Tulalip Tribes Archives - Page 37 of 45

Tulalip adopts Good Samaritan Law with Lois Luella Jones Law

Rico Jones-Fernandez and his mother Lois 'Lou Lou' Luella Jones shortly before she passed away on July 10, 2010 from an alcohol overdose. Jones-Fernandez campaigned for the Tulalip Tribes to adopt a Good Samaritan Law on the Tulalip Reservation that would grant temporary immunity to those seeking medical attention for a victim during a drug or alcohol overdose. The Tulalip Tribes passes the Lois Luella Jones Law on June 7, 2014. Photo Courtesy/ Rico Jones-Fernandez — Rico Jones-Fernandez and his mother Lois ‘Lou Lou’ Luella Jones shortly before she passed away on July 10, 2010 from a drug overdose. Jones-Fernandez campaigned for the Tulalip Tribes to adopt a Good Samaritan Law on the Tulalip Reservation that would grant temporary immunity to those seeking medical attention for a victim during a drug or alcohol overdose. The Tulalip Tribes passes the Lois Luella Jones Law on June 7, 2014.
Photo Courtesy/ Rico Jones-Fernandez

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – For the past few months Rico Jones-Fernandez has campaigned to enact a Good Samaritan Law on the Tulalip Reservation that would provide temporary immunity for people seeking help from 911 emergency services for victims of drug or alcohol overdose. On June 7, his campaign came to an end when the Tulalip Board of Directors voted unanimously to enact the Lois Luella Jones Law into the Tulalip Tribal Codes.

While Jones-Fernandez’s dedication paid off for future victims of overdose, his dedication stemmed from personal tragedy.

Lois ‘Lou Lou’ Luella Jones is described as a compassionate woman, who loved to laugh and be with her family and friends. She was a proud mother of five children and had grandmother bragging rights over three grandchildren, whom she intended to be close with. But on July 10, 2010, at the age of 41, Lou Lou succumbed to what the coroner’s office, labeled as acute intoxication due to combined effects of oxycodone carisoprodol and acetaminophen. A drug overdose. Her son Rico believes it was a death that could have been prevented if the people in the house with her at the time of the overdose had called 911 for emergency help, without fear of arrest or conviction.

“I wonder what I could have done everyday,” says Jones-Fernandez. “I know there are a lot of people who are sitting and wondering what they could do for their loved ones, and there isn’t much you can do except tell them you are there for them. And with this law, at least people have the peace of mind in knowing if something does happen, someone can call 911 without fear of getting arrested. This is about not waiting for someone you love to die.”

On April 13 of this year, Jones-Fernandez introduced an early version of the law to the Tulalip Board of Directors. The draft became known informally as draft 1 after a proposed version of the law was presented by Tulalip Legal Department, known as draft 2.

Rico Jones-Fernandez discusses the two drafts the Tulalip Board of Directors examined for a Tulalip Good Samaritan law before passing the Lois Luella Jones Law which would grant temporary immunity to those seeking medical attention for a victim of a drug or alcohol overdose. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News — Rico Jones-Fernandez discusses the two drafts the Tulalip Board of Directors examined for a Tulalip Good Samaritan law before passing the Lois Luella Jones Law which would grant temporary immunity to those seeking medical attention for a victim of a drug or alcohol overdose.
Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

The two drafts, although proposed to encourage people to report emergencies without fear of self-incrimination, contained vastly different language and protections for the person seeking medical help for a victim of an overdose.

Draft 1 proposed guaranteed immunity for persons seeking medical help from being arrested due to possession of illicit substances or paraphernalia charges, underage drinking, or contributing to a minor, including non-violent misdemeanor warrants. Protection for the caller also included the removal of probation being revoked or modified, and immunity to extend to all present that cooperated with medical staff.

Draft 2 proposed protection from arrest due to possession of illicit substances and police retain the power to arrest but encourage discretion, including the ability to use the law as a defense later in court if arrested.

Jones-Fernandez stated the differences in his draft are not about condoning the crimes, but that life is more important.

Tulalip Tribes BOD agreed and passed draft 1 during a regular Board meeting, making the Lois Luella Jones Law effective following a brief 10-day filing with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Although minor changes were made to draft 1 before it’s approval with the Board, the draft still retained its original language and intent, and can be used immediately.

