the Tribe will be spending more than it did in 2014, to book and jail offenders arrested by Tulalip Police Department come 2015.
The Tulalip Tribes passed a motion to adopt resolution 2014-445, approving contracts with the Marysville and Snohomish County jail facilities for 2015, during the October 4, 2014, regular board meeting. This means Tulalip will continue to use the jail facilities to house Tulalip tribal members who commit crimes on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, along with adapting their budget to reflect the increase of jail costs.
Beginning next year it will cost the Tribe $43 to book an offender into the Marysville Police Detention facility and $65 for a daily housing fee. The facility has a 57-bed capacity and services the cities of Marysville, Lake Stevens and Arlington in addition to Tulalip, making space limited and competitive.
To house offenders at Snohomish County Jail, located in Everett, the Tribe currently pays a $95 booking fee and a $66 daily housing fee. In 2015, this will increase to $115 booking fee and $84 daily housing fee.
Tulalip Police Chief Carlos Echevarria says these fees are used to pay for administrative tasks. “Each year it goes up.”
However, the rates for Snohomish County, the most expensive jail facility the Tribe currently uses, depends on the offender’s physical and mental stability when they are booked, determined by the jail staff during the booking process.
According to Echevarria there are three tiers Snohomish County uses to classify offenders. If an offender is mentally and physically stable enough to be housed in general population, then it will cost the Tribe $84 a day come January 2015. If the offender requires medical supervision or medication while incarcerated, then the Tribe will pay a $132 daily housing fee. For offenders requiring mental housing units, it will cost $201 daily.
Due to increased jail costs, police departments are reassessing how jails are being used. Cities are responsible for booking and housing costs on misdemeanor arrests, while counties pick up the tab for felony offenders.
Tulalip Tribes pays 100 percent of the cost out of the Tribes’ hard dollar budget. Unlike cities who have a budget stemmed from tax payers, the Tribe must project each year how much to set aside.
To help keep jail costs from skyrocketing, alternative-sentencing programs are used, such as the Tulalip Tribal Courts Elders Panel, for first-time non-violent offenders. Instead of lengthy jail sentences offenders are asked to complete community service or volunteer within the community along with other requirements.
“The only cost associated to TPD are only for Tulalip tribal members, with the exception of persons we arrest and are being held under special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction – VAWA cases,” said Echevarria. “There isn’t a sure way to project who is going to have to go to jail and how much we need to budget for that.”
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
Tulalip Forestry technicians Steven Gobin and Philip Solomon deliver wood to Tulalip elders free of cost as part of a special wood program under Tulalip Forestry. (Tulalip Forestry/ Ross Fenton)
Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
TULALIP – Since time immemorial the Snohomish people have used wood as an essential element to survive. Wood was used to cook, stay warm and conduct cultural ceremonies. Today cultural values are being preserved through a wood program run by Tulalip Forestry that supplies seasoned wood to Tulalip elders, 70 years and older, free of cost.
“The program exists to help the elders,” said Philip Solomon a forestry technician with the program. The Elder Wood Program follows the Tulalip cultural teaching of taking care of your elders.
“It is part of our culture to take care of our elders and check on them. These teachings are fulfilled through this program,” explains fellow technician Steven Gobin.
For a little over five years the Tulalip Forestry has supplied this service to elders. Forestry technicians, Solomon and Gobin, both Tulalip citizens, fell the trees selected for the program, cut it to fit into wood stoves and delivered.
“Last year we did 180 cords, but this year they [The Tribal Council] cut back the program so we have done 20 elders and each gets two cords,” said Solomon, who has worked in the program for more than a year.
Many of the elders’ only source of heat is their wood stoves and fireplaces. The program also ensures that elders are not burdened with an extra cost, guaranteeing that elders don’t have to pay the current market price of firewood ranging between $160 to $250 per cord.
Gobin, who has been with the program since it has come under the Tulalip Forestry umbrella, explains that selecting the wood is a science that few consider. “When we deliver to an elder, usually we try to explain to them what type of wood we brought to them. If we bring them Maple, it burns longer for them.”
