From Linda M. Brown - Mendota Community: (10/14/99)
Dear Friends, Things here have been really crazy, there have been more arrests with the police acting in a brutal manner. One young man was caught by himself last week and he ended up with a broken ankle, he was kicked during his arrest. We have asked anyone who has been visiable in our support to please not travel alone through this area. A week and a half a ago some of our supporters occupied a extremely large cottonwood tree that was slated to be cut down. Seven people went up into the tree to try to stop the destruction. Equipment was brought in to try to remove these kids, three of them were brought down and four remained for almost a week. This was after many of the lower branches were cut out from under the remaining four. squad cars were stationed 24 hours a day under the tree to prevent any food or water being brought to these kids. Police sat with their spot lights on the four all night to keep them awake, and to prevent any help from reaching them. Leo and I had to attend the National Congress of American Indians and only heard about much of this from our family and friends. We feel that we made some real progress and important contacts at the National Congress and we are planning strategies to continue our fight to save our sacred lands. The camp has been under observation by state troopers constantly this week and we don't know when MNDOT plans to move on the encampment, but everyone feels it will be soon. Last week they came in to remove trees within a block of the encampment. They would come in with one man with a chain saw and cut 10-15 trees, of course they also had state troopers sent in with him, the trees would be cut and then they quickly left before we had time to activate phone trees or call the media. We have managed to take some cuttings from these trees to prove how old some of the trees in this area really are. I hope that all of you will all continue your support and prayers, we really need them now.
Take care everyone, Pidamiya, Love Linda
Governer Jesse Ventura Phone: (651) 297-9500 State Capitol Building 75 Constitution Ave. St. Paul, MN 55155 mailto:Jesse.Ventura@state.mn.us Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg Phone: (651) 296-3000 Fax: (651) 296-3587 MNDOT 395 John Ireland Blvd St. Paul, MN 55155 Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton Phone: (612) 673-2100 350 S. 5th St. Minneapolis, MN 55415 U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone Phone: (202) 224-5641, fax (202) 224-8438 136 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington D.C. 20510 mailto:senator@wellstone.senate.gov Mr. Alan Steger Division Administrator FHWA Phone: (651) 291-6100 Sheryl Martin Galtier Plaza, Suite 500 175 E. 5th St. St Paul, MN 55101 Bruce Eberly Historic Preservatin Officer FHWA Phone: (202) 366-2060 C/O HEP -40, room 3240 Washington D.C. 20590 Ann Boland, National Register of Historic Preservation Dept of the Interior Phone (202) 343-9500 Box 37127 Washington D.C. 20013-7127 Bruce Babbit Secretary of the Interior Dept. of the Interior 1849 C Street NW Washington D.C. 20240 202208-7351 mailto:Bruce_Babbitt@IOS.DOI.GOV President William Clinton Phone: (202) 4565-1414 The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC 20500 MAILTO:President@whitehouse.gov Vice President Al Gore Phone: (202) 4565-1414 The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington DC, 20500 MAILTO:VicePresident@whitehouse.gov Janet Reno U.S. Attorney General Phone: (202) 737-5214 Justice Dept. 600 E. St. NW Washington,DC 20090
The Mendota are a non-profit organization and reciepts will be supplied for
those who request them. Send donations to:
Checks or money orders may be made payable to MMDC.
Mendota Medewakanton Dakota Community
PO Box 50835
Mendota, MN 55150
Contact numbers are Linda M. Brown - (612) 944-7290
FAX (612) 944-0105
or Bob Brown, Chairman - (612) 576-9686
FAX (612) 576-0632
We ask that everyone send what they can...be it money or supplies.
PLEASE HELP PROTECT OUR SACRED SITES!