“I’ve talked to hundreds of people about this law, and read everything I could get my hands on. It has come a long way; it has been challenging, but this is going to make things better. It is a good start. It is a great first step that will be effective,” said Jones-Fernandez.

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com

Tulalip offers temporary relief for citizens in case of emergency

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – With the recent events surrounding the major mudslide that occurred four miles east of the OSO community and resulted in 42 confirmed deaths, cities across the region are re-examining their emergency preparedness plans. In Tulalip, with help from a 2011 $137,000 Tribal Homeland Security grant, a plan is in the implementation phase to provide long-term food and water storage for the Tulalip Reservation.

The need for such a plan arose during the Tulalip Tribes 2010 emergency planning update that included the Tribe’s housing mitigation plan. It was noted at that time that the Tribe lacked the capability to store long-term food or water in the case of a catastrophic event.

Starting in the fall of this year, Tulalip citizens will begin to notice 8×20-foot mobile or cargo trailers placed around the reservation. These trailers will be stocked with 72-hour emergency kits with solar radios and long-term shelf food.

To ensure citizen’s dietary needs are considered, Sandy Evans the Tulalip Medical Reserve Corp Coordinator, will work with a dietician to purchase foods that meet dietary standards, such as diabetic approved foods.

“We are also looking to buy about 30, 55-gallon water barrels and water purification methods and blankets,” explained Rochelle Lubbers, Tulalip Tribes Emergency Management Coordinator. “The emergency kits are the largest cost, and we are not putting a large emphasis on buying shelter equipment, because history shows that people want to stay near their home. They find a way to either camp near their home, or find a relative to stay with. If we ever did need extra sheltering the Red Cross would help.”

Lubbers explains the storage trailers being purchased are specifically to be used in case of catastrophic disasters that would impact not only Tulalip, but also the region surrounding Tulalip, and will be used to service the entire Tulalip Reservation, including non-Tulalip members.

“I can’t say there is a distinction at this time in the plan regarding non-tribal members. The trailers will be located in areas populated with tribal housing, so they naturally favor our tribal members. With that said, once something occurs, we are not going to disregard the need of other people in the community, we will all have to come together,” said Lubbers.

“Ideally we want these storage trailers to become a part of the community. We want the community to feel trained and have supplies accessible. The idea is to get the neighborhoods involved in preparedness,” Lubbers explained. “If you can imagine a regional earthquake that affects multiple cities at the same time, we have to realize no one is coming to help for several days. We are truly on our own.”

This realization that Tulalip could become isolated from surrounding cities is what Lubbers hope neighborhoods will consider when making their own preparedness plans, along with the risk that individual neighborhoods within Tulalip could also become isolated during catastrophe.

Tulalip Emergency Management office will begin announcing trailer placement soon, along with conducting outreach for people interested in being trained in preparedness regarding the emergency storage trailers.

For more information about emergency management, or Tulalip Tribe’s emergency management plan, please contact the Tribe’s emergency management office at 360-716-5945.

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com

Three Tribes Win Coveted Washington State Environmental Education Awards

Northwest Indian Fisheries CommissionHabitat restoration efforts such as removal of the Elwha Dam, shown here in process on October 8, 2011, have helped bring back salmon spawning grounds. — Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Habitat restoration efforts such as removal of the Elwha Dam, shown here in process on October 8, 2011, have helped bring back salmon spawning grounds.

Indian Country Today

Three tribes are among the recipients of the Green Apple Awards given for environmental education initiatives by the not-for-profit group E3 Washington, a professional group that provides education on environmental development and stability.

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, President Fawn Sharp of the Quinault Indian Nation and State Senator John McCoy of the Tulalip Tribes will receive awards, E3 announced on June 11. In addition, Billy Frank, Jr., Nisqually tribal elder and longtime chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, will be honored at a gala and awards ceremony to take place on June 26.

E3 is an outgrowth of the Environmental Education Association of Washington (EEAW), the state’s professional association for environmental and sustainability educators and stakeholders. The initiative was established in 2005, when the Governor’s Council on Environmental Education asked the association to take the lead in planning environmental education, according to the EEAW website. “E3” stands for education, environment, and economy. The EEAW is in turn affiliated with the North American Association for Environmental Education.