Maple is optimal for burning in wood stoves. Its dense nature makes it burn slow and hot. Alder is good for cooking and smoking. Douglas Fir is used for ceremonial burning and stove-heat because it burns the hottest due to the high volume of pitch; it also burns with less smoke. Cherry wood is used for cooking and for smoking fish, deer meat and clams. All wood must be dry or there could be issues, such as chimney fires from a build up of creosote in acrid smoke from burning unseasoned wood. Cotton Wood is considered the worst for burning in fireplaces and wood stoves and is on the technicians blacklist of wood not to deliver to elders.
Gobin and Solomon also stack the wood they deliver for elders who have no help. Last year the two received some help of their own through the Tribes’ summer youth work program. James Jimicum, Cody Johnny, Anthony Cooper, Austin Paul, Moy Flores, Kaley Hamilton and Lenora James helped to provide 120 cords of wood to elders.
“They were a big help. We really appreciated them. This year we didn’t have any youth due to the budget cuts. We would work them for four days then on the fifth day we would give them a break. On those days we would talk to them about how important the work they were doing was, and elders would come and talk to them and thank them,” said Solomon.
“When we bring a cord to an elder, what uplifts me is the smile on the elder’s face and their thank you,” said Gobin. “We get a short visit with them. We check on them, ask them how is it going and how are they doing, if they need anything. That is an important part of our culture.”
“We provide a lot for the culture, which is what I really like besides being in the woods and knowing that we are providing good quality wood,” said Solomon, about the laborious work. “It is thinking about the generations ahead of us.”
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
On March 8, 2013, President Barack Obama this morning signed into law the reauthorized Violence Against Women Act that includes tribal provisions.
Press release, December 3, 2014, National Congress of American Indians
WASHINGTON, DC – Vice President Joe Biden joined over 300 tribal leaders at the sixth annual White House Tribal Nations Conference today. At the opening of the conference, Vice President Biden delivered an impassioned speech about violence against women in Indian Country saying “The most horrific prison on earth is the four walls of an abused woman’s home. For far too many Native American women that is a daily reality.”
The Vice-President, who was the original author of the Violence Against Women Act and has been its most steadfast supporter over the past 20 years, was introduced by Councilwoman from the Tulalip Tribes , “Vice President Biden has led the movement to protect women against rape and domestic violence. Last year he helped pass the much needed protection to help Native women from violence. Mr. Vice President, you are correct when you say no means no — no more abuse.”
Referring to the provisions added to VAWA in 2013 that allow tribal governments to prosecute non-Indian domestic violence offenders in certain cases, the Vice-President apologized that it took so long to give tribal governments the tools to hold offenders accountable in their communities, saying “as long as there is a single place where the abuse of power is excused as a question of jurisdiction or tolerated as a family affair, no one is truly safe, and we cannot define ourselves as a society that is civilized.”
The Vice President delivered a call to action saying, “Tribal governments have an inherent right, as a matter of fact they have an obligation, to protect their people. All people deserve to live free of fear.” He urged all tribal governments to be prepared on March 7 when the law goes into effect to use their authority to aggressively prosecute domestic violence offenders. He stressed the need to change the culture that too often leaves victims asking what they did wrong and instead to focus on sending a strong message that violence against women is always unacceptable.
Vice President Biden also acknowledged that we have much more to do to protect Native women from violence including giving Alaska tribes the same authority and expanding the provision to cover sexual assault and other crimes. Biden called on Congress to appropriate the $25 million in grants authorized in VAWA 2013 to implement the new law.
Attorney General Eric Holder followed Vice President Biden, and strongly stated the Department of Justice’s commitment to improving law enforcement in Indian country, and to institutionalizing that commitment so that it will continue. He announced that he has implemented a Statement of Principles to guide the Department’s work with tribal nations into the future.
Attorney General Holder also announced a new initiative to promote compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act in partnership with the Departments of Interior and Health and Human Services. Holder stated that the initiative is “working to actively identify state-court cases where the United States can file briefs opposing the unnecessary and illegal removal of Indian children from their families and their tribal communities.” Holder went on to explain that DOJ will work with its partners and tribes to “to promote tribes’ authority to make placement decisions affecting tribal children; to gather information about where the Indian Child Welfare Act is being systematically violated; and to take appropriate, targeted action to ensure that the next generation of great tribal leaders can grow up in homes that are not only safe and loving, but also suffused with the proud traditions of Indian cultures.”
TULALIP, Wash – The holidays will be different at the Tulalip Tribes this year.
Gratitude, an important part of any holiday season, is made more important because of the losses that have occurred since the Oct. 24 shooting at Marysville Pilchuck High School.
