Protest of “Alberta Clipper” Pipeline planned

Indigenous Environmental Network, Press Release(Cass Lake, MN) , March 30, 2010-- A protest is being held on Thursday, April 1, 2010, (Fossil Fools Day) at the Migizi Bike Trail head in Cass Lake, MN starting at 11 am to 5 pm. Dennis Banks, American Indian Movement (AIM) Co-founder will be present. Food and Beverages will be provided.

This protest is being held to point out numerous problems with this proposed filling of the “Alberta Clipper” pipeline with dirty expensive oil from the Alberta Tar Sands. First, there are numerous open cases including: Leech Lake Tribal Court case that is being appealed, a Federal Court lawsuit, a State of Minnesota, Ninth Judicial (Beltrami County) Court Case using Condemnation (eminent domain), and Suncor Oil Company in Alberta is suing Enbridge in Canada. Second, this protest is to bring attention to the civil rights violations that are occurring as a result of the Leech Lake Tribal Court decision that undermines the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe’s Constitution.

The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Constitution unequivocally states under Article XIV section 2 that the “Reservation Business Committee upon receipt of a petition signed by 20 percent of the resident voters of the Reservation …. Shall submit any enacted or proposed resolution or ordinance of the Reservation Business Committee to a referendum of the eligible voters of the Reservation.”

February 15, 2010, Leech Lake Tribal Judge, B.J. Jones, unilaterally amended the Minnesota Chippewa Tribal Constitution by creating a legal fiction in which he made the additional requirement of differentiating between a legislative resolution or ordinance and an administrative resolution or ordinance. Judge Jones dismissed the Plaintiff’s lawsuit by stating that the petitioners did not have a Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Constitutional right to subject the RBC administrative resolution to a referendum. Thus, there was no vote on the referendum.

“All the Leech Lake Tribal Members, who signed the petition for a referendum, have been deprived of their rights and due process protected by the United States Constitution and the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Constitution.”, states Sandy Nichols, Leech Lake member and plaintiff.

The Civil Rights of the First Nation Members are also being violated by this pipeline and the Tar Sands and we stand in support with our brothers and sisters.

"The Wet'suwet'en people have been crystal clear since we have first heard about Enbridge's plans to come through our territories –“No Mean No", Enbridge discards this direct message as simple a concern to be noted in their assessment. Our Aboriginal Rights and Title are fundamental in the defense of our lands. Free Prior and Informed Consent is needed before anybody plans on stepping one foot on our lands. We stand by our allies of the Leech Lake Tribal Group,” says Toghestiy (Warner Naziel) of the Wet'suwet'en Nation.”