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe was chosen to receive the President’s Award for both honoring elder wisdom and teaching youth self-respect, said retired teacher Marie Marrs, who nominated the tribe.

“The annual paddle journeys, alcohol and drug free, are strong signs of cultural revival,” Marrs said, according to the E3 statement. “The Klallam language is taught at local high schools, as a foreign language. Tribal leaders are visible, and honored, at many community events. Native youth are enrolled in natural resource programs at the area Skill Center, as well as Peninsula College, acquiring specials skills and internships with local economic and environmental power bases such as Battelle, Olympic National Park, NOAA, Merrill Ring, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and the Feiro Marine Science Center, as well as their own natural resource/fisheries programs. Skill Center classes are co-taught with a tribal culture specialist as part of the team. Peninsula College has a Longhouse, a House of Learning, for special gatherings and ceremonies, the first in the nation to be built on a community college campus.”

Noting that the very aim of the E3 Washington Lead Green goal is to use every location as a teaching tool, E3 Washington board president Tom Hulst—who selected the Llower Elwha Klallam for the award—said that numerous sites managed by the tribe reach this ideal.

“The E3 Washington Lead Green goal is that every place, be it a building or other site becomes a ‘learning laboratory’ for the shift to sustainability,” Hulst said. “In the case of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe multiple sites under its management meets this goal!”

Sharp will accept the Green Apple Award, which recognizes awareness of indigenous knowledge, language and values, as well as encourages a multicultural approach to environmental and sustainability education, all while exemplifying E3’s Lead Green goal, according to the release. Sharp, who is also president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and area vice president of the National Congress of American Indians, was nominated by Olympia-based businessman Steve Robinson.

“President Sharp is a very dynamic leader whose incredible energy level is matched only by her skill as a leader and her enthusiastic approach toward serving her people as well both Indian and non-Indian people, particularly in such fields as sustainability, environmental education and health and human rights,” Robinson said in his nomination. “She has long been active in environmental education at all levels, providing leadership in the classroom, the outdoors and the intergovernmental arena. Just one example of many major successes resulting from her leadership was last summer’s Paddle to Quinault—a highly successful canoe journey that brought traditional canoes from near and far to the Quinault homeland. It was a major cultural event enjoyed by thousands, and was a huge historic achievement in helping to build bridges of understanding between tribal and non-tribal communities.”

For his part state Senator John McCoy, Democrat, will receive the 2014 Diversity in Action-Individual E3 Washington Green Apple Award, which “recognizes an individual, organization, tribe or program that demonstrates cultural awareness and encourages a multicultural approach to environmental and sustainability education programs while exemplifying the Lead Green goal,” the E3 statement said.

“Senator McCoy has been a tireless leader in many capacities which have served environmental education, multiculturalism and diversity well,” said Robinson, who nominated McCoy as well as Sharp. “His presence on ‘the hill’ in Olympia has provided an immeasurable amount of benefit to both tribal and non-tribal people and governments. He has sponsored phenomenal, far-reaching legislation, ranging from bills to integrate Indian culture and history into the classroom to a bill to establish Indian Heritage Day. Senator McCoy is one of the hardest working legislators in Olympia and he is committed to the protection and restoration of a healthy, vibrant environment for all.”

Frank, who passed away on May 5, was involved in E3 and will be honored at the awards ceremony, which will take place The awards will be presented at E3’s Summer Evening Awards Event 2014, A Summer Celebration of Environmental and Sustainability Education, on June 26.

“Billy Frank, who was E3’s honorary co-chair, was a friend to, and tireless advocate for, all people and species,” said Ruskey. “His spirit lives in us and continues to guide us, as he always will.”

Tulalip holds annual veteran’s pow wow

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – Tulalip Tribes held their 23rd Annual Veteran’s Pow Wow on May 30 through June 1, at the Tulalip Resort Casino. The annual pow wow celebrates current and past Native American military servicemen and women.

Master of ceremonies was Tulalip tribal member Ray Fryberg Sr., with Sonny Eagle Speaker as arena director and Eagle Warriors as host drum.