“I hold in my thoughts all the people who have their kids around the table, and the ones that have that empty seat in my thoughts,” said Leila Goldsmith, the director of the Tulalip Tribes’ Legacy of Healing Children’s Advocacy Center. “I hold mine a little closer because I think wouldn’t that mom want us to hold our kids closer.”
For children who seek care or are referred at the center, the recent events are raising questions as big as life and death, and wonders about how we will ever celebrate this holiday season without in a time of trauma and grief.
For families, Gurjeet Sidhu, a child therapist at the center, the most important thing that parents can do now for their children is to listen to them.
“Knowing where your child is can let you know if they are internalizing the tragedy negatively,” Sidhu said.
This could mean that child is wondering if they had prayed harder, of if they had checked on someone more, or could they have been nicer if they had only known this one or that one would be gone.
“Parents remind your kids that they couldn’t have done anything,” Sidhu said. “Tell them that they don’t control the world.”
In this season when every news flash potentially triggers more traumas in our community, the act of listening and hearing even a child’s non-verbal communication will be the best gift that parents and trusted adults can give.
And as children turn their attention to the holidays, the question that arises is, will it be the same this year?
Sidhu recommends, responding with a question, “What do you think?” Then listen.
“I haven’t heard any children say no to the holidays yet,” she said. “But I have heard kids saying I wish that this hadn’t happened.”
For younger kids, who still believe that Santa Claus will come and make everything right, parents need to be stronger and protect the magical thinking while the child still has it because, because, Sidhu said, we will all get to be adults soon enough.
“Personally, if your family has holiday rituals like gathering around the holiday dinner table keep that going so you keep the traumatic memory from attaching to the holiday,” Sidhu said.
The holiday traditions have a rhythm that can help keep everyone in the family engaged in the holiday even in hard times like these. You might not feel like it, but once you start decorating, baking cookies or whatever your tradition, the familiar activities will inspire you and your children.
“In times like these we need to talk with our children about our core values, our spiritual belief, our family traditions,” Sidhu said. “And then if you are a family that has a ritual of gathering at the dinner table, do it even more now.”
At a banquet that the Tulalip Tribes held last month for the first responders to the tragedy, Goldsmith heard people talk about the new normal now that these recent events have entered the history of the Tribes.
The young ones us are asking questions about how can they help the people around them, even as they are experiencing loss in a deeper way than maybe they ever have before.
Some children have shared with Sidhu that they cried two hours straight for everything that ever went bad, while others are feeling things that have happened even recently more deeply.
“My message is it’s OK to cry, totally OK. You aren’t going to stress out the adults around you because you are crying,” Sidhu said. “The children need to know now that, ‘you are loved and you are safe.’”
Washington’s people and environment potentially at risk
Press Release: Washington State Department of Natural Resources
OLYMPIA – Increased oil train traffic on Washington’s aging rail system puts the state’s people and ecosystems at risk, according to an opinion piece by ten tribal leaders and the Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, published today in the Seattle Times.
“Crude By Rail: Too Much, Too Soon” calls for federal regulators to improve safety protocols and equipment standards on Washington rail lines to deal with a forty-fold increase in oil train traffic since 2008. Trains carrying crude oil are highly combustible and, if derailed, present serious threats to public safety and environmental health.
Tim Ballew II, chairman of the Lummi Nation; Jim Boyd, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation; Brian “Spee~Pots” Cladoosby, chairman of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community; William B. Iyall, chairman of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe; Maria Lopez, chairwoman of the Hoh Indian Tribe; David Lopeman, chairman of the Squaxin Island Tribe; Fawn Sharp, president of the Quinault Indian Nation; Charles Woodruff, chairman of the Quileute Tribe; Herman Williams Sr., chairman of the Tulalip Tribes; and Gary Burke, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation joined Commissioner Goldmark in urging policymakers to address critical issues around the increase of oil train traffic through the state.
“The Northwest has suffered from a pollution-based economy,” said Cladoosby in a statement. “We are the first peoples of this great region, and it is our responsibility to ensure that our ancestral fishing, hunting and gathering grounds are not reduced to a glorified highway for industry. Our great teacher, Billy Frank, Jr., taught us that we are the voices of the Salish Sea and salmon, and we must speak to protect them. If we cannot restore the health of the region from past and present pollution, how can we possibly think we can restore and pay for the impact of this new and unknown resource?
