Community shows support for mosques attacked by arsonist

Minneapolis police announce arrest

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) Executive Director Jaylaini Hussein spoke at the Masjid Al Rahma mosque Saturday night about back-to-back arson fires set in Minneapolis mosques.

Local faith leaders, state legislators, and a host of community members packed a room at the Masjid Al Rahma mosque in south Minneapolis to show solidarity following an arson fire Monday, April 24. It followed an arson fire Sunday, April 23, set in the bathroom of the mosque in the 24 Somali Mall, also in Minneapolis

Minneapolis police yesterday announced the arrest of Jackie Rahm Little, 36, on Sunday. He is charged with setting both fires.

News: Native Alaskans sweep Iditarod, $5 M for manoomin research; complaint against MPD officer goes into a white hole

In this post:

• Native Alaskans sweep Iditarod
• $5 million grant to seek ways to mitigate climate damage on manoomin (wild rice)
• Honor the Earth blasts Biden for approving Arctic oil drilling
• Woman wonders if her 2020 complaint against an MPD officer who told her BLM is a terrorist group ever went anywhere

News: Bill proposed to protect communities overburdened with pollution, the Repatriation Project, and more

In this blog:

• Hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) on Frontline Communities Protection Act before Minnesota Senate Committee
• ProPublica’s “Repatriation Project” focuses on institutions slow to response to 1990 law requiring the return of Native American remains
• Lac du Flambeau in standoff with neighbors over road access

Takeaways from testimony on risks from Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 tunnel under the Great Lakes

Enbridge has proposed tunneling under the Straits of Mackinac for twin pipelines carrying light crude oil and natural gas liquids. They would replace the current Line 5 pipelines that run along floor of the Great Lakes.

Enbridge said the tunnel could be built, and the pipelines operated, with extremely little risk. The company said a spill within the tunnel would occur once in 663,000 years and, the risk of having it ignite would be once every 169 million years,

Experts for the Bay Mills Indian Community strongly disagree. Their testimony was recently posted online, raising important questions about the project’s risk.

Five takeaways follow.

Practical ‘Land Back’ opportunity, understanding the Two Spirit story, and more

In this post:

• Practical ‘Land Back’ opportunity through the Indian Land Tenure Foundation
• Understanding the Two Spirit story
• MPCA, DNR use law firm with ties to mining interests

Red Lake Nation to consider changing citizenship rules, and other news from Indian Country

In this post:

• Red Lake Nation to explore ‘lineal descent’ instead of ‘blood quantum’ to establish Tribal membership
• Weisman Art Museum gets $240K for Indigenous reconciliation project
• Court win for Native student denied request to wear an eagle feather in her graduation cap
• Ohio history group working to preserve the largest remaining complex of Indigenous earthworks in the world

Sentencing disparities end between crack and powder cocaine, but it shouldn’t have taken so long

An essential element of the Rule of Law is that people committing similar crimes will receive similar punishments.

So it’s good news that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday announced new guidance to end the sentencing disparities between powder and crack cocaine, which have had unfair impacts on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).

Still, can we pause just for a minute and ask “How the hell did it take 36 years to change this racist practice?

News: Niibi Center launches website; Map restores Anishinaabe names in northern MN; and more

In this post:

• Niibi Center launches website
• Map restores Anishinaabe place names in northern Minnesota
• Judge orders Bad River Band, Enbridge, to negotiate on Line 5 safety measures
• Cherokee close to Congressional representation
• Alaska elects its first Native Alaskan to Congress

News: Supreme Court to hear ICWA case, abusive priests sent to Indian mission schools, and more

In this post:

• U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments in critical ICWA case Nov. 9
• Abusive priests clustered at Indian mission schools
• U. of M. Regent worried Morris campus is ‘too diverse,’ later apologizes
• Bemidji City Council to discuss displaying Tribal flags at City Hall

Wounded Knee land purchase, Water Protectors court win, and other news

In this post:

• Land purchase preserves Wounded Knee sacred site
• Another win for Water Protectors, court finds law enforcement acted illegally
• Congressional hearing Wednesday morning to address aggressive corporate lawsuits against environmental activists
• A fix is in the works to significantly reduce mining’s wild rice-damaging sulfate pollution
• Still no answers on knife attack in Cree territory that left 10 dead, 18 injured