Dancing styles included women’s fancy shawl, buckskin, and jingle while men’s dance included fancy feather, grass, and northern traditional.

Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com

Tribes expand efforts to monitor Nooksack elk

Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

Point Elliott Treaty tribes are expanding efforts to monitor the Nooksack elk herd in hopes of resolving ongoing damage and safety problems in Skagit and Whatcom counties.

The Upper Skagit, Sauk-Suiattle, Swinomish, Stillaguamish, Suquamish, and Tulalip tribes are trapping elk using collapsible traps baited with apples and monitored with wildlife cameras. Since 2012, tribal and state wildlife co-managers have collared at least 10 cow elk with very high frequency (VHF) collars. These collars help estimate the population during annual aerial surveys of the North Cascade elk herd.

To get more precise information about the herd’s movements, the Stillaguamish Tribe’s Natural Resources Department acquired global positioning system (GPS) collars that transmit point location data every 85 minutes. This is a cost-shared project with the Tulalip Tribes. So far, with support from Suquamish, Sauk-Suiattle and Upper Skagit, they have collared five animals and plan to collar four more.

“The main focus of the project is tracking the movement and seasonal habitat use of the lowland elk that frequent the Skagit River Valley and Acme areas,” said Jennifer Sevigny, wildlife biologist for the Stillaguamish Tribe. “These data are important for our future elk management decisions.”

Because of an increasing number of collisions between elk and vehicles, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) is partnering with the tribes to deploy three GPS collars to determine where and when elk are crossing Highway 20. These GPS collars will be programmed differently so they can record location points at closer time intervals to detect more precise crossing locations along Highway 20.

“The GPS collars are more expensive, but they give exact information on where the elk have been,” said Chris Madsen, wildlife biologist for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

“Up to 50 elk a year may get hit by vehicles along Highway 20,” said Scott Schuyler, natural resources director for the Upper Skagit Tribe. “We’ve suggested creating wildlife underpasses and increasing lighting around the highway to reduce these impacts.”

DOT recently set up flashing elk crossing signs along Highway 20 in response to the increased elk mortality.

The Nooksack elk herd had dwindled to about 300 animals by 2003, prompting state and tribal co-managers to boost the herd by relocating animals from the Mount St. Helens area, and improve forage habitat through restoration projects. The herd has now rebounded to approximately 1,400 elk.

Some property owners and farmers complain that elk from the recovering Nooksack herd destroy fences and devour crops, and have called for removing the lowland population

“All of this work will help give us a better picture of the population dynamics while helping to address the damage issue,” Madsen said. “If we’re going to consider removing elk, we need to put some science behind it.”

Re-visioning Native America: Matika Wilbur’s ‘Project 562’ kicks off at Tacoma Art Museum

Matika Wilbur’s ‘Project 562’ kicks off at Tacoma Art Museum this weekend

By Rosemary Ponnekanti, The News Tribune

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/05/16/3197717/re-visioning-native-america.html?sp=/99/1683/#storylink=cpy

When Northwest artist Matika Wilbur was at an airport with her 9-year-old nephew, they happened upon a display case of Swinomish tribal art — their own people. Except the label explained, “The Swinomish were a hunter-gatherer tribe who lived in the Puget Sound region …”

Wilbur’s nephew turned to her, and asked sadly, “Aunty, why does it say ‘we were,’ not ‘we are?’ ”

The answer to that question opens at the Tacoma Art Museum on Saturday. Wilbur, a Swinomish/Tulalip photographer, is unveiling the first part of her “Project 562,” a multiyear, multimedia odyssey to document every recognized Native American tribe in the United States — to show, in fact, the “we are.”

Supported by the museum from the beginning, the project’s nearly halfway done, with 200 out of (now) 566 tribes documented in startling silver gelatin portraits, audio interviews and short films. Around 40 of the portraits will be on view at Saturday’s opening, along with Wilbur herself to give a talk on her journey to turn around the imagery of contemporary Native America.

“When you Google ‘African American’ you get beautiful images of people doing what we do now — kids on swings, businesspeople in suits,” says Wilbur. “If you Google ‘Latino’ or ‘Asian American’, the same. But for Native American, what you’ll find is images of previous centuries.”