“We are invested in a healthy economy, but not an economy that will destroy our way of life. We will not profit from this new industry, but rather, we as citizens of the Northwest will pay, one way or another, for the mess it will leave behind in our backyard. We will stand with Commissioner Goldmark and our fellow citizens and do what we need so those who call this great state home will live a healthy, safe and prosperous life,” said Cladoosby.
“Good public policy demands that we make informed decisions using information based on the best science and perspective that must include cultural values and traditional knowledge,” said Quinault President Fawn Sharp. According to her statement, the Quinault Tribe is leading a movement against three oil terminals in Grays Harbor and most recently joined more than 700 Washington state citizens to testify at an October hearing held by the Department of Ecology.
“The Quinault are national leaders of long-standing in natural resources protection and strive to protect the oceans and waterways across the Northwest,” said Sharp.
For Tulalip Chairman Herman Williams, Sr., endangerment of fish runs by oil train pollution is a key concern.
“For generations we have witnessed the destruction of our way of life, our fishing areas, and the resources we hold dear,” said Williams in a statement. “The Boldt decision very clearly interpreted the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott to reserve 50 percent of the salmon and management to the tribes. The federal government must now partner with tribes to protect the 50 percent of what remains of our fishing rights. The Tulalip Tribes will not allow our children’s future to be taken away for a dollar today. Our treaty rights are not for sale,” said Williams.
According to Commissioner Goldmark, tribal leadership on the oil train issue is essential.
“Tribal leaders bring unique perspective and concern about threats to our treasured landscapes,” said Goldmark. “It’s an honor to join them in this important message about the growth of oil train traffic in our state and the threat it poses to public safety, environmental sustainability, and our quality of life.”
10 weeks of study will prepare citizens to recommend constitutional amendments
By Niki Cleary, Tulalip News
A concern brought up at the 2013 Annual General Council meeting is the idea that the Tulalip Tribes Constitution and Bylaws are outdated and need to be amended to meet the needs of today’s tribal citizens. The concern was brought up again at the 2014 Semi-Annual General Council meeting. Vice-Chairman, Les Parks said it’s time to address the issue.
“We’re going to bring the membership into a room and give a 10-week review so that we can understand every word [in the constitution],” he said. “At the end of 10 weeks we’ll have a number of members who will fairly well understand what the constitution says.”
Parks hopes to create a constitution review team from that group of participants.
The constitution needs some updates, Parks acknowledged. However, he explained, in order to get the best amendments, we have to know what’s already in the constitution.
“The Constitution was created in 1934, it’s worked ever since. The sanctity of the Constitution cannot be overstated,” Parks explained. “This is a good document. I don’t want to go in with a notion that we’re going to change the world, we’re just going to clean it up. It’s going to be a process of getting everybody to understand what the constitution says.”
Parks compared this effort to the grassroots meeting he held while campaigning, stressing that he wants changes to the constitution to be community based. He’s recruited several tribal employees (Josh Cleveland, Willa McLean, Lori Parks and Elisabeth Williams) to assist with the effort. But, while they may be doing some of the work during office hours, they are not earning extra pay for their efforts. Even meals will be potluck style and not provided by the tribe.
“We want to keep it volunteer,” Parks said. It’s important, he iterated, to have engaged tribal citizens in the sessions. He also encouraged tribal youth to get involved, pointing out that current leadership was raised during a time when some of the most influential sovereignty battles were in progress. Current youth, he worried, may not understand the relevance of protecting the treaty and having a strong constitution.
“I think it needs to be opened up to our youth. We’re looking into whether youth can get school credit for this.”
The agenda for the meetings is simple. Share a meal, pull out the constitution and bylaws and read, discuss and understand the documents.
“We’re going to read word-by-word and talk about the meaning of each sentence. We want to know and understand what the Constitution says from beginning to end. We’ll have legal by our side as we go through the next 10 weeks, and hopefully we’ll get through two pages of the constitution every night.”
After the review of the constitution is complete, the group will go over the amendments that have already been enacted.
“There’s a list of all the amendments that occurred over the years, we’re going to get detail on every amendment, see what prompted the amendment, how many people showed up and how many voted. We want to give our participants a thorough history of why it came about.”
