update: city council blocks Pretty Bird Woman House purchase
Thu Jan 10, 2008 at 01:06:50 PM PDT
Many of you have followed and supported (thanks!) the story of Pretty Bird Woman House, a shelter for women on the Standing Rock reservation who have been victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. The dailykos community has chipped in with great generosity. However, hurdles remain for the shelter, as the city council has blocked the purchase of a house.
Please follow me over the fold for some data.
A diary earlier today by betson08 caught my attention as it whizzed down the list of recent diaries. The city council of Laughlin, SD, postponed a vote to approve/reject the Pretty Bird Woman House proposal to purchase a house in their community, based on community concerns about the property's use.
Some quotes from the Rapid City Journal:
The Pretty Bird Woman House is currently without a home after the staff was forced to give up an apartment in McLaughlin that was repeatedly vandalized and eventually set on fire. The shelter was opened three years ago and named in memory of a victim of rape and murder, Ivy Archambault, whose Lakota name means Pretty Bird Woman.
A major problem here is that Pretty Bird Woman House is now out-of-compliance with a Federal grant that provides operating expenses. Moreover,
The Pretty Bird Woman House is currently without a home after the staff was forced to give up an apartment in McLaughlin that was repeatedly vandalized and eventually set on fire. The shelter was opened three years ago and named in memory of a victim of rape and murder, Ivy Archambault, whose Lakota name means Pretty Bird Woman.
Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin has been very supportive, and I would recommend to all that we contact her with thanks and support. This situation is a local matter, though:
"I'm not going to get involved in that (council vote)," Herseth Sandlin said earlier this week. "But I do hope that our efforts in making greater resources available to those isolated reservations will be a factor in the decision making -- to know that a member of their congressional delegation is paying particular attention and wanting to be partners in their effort to have a safer community."
Mayor Ron Dumdei is also supportive, but he has constituents on both sides of the issue:
Mayor Ron Dumdei said this week that he and council members appreciate the value of the shelter but also must consider the concerns of members of the community. Some citizens worry that the shelter could again be victimized by vandals and pose other potential threats to the community in its new location.
"I understand their need for a shelter, but I also have to be sensitive to the other community folks who have concerns about it," Dumdei said. "We'll do what we can to make things right."
The problems that the Pretty Bird Woman House faces in this proposal to the city council are detailed by betson08:
The new ordinance that is affecting the shelter was passed in response to complaints about the men residing in a homeless shelter in another neighborhood, since they were making nuisances of themselves. While I can't blame the residents for wanting drunken men off of their lawns, the measure does seem draconian in relation to the size of the problem it sought to address.
In general, reports from people who attended the meeting indicated that the ratio of support to opposition on the Council was about 60/40. Instead of voting on it that night, however, they decided to take the full 30 days allowed by the ordinance, and have another hearing.
The problem they are having, which has definite racial overtones, generally seems to stem from the fact that some of the members of the community could not conceptually distinguish between a homeless shelter, which houses men with emotional and drug problems, and a women's shelter, which houses women who are escaping abuse, and want nothing more than a safe place to stay and to be as unobtrusive as possible.
This situation is a tragic one that needs our efforts. Write to your congressfolk to help with domestic violence and Native American causes. Thank Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin for her work, and urge her to continue the food fight.
And things are just as messed up at the federal level too, which reinforces these problems. Senator Dorgan has developed a concept paper with ideas for legislation to improve law enforcement in Indian Country. We really need to change federal laws that create conditions where people are treated differently by law enforcement just because of their race. You can read that paper here
Senator Dorgan is requesting comments on it too.
So, folks, I would ask that we all dig deep into our pockets, shake the lint off those coins and bills, and send just a bit more to href="http://prettybirdwomanhouse.blogspot.com.
And, as always, feel free to go back to previous diaries and learn more. Here's a small sample. Use your dailykos search function to find more.
Unbury some hearts!
Pretty Bird Woman House has no house!
Pretty Bird Woman House crippled by lack of a house.
Spreading the word!
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