That kind of negative, stereotypical imagery, Wilbur adds, affects self-esteem, worsening problems in many tribes of alcohol addiction, drug use and teen suicide.

“As a teacher, I lost a lot of students to suicide,” she says. “I argue that image does affect our consciousness, our children. It’s been proven in studies.”

Four years ago, Wilbur decided to change that imagery.

“I’m hopeful, I believe things can change,” she says. “I thought, what if things could change for young people? What if I could be a part of that? That was my dream, my goal.”

Planning, applying for grants, doing a Kickstarter campaign, contacting tribes and finally driving around the country, she has covered 60,000 miles since November 2012, spending around five days in each place, taking audio and photographic portraits of at least three men and three women in each tribe, thus the name “Project 562.” Along the way she’s raised national media awareness through NBC, NPR, BBC, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, even Buzzfeed.com.

“What I’m attempting to do is to offer a contemporary image that showcases our heroes,” says Wilbur.

And much of the credit goes to the Tacoma Art Museum. With a budget of $500,000 to pay for travel and costs for a book, films and educational curriculum, Wilbur “desperately needed a big institution to put their name on the project.” Most of the institutions she approached either doubted or laughed at the project — except Tacoma.

“(Senior curator) Rock Hushka was like, ‘Let’s do it. I’ll help you. What do you need?’” Wilbur says. “That’s not what museums normally do. They usually borrow your work when it’s finished.”

Wilbur also points out the museum got on board long before they accepted the enormous Haub collection of Western art, much of which comes from that previous-century perspective on native identity.

And so, this weekend, TAM gets to host the inaugural “Project 562” exhibition through October, before it travels to other venues. (The Haub wing opens shortly afterward.)

“‘Project 562’ provides ample evidence of the diversity and vibrancy of contemporary Native Americans,” says Hushka. “Only a photographer of Wilbur’s caliber could capture this with such grace and clarity.”

The exhibition will be accompanied by various lectures, as well as being the centerpiece for the museum’s annual Native Northwest Community Celebration on May 31. A member reception Saturday night will include hoop dancers from Phoenix; singers from the Swinomish and Tulalip tribes; a blessing from the Puyallup tribe and more.

Wilbur also is collaborating with fashion designer Bethany Yellowtail (Crow Nation) on a “562” fashion line, which the artist hopes will fund the project into the future. The first items are scarves that double as shawls, with design elements (cedar, cracked earth) that tell stories from different tribes.

What speaks loudest in “Project 562,” however, are Wilbur’s portraits. Shot against desert landscapes, calm Puget Sound waters, city streets or plain walls, they show tough teens, patient elders, cowboys, young women in denim, older women in regalia. And while the background is important — places her subjects felt most tied to — it’s reduced to black-and-white, while the people themselves stand out in color.

Spending up to three hours, Wilbur also interviewed her subjects extensively, diving into their deepest dreams and loyalties.

“I asked them where they grew up, why they stayed or left, about their family and what’s not in the history books about their people,” she says. “Then I talked about more serious things — what does it mean to be a sovereign nation? About assimilation, education, values, wellness, racial stereotypes … and what does it mean to be a member of your community? … That question is important for me, because it grapples with the concept of being ‘Indian enough.’”

While Wilbur’s work asks big questions and has been described as provocative, Wilbur says what matters most is how it attempts to connect actual living Native American cultures with the rest of Western society, reversing the “historical inaccuracies about Indian identity.” It also creates a central location where those cultures have visual representation.

“It’s more about the intimacy of the portraits and the stories they convey,” she says. “It’s also time we allowed our young Native people to see themselves in a positive light. To move beyond poverty porn and give them something hopeful.”

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/05/16/3197717/re-visioning-native-america.html?sp=/99/1683/#storylink=cpy

Serving patients while raising awareness Quarterly diabetes day at the Tulalip Health Clinic

By Andrew Gobin, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Karen I. Fryberg Health Clinic held their quarterly Diabetes Day Tuesday, May 13. Diabetes Day is held once every three months, and for four hours the clinic makes all the services readily available to patients.