The sessions will be held on Thursdays starting December 4th and continuing through February 19th. Dinner will begin at 5:00 p.m., each session lasts approximately three hours. For more information or to receive reminders of the meetings contact: Willa McLean via text or phone 425-905-0632 or email WillaMcLean@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov. If you text or email, please leave detailed contact info including whether you prefer reminders via text, email or phone call.
Invited to play basketball in Italy, Adiya Jones needs community support
By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
TULALIP – Former Heritage High School Lady Hawk and Tulalip tribal member Adiya Jones is joining the ranks of Tulalip athletes who are showcasing their skills internationally. Jones, a junior at La Connor High School, has her sights set on Italian basketball courts, where she hopes to join an elite group of players from across the globe, to compete and test their skills while representing their countries. The only thing that can stop her isn’t fear, it’s fundraising.
Jones was nominated to join Team USA, which consists of 12 other girls selected from across the United States, by a coach who saw her play.
To help her raise the $4,000 needed by March 2, Jones has created a fundly.com account, which works like Gofundme, where people can donate funds to her cause or benefit, in Jones’s case, her trip to Italy.
The money she raises will pay for hotels and meals as Jones travels around Italy with Team USA. To guarantee her slot on the team, Jones is using the same type of dedication she shows on the court to fundraise as much as she can before the deadline. In addition to her fundly.com account she has created a lottery board where you can purchase one or more squares for a fee. If you choose the wining square number you win half the money the board generated.
“I need to have half the money by a certain date. I plan to use some of my Christmas bonus money to help. The Tribe is also going to help with matching funds I raise,” said Jones, who is also planning a spaghetti feed with the help of her grandmother to raise more funds. Jones will also be participating in the annual Tulalip Tribes All Native Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament, held November 28-30, to test and sharpen her court skills and hopefully do a little fundraising.
“I am excited but also nervous. Once we started the board I started to get really nervous, like, this is it,” said Jones about her anxiousness to travel abroad for the first time by herself.
Jones, who has aspirations to play basketball at Washington State University, said, “I am looking forward to meeting new people. Just the experience of getting to play basketball with a whole new team, and learning some new moves and about the culture is going to be amazing.”
By Kara Briggs-Campbell, Tulalip News Guest Writer
Weeks and months after the tragic events of Oct. 24, many Tulalip youth are likely to still be grappling with deep feelings and complex emotions associated with grief, experts say.
The key for adults and even peers will be keeping a lifeline of connection with tribal youth as they move from feelings of shock and trauma to grief and loss.
“The hardest part with teens is that their developmental task in normal times is to push away from their parents,” said Alison Bowen, Family Healing Program Coordinator for the Tulalip Tribes. “It’s like, ‘Love you, mom. Gotta go.’ Yet even as they are pushing you away, the challenge is how to reconnect with them in this time of trauma.”
Sudden behavioral changes are one of the signs that an adolescent or teen is struggling emotionally. These shifts can include examples such as, a youth, who usually rises early to get ready for school, suddenly doesn’t care; An outgoing kid isolates herself or himself; A teen detaches from his or her friends.
“If all of sudden any kind of big change happens that is what you want to watch for,” Bowen said.
The people most likely to notice such changes are friends of the same age group. That’s why specialists say the best thing now is to let the kids be together, whether they are playing basketball, making art, talking or even sitting still together.
A major concern is if a youth is thinking a lot about death, or meditating on a past hurt, or unable to think about anything but the recent losses of life.
“It is important to listen and do what you can to encourage the person to get help,” said Dr. Richard McKeon, Branch Chief of the Center for Mental Health Services.
For the very most vulnerable, the concern is preventing youth suicide—knowing that among American Indians aged 10 to 24 suicide rates are higher than in the same age group among other races.
“It is important not to be frightened to ask the question whether someone is thinking about suicide,” he said. “The research shows that if you ask a youth and they say no, they aren’t going to start thinking about suicide because you asked.”
“But if someone appears to be depressed or hopeless, it is important to ask the question and not to panic if the answer is yes,” McKeon said. “For a person who is in trauma and potentially thinking about suicide it is essential that make a connection with someone.”
One way a teen could support a friend is by helping them to make contact with a trusted adult. Sometimes that adult is a parent or a favorite aunt, uncle or grandparent. Other times it may be the Native liaison at school or a staffer at the Tulalip Boys and Girls Club. Ultimately the youth might need mental health counseling, but in the immediate term, a trusted adult can make all the difference in the world.