“With diabetes, it’s just convenient to have everybody right there and then to see me,” said Veronica Leahy, diabetes educator for the clinic. “People can come in and do their labs. Some people have had to fast, so we have healthy snacks available for afterwards.”

While Diabetes Day is intended to provide convenient all inclusive same-day service to patients, there is also an effort to bring awareness to people on how to prevent the disease. Clinic nurses used diagrams and models to show the effects of unhealthy lifestyles and how they can lead to or magnify diabetes.

Burleigh Snyder is a patient of the clinic and an advocate for diabetes awareness. He participates in most of the diabetes events, and contributes the gardens at the clinic and at the Hibulb Cultural Center.

He said, “I should be six feet under. My highest number (highest blood sugar level) was 1873. I was found in a coma, I died three times at the hospital. I advocate for diabetes awareness so that maybe what happened to me will help someone else prevent diabetes in their life.”

Rob Taylor, who volunteers at the clinic’s garden, said, “We are showing people how to eat better. Diet is so closely tied to diabetes and obesity. Healthy eating to reduce weight is very beneficial to diabetes. We would like to expand the garden, maybe include an orchard, but that’s a ways out.”

The next Diabetes Days are August 12 and November 18. Stop in at the Tulalip Health Clinic from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on those days to learn more.

Andrew Gobin is a reporter with the See-Yaht-Sub, a publication of the Tulalip Tribes Communications Department.
Email: agobin@tulalipnews.com
Phone: (360) 716.4188

Tulalip selects own as new Police Chief

Tulalip Board of Directors selects Carlos Echevarria as new Chief of Police from Brandi Montreuil on Vimeo.

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – On May 3, Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors made a historical decision when they selected Tulalip tribal member, Carlos Echevarria, to be the new Chief of Police for the Tulalip Police Department.

The 44 year-old FBI National Academy and Northwest School of Police Staff and Command graduate, is the first Tulalip tribal citizen to hold the office of Police Chief post-retrocession, a process where the Tribe took back jurisdiction on tribal lands in 2001.

Tulalip Police Department's new Chief of Police, Carlos Echevarria, takes his oath in front of Tulalip Tribes vice-chairman Les Parks and local law enforcement and service agencies on May 7. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News — Tulalip Police Department’s new Chief of Police, Carlos Echevarria, takes his oath in front of Tulalip Tribes vice-chairman Les Parks and local law enforcement and service agencies on May 7.
Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

Echevarria, a Tulalip police officer since 2001, has completed several law enforcement trainings and academy programs including the BIA Criminal Jurisdiction and Criminal Investigations in Indian Country, U.S. Department of Justice FBI Basic Indian Country In-Service Training, and SWAT Basic Tap/ Rack Tactical.

“I was literally in shock,” described Echevarria, upon learning of the Board’s decision, and who had been serving as the department’s Interim Chief of Police for 11 months prior. “I’ve been so humbled by this opportunity and by the outpouring of community support, both internally and externally of Tulalip Tribes, as well as the support of other state and federal agencies that we work closely with. I am truly grateful; I wasn’t expecting it. Words do not describe how excited I am and how I feel to be the first Tulalip tribal member to be the Chief of Police for Tulalip. I am confident I have all the training and experience to do this. I know the community. The community trusts me and my staff trusts me, and I think it was just the right time. I am very fortunate to be in this position.”

Former Tulalip Police Chief, Jay Goss, pins newly appointed Police Chief Carlos Echevarria during the swearing in ceremony held May 7, in the Tulalip Tribes Board Room. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News — Former Tulalip Police Chief, Jay Goss, pins newly appointed Police Chief Carlos Echevarria during the swearing in ceremony held May 7, in the Tulalip Tribes Board Room.
Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

Echevarria, whose his goal was always to become an officer, says his objective for the department will be to focus on collaboration with other tribal departments for safety and community outreach and education.

“My number one goal going forward is to reduce the number of our children that are exposed to violence. And that is far ranging from physical and sexual abuse in the home to school safety,” said Echavarria.

Relying on his training and advice from his mentor, former Tulalip Chief of Police Jay Goss, Echevarria will be starting his career as chief during the first initial Violence Against Women’s Act cases being heard through tribal courts. Tulalip Tribes was selected, along with two other tribes nationwide, to implement special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction under VAWA 2013.

“VAWA was a much needed legislation and now the three pilot tribes have taken on that role of working through many obstacles in working with the Department of Justice to prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes against Native American women in Indian Country. Once this process is complete the other tribes will have a template, so to speak, to follow and a number of issues will have been worked out and it won’t be as difficult for them,” said Echevarria, whose department will become a model for other tribal police departments in handling VAWA cases, and who have already received requests from other tribal police departments to be kept informed of the process.

Tulalip Police Chief Carlos Echevarria is joined by (left to right) Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith, Shoreline Police Chief Shawn Ledford, Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary, Lake Stevens Interim Police Chief Dan Lorentzen, and Everett Police Chief Kathy Atwood. All who attended Chief Echevarria's swearing in ceremony on May 7. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News — Tulalip Police Chief Carlos Echevarria is joined by (left to right) Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith, Shoreline Police Chief Shawn Ledford, Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary, Lake Stevens Interim Police Chief Dan Lorentzen, and Everett Police Chief Kathy Atwood. All who attended Chief Echevarria’s swearing in ceremony on May 7.
Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

“It’s an exciting time. My belief in moving forward is we will find ways together to further the Tribe’s goal as a whole and make this community as safe as possible for everyone,” Echevarria said.

Echevarria was sworn into office on May 6, and was joined by numerous local law enforcement and service agencies in addition to the Tulalip community. You can watch his swearing in ceremony on Tulalip TV’s Tulalip Matters program at www.tulaliptv.com or on Tulalip broadband on channel 99.

For more information regarding the Tulalip Police Department, please contact them at 360-716-4800. In case of an emergency, please contact 911.

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com

The value of saving a life: Proposed law to grant temporary immunity to save lives

By Andrew Gobin, Tulalip News

TULALIP – A proposed new law on the Tulalip Indian Reservation raises the question of the value of life, and in turn the value of saving a life. Called the Lois Luella Jones Law after a victim of overdose, the law would encourage people to seek help from 911 emergency services through temporary immunity, which removes the fear of arrest and or conviction. The intent is to cut down on the number of preventable deaths in the community. There are two drafts of the proposed law with distinct differences, though in each the goal is the same, to encourage people to report emergencies without the fear of self-incrimination.

Rico Jones-Fernandez, who proposed the law for Tulalip, is the son of Lois Luella Jones, for whom the law is so named. He is a strong proponent of 911 Good Samaritan Laws in communities that battle drug addiction.

“This isn’t a law enforcement issue, it’s about saving lives,” he said.

Jones-Fernandez’s draft of the proposed law states that persons seeking medical assistance for a person experiencing an overdose or other life threatening emergent situation are to be granted immunity from arrest and prosecution for minor offenses. In his draft, minor offenses are defined as contributing to the delinquency of an underage person, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and minor in possession. Immunity extends beyond crimes listed to warrants for misdemeanors and nonviolent crimes as well.

“It’s not condoning the crimes and behaviors, it’s saying that a life is more important than a drug charge,” said Jones-Fernandez.

Jones-Fernandez’s draft, as written, has raised question and concern for public safety. Tulalip Prosecutor, Dave Wall, along with reservation attorney, Anthony Jones, also drafted a law that keeps the intent of the law in-tact, while taking into account public safety as a continuing priority. The main difference between the two drafts is the definition of immunity. Jones-Fernandez’s draft explicitly states that the immunity prevents arrest and conviction for crimes listed, whereas the draft written by tribal attorneys reserves the power to arrest yet still extends immunity to convictions for the crimes listed.

Wall said, “The police have a responsibility to public safety, and to keep the peace. They need to retain the power to make arrests.

“Stopping an arrest,” he continued, “that is very hard. Stopping charges or a conviction is much easier. We aren’t rushed to make a decisions like with an arrest. We have time to contemplate circumstances and weigh decisions.”