“We know in the days ahead we are going to have more kids dealing with grief and anger and more kids who are anxious and scared,” Bowen said.
The best ways a friend can help now are to be available, to listen respectfully as the person who is sad or in trauma pour out their feelings, or sit quietly if they just want company.
“It’s hard that we’re asking people to take care of the youth when everyone’s hearts are so heavy,” Bowen said. “That’s why it can’t only be a family looking after their own kids, it has to be all of us pitching in to help.”
Where can I call for help?
To report an emergency dial 911
National Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Snohomish County Crisis Line: 1-800-584-3578
Crisis TEXT Line: Text “Listen” to 741-741
24 Hour Crisis Line: 1-866-427-4747
TEENLINK: 1-866-833-6546
Tulalip Tribes Behavioral Health Family Services: 360-716-4400
Tulalip Tribes Mental Wellness Director Sherry Guzman: 360-716-4305
A letter of hope to Tulalip tribal youth from a survivor from the Red Lake Nation
Justin Jourdain was a ninth grader when he witnessed the school shooting at Red Lake High School. A Red Lake tribal member, Justin was friends with classmates who died and others who were injured. Now a Red Lake Nation police officer with a family of his own, Justin wanted to travel to Tulalip to meet with and encourage tribal youth in person, but his work schedule got in the way. So Justin has written an open letter to Tulalip youth and provided it to the See-Yaht-Sub.
Justin Jourdain and son. Photo courtesy of Justin Jourdain
Boozhoo! This is the way we greet each other in my tribe, the Red Lake Nation in Northern Minnesota.
You may not realize it right now, but everything will get better with time.
If you witnessed this tragic event or you were at school that day, you will always remember, as I do those terrifying moments. But in a few weeks and then a few months, it will get easier. You will gain perspective from having lived through this traumatic time in your Tribe’s history. Believe me, surviving can change your life for the better, if you let it.
In the days after the Red Lake School shooting, survivors from Columbine High School met with my classmates and me. The contact with the others who had the same experience gave me the courage to hope again for the future, though I lived with the memory very strongly until 2008 when I graduated from high school, and that helped me to find closure.
I know firsthand how important it is to meet people who share this still unusual experience. That inspired me to go to reach out to other students at schools where this has happened. I feel that it helps just to meet and spend time with someone who knows what this experience felt like. It is important to the healing process to feel that someone knows what it was like. In time, you may have the opportunity to help someone else heal, though it is always my hope that nothing like this ever happen again.
Healing will be a long process, but you will get better. You will remember for the rest of your life. For me nine year later, I can still remember that day as if it were yesterday. But I’ve learned to deal with the pain and continue living. You will learn to cope as I have.
Today I am married and I have a six-year-old son. For the last four years I have worked in law enforcement for my tribal police. I am 25 years old.
In 2005, I was freshman in high school and I couldn’t conceive of all the good things ahead. But stick in the back of your mind that the rest of your life is waiting for you to live it. Believe that things will get better as you let go of the pain and move forward in your life.
Marysville-Pilchuck High School Interim Assistant Principal Lori Stolee and Interim Co-Principal Deann Anguiano take possession of the dreamcatcher, Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, at Marysville School Board District office. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
MARYSVILLE – Following a tradition set by survivors of the Columbine High School shooting, the Marysville School District and Tulalip Tribes were presented a dreamcatcher symbolizing survival, on November 3.
During a modified school district board meeting, representatives from Sandy Hook Elementary and delegates from the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota gave the dreamcatcher and shared their story of healing.
The dreamcatcher was gifted to Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, following a shooting that left 13 people dead in 1999. It has since been passed onto other school districts that have experienced similar tragedies and evolved into emblem of healing for survivors.
John Oakgrove of the Little Thunderbirds Drum and Dance Troupe from Red Lake Minnesota made the trek from Red Lake as a sign of unity. Survivors of Columbine took the dreamcatcher to the Red Lake Reservation following a school shooting there in 2005 that left 10 people dead, including the 16-year-old shooter. Oakgrove has travelled to present the dreamcatcher since, taking along his children who sing honor songs for survivors as part of the healing process. He was there when the dreamcatcher was presented to Sandy Hook Elementary School officials in 2012 following the deaths
Tulalip Tribes council members Theresa Sheldon and Deborah Parker receive hand written notes from Stephanie Hope Smith from the Newtown Rotary Club, Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, at the Marysville School District Administrative offices. The notes were made by well wishers and given to the Sandy Hook Elementary School following the deaths of 26 children and adults from a 2012 shooting. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
of 26 children and adults.
“I hate meeting people like this, but we came because we want to offer our support. We know what they are going through,” said Oakgrove.
Sandy Hook Elementary representatives Susan Connelly, Newtown Middle School counselor and Stephanie Hope Smith a member of the Newtown Rotary Club, spoke about the sobering baton that connects the schools.
“We are united in hope. I’m sorry we are united in grief. I’m sorry we have the experience and expertise to share,” said Smith.
“This plaque is more than just a dreamcatcher. It is made with such love. It is our hope that you should never have to pass it onto another community,” said Connelly.
Also present during the meeting was Marysville School District Superintendent Becky Berg and board members Chris Nation and Tom Albright, Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith, Marysville-Pilchuck High School Principals and Tulalip Tribes council members Deborah Parker and Theresa Sheldon.
John Oakgrove and son Justin of the Little Thunderbirds Drum and Dance Troupe from Red Lake Minnesota sang honor songs during the presenting of the dreamcatcher, Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, at the Marysville School District Administrative offices. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
(Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Dreamcatcher made for the survivors of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 was presented to the Marysville -Pilchuck High School and Tulalip Tribes, Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, at the Marysville School District Administrative offices. The dreamcatcher has been passed to schools who have had shootings. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
Elder’s Panel volunteer Hank Williams with Tulalip Tribes Tribal Court Judge Gary Bass, Friday, Oct. 17, 2014, at the Tulalip Tribes Tribal Court. Williams along with other panel volunteers were honored during a special recognition ceremony hosted by the court. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
TULALIP – Tulalip elders over the past six years have worked diligently to make a positive change in their community through volunteer work via the Tulalip Elder’s Panel, an alternative diversion sentencing program at the Tulalip Tribes Tribal Court for first- time offenders.
On October 17, the panel of volunteers were celebrated by the Tulalip Tribes Tribal Court for their efforts in the community. The special recognition ceremony included Tulalip Tribes council members Deborah Parker, Maria Zackuse and Theresa Sheldon, along with over 30 attendees.
Tulalip elders, Don Hatch Jr., Eleanor M. Nielson, Hank Williams, John Bagley, Lee Topash and Maureen Alexander donate their time on a biweekly schedule, to teach offenders accountability through a unique approach that uses traditional Tulalip culture, the wisdom and experiences of Tulalip elders and tribal court staff to stop re-offending in those, ages 18-42, charged with non-violent crimes.
Enrollment is voluntary and upon successful completion of the program, charges are dismissed. However, the program does not come without its stipulations. Participants are required to complete a host of requirements to successfully complete the program. Requirements include active engagement in their culture and community, regular appearances before the panel, letters of apology, community service and substance abuse treatment, curfews, UA’s, anger management and mental health evaluations and no new violations.
Due to the success of the program, the Tulalip Elder’s Panel received the Hero’s Award in 2009 from the Washington State Bar Association for their volunteer service. This prestigious award typically goes to lawyers but in special circumstances, has been awarded to non-lawyers for their service in the field of law. The program has also inspired state courts to consider implementing a diversion program using the Elder’s Panel as a model. In 2011, the National Center for State Courts visited from New York to learn more about the panel.
“There is serious interest in the panel and the work the elders do,” said Wendy Church, Tulalip Tribes Tribal Court Director, during the recognition ceremony. “Not only do they save the Tribes a lot of funds in diverting young tribal members our of the criminal justice system, but the Elder’s Panel also has a high success rate of clients not returning to the system.”
The panel, in 2013, saved the court $20,000 in judicial and probation time, including jail cost, which can run the Tribe more than $100 a day for incarcerated tribal members. The panel sees an 87 percent success rate in participants.
Along with current panel members, former tribal court clerk Alicia Horne was honored for her work, along with Tulalip Tribal Court Judge Gary Bass and Don Hatch Jr., in establishing the panel. Horne is credited for creating the court forms the panel still uses. Former panel members Virginia Carpenter and the late Bill Shelton were also honored for their time and devotion to the Tulalip community.
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913+5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