In addition to concerns surrounding a law enforcement officer’s ability to make arrests, there is a concern regarding warrants. If people are repeat offenders, or have multiple warrants, should those people be eligible for immunity? With regards to misdemeanor warrants and non-violent crime warrants, what defines non-violent crime? Burglary is not a violent crime, yet it is a felony. Should warrants for burglary be overlooked under this law? These are questions the Tulalip Tribal Council will need to answer as they review the two drafts of the proposed law.

“Yes, saving a life is important, but what about the home owner whose property was burglarized. What happens when he learns the police were in extended contact with the burglar, and did nothing, just let him go? What are his rights to justice?” Wall added.

Regardless of the legal and public safety concerns, there is the question of how effective a 911 Good Samaritan Law would be at Tulalip.

“We have nothing to lose. If it is implemented and it is effective, we would be saving that many more lives,” said Jones Fernandez.

Even though both drafts include the provision for immunity from conviction for crimes listed, Jones-Fernandez fears that the tribes’ draft is not protective enough for people seeking medical assistance for overdose victims.

“If it does not protect the caller enough, then the law won’t be effective,” he explained.

Other areas of ambiguity in each draft deal with the terms of immunity, specifically who is eligible for immunity and how long it lasts. If there are ten people at the scene of an incident, but only three were seeking assistance, are all ten granted immunity? It is yet to be clearly defined, though the language of each draft suggests no. The way each draft is worded, immunity is only applicable to those actively seeking medical assistance, or is assisting in some manner. So at a house party, for example, you could not claim to have been unseen in another part of the house and be eligible for immunity. That being said, each draft also puts the burden of discrediting immunity on the prosecution, meaning if someone claims immunity under this law, if it were to pass, the court would have to discredit them, proving beyond a reasonable doubt that this law is not applicable to them.

There is also the question of immunity for people who call repeatedly. As written, neither draft limits how many times you can be granted immunity.

Phino Fernandez, Jones-Fernandez’s brother and fellow supporter of the Lois Luella Jones Law, said, “It can be as repetitious as it needs to be. What makes the 25^th life any less important or significant than the first? Why shouldn’t the same value of saving a life apply equally to both?”

It comes back to saving lives. That doesn’t mean people get a free pass, only that the focus has shifted.

“In an emergent situation, we want anyone to feel safe enough to call for assistance to save a life. In terms of the war on drugs, when someone is overdosing, the war has been lost. The battle for that person’s life is now the focus. We can sort out the rest later,” explained Wall.

Both drafts of the law address what happens after the fact. If new crimes and circumstances arise out of the emergent situation, immunity is no longer applicable, and the proposed law would no longer be able to suppress evidence in those cases. That means the temporary immunity ceases after the overdose or emergent situation has concluded, preventing larger crimes that arise from overdose situations to go unchecked.

Wall captured the struggle to balance public safety and the value of saving lives quite eloquently in these few words, “I want us as a community, the tribal court and police included, for the overriding factor of saving lives.”

The law has immense support from the community and from tribal leaders. Aside from concerns to public safety, both drafts of the law express that the value of saving lives is paramount to healing our community, and, for offenders, the value of saving a life is a second chance.

On Thursday, May 22, at 5:30 p.m. at the Tulalip administration building, the CEDAR group will be hosting a community forum on this law. The law is set to be presented to the Tulalip Tribal Council for approval in June.

Andrew Gobin: 360-631-7075; agobin@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

Pushing Boundaries receives $10,000 grant from Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund

Source: RemondReporter.com

Pushing Boundaries, an exercise-based paralysis recovery center in Redmond, has received a $10,000 grant from the Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund, which will go toward the organization’s general operating support.

There are approximately 70,000 people in the Puget Sound region that are living with some form or paralysis. Pushing Boundaries works with clients experiencing paralysis from any neurological disorder, including spinal cord injuries, MS, traumatic brain injuries and stroke to regain and maintain health and independence.

“Support from the Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund demonstrates their deep and long-standing commitment to a healthy community,” said Pushing BoundariesExecutive Director Tricia Lazzar. “We are honored to be recognized and included among the many organizations supported by the Tulalip Tribe.”

Pushing Boundaries is Washington’s only comprehensive exercise therapy focused on regaining function and independence in those who are paralyzed with neurological conditions.

For more information about the Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund, visit www.tulalipcares.org.