okay,I found this on a board.thought I'd pass it on.please do the same.



Friends,
I just returned from the Oneida Nation Territory in Central New York where Danielle Schenandoah, her three children and eventually all of her remaining neighbors are being threatened with the loss of their homes, well being, cultural and human rights. The crimes that are occuring right in our own backyard are being executed by a man influenced and trained by our power-hungry capitalist system with the support of an armed paramilitary force (consisting of all non native US CITIZENS) and backed by our own state and federal government.
Terrorism exists right here in NY State and its supporters are our elected officials. The following is a letter Danielle wrote and asked me to release to anyone and everyone possible. I will be heading back out to the territory as soon as possible, and encourage you to support (through donations, legal funds, letter writing, and ESPECIALLY COMING TO THE TERRITORY AND SEEING FOR YOURSELF THE SITUATION THERE)! At the least please forward this letter to everyone you know, put it up on message boards, talk about it in chat rooms, notify local and national media. The Halbritter regime is dangerous and erradic and could demolish Danielle's home at ANY SECOND! THIS IS AN URGENT EMERGENCY!

Love and respect,
NEIL
_______________________
Urgent! For Immediate Release August 22, 2002

NOTICE:

My name is Danielle Schenandoah Patterson, I reside on the Onyota'a:ka
Oneida Indian Territory all native community with my three small Oneida
children. My children and I are Oneida citizens of the Six Nations Iroquois
Confederacy in upstate New York. I am requesting for immediate supporters
and legal observers to come to the Oneida Indian Territory. Although private
home owners, residents of this long-standing community are facing eviction
and the destruction of their houses at the order of the illegitimate
government of Arthur Ray Halbritter. Halbritter's 'leadership' was imposed
upon the Oneida people, against their will, by the BIA, the federal
Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs. He has since created
a dictatorship and established the "Oneida Indian Nation of New York", an
INCORPORATION diguised as a nation.

Halbritter wields power only though this federal recognition. The Iroquois
Six Nations Confederacy (Oneida, Onondoga, Mohawk, Seneca, Tuscorora,
Cayuga) has continously notified the BIA that Halbritter does not represent
the Onieda people, as he does not follow elective nor traditional forms and
there is NO PROCESS THROUGH WHICH THE PEOPLE CAN REMOVE HIM FROM THIS
APPOINTED FEDERAL POSITION. A men's council government (unheard of amongst
the Iroquois) was established by Halbritter, on his payroll to validate all
his decisions. Halbritter created an all non-native Paramilitant squad (AKA
ONEIDA NATION POLICE) under his direct command to harass, intimidate,
physically abuse, and install fear in the people, forcing them to submit to
the Halbitter regime. It has also been publicly exposed that "The Oneida
Nation Bureau of Investigation Spy Network" exists to perform covert
operations against natives and non-natives who do not go along with his
plans.

In May 1995, a peaceful March for Democracy was held on Oneida homelands.
The participants in the March were exercising their rights to choose their
own leadership and government, opposing the federal imposition of Halbritter
and BIA treaty violations. In retaliation, Halbritter took tribal
membership away from over 200 Oneida participants, stripping them of their
tribal benefits, including employment and education benefits, and right to
participate in tribal affairs. He also closed down our food bank that
serviced 280 native people. Halbritter then locked our longhouse
(traditional religious building and center of the community) and banned all
traditional activity and ceremonies. He threated that any Onieda found
entering any tribally owned buildings would be arrested.

None of the Halbritter establishments, newly built Nation court, casino, or
government buildings are located on the Oneida Indigenous terrority, and
none of his paramilitants or administration officials reside on the Oneida
Indian Territory. The Territory residents learned from the local media
that the Halbritter administration had announced a "Beautification Project,
2001" where our homes would now be inspected, condemned, and demolished
under the guise of health and safety. The territory families homes were
destroyed although some of those homes were 1990 models or newer. In one
year, eleven Iroquois families were evicted and their homes demolished
against their will. The only option these homeless, displaced families were
given was to pay rent to the Halbritter administration for homes outside of
this community. The remaining residents rejected the Halbritter-sanctioned
inspections because they only lead to eviction. The local media was present
when this announcement was made by the territory residents.

I was called on the telephone yesterday by media and asked for a statement
on the August 8th decision of an appeal of the eviction of my family and
destruction of our home. Halbritter's tribal court ordered the demolition
of my home to be executed by no later than September 15th, 2002. I was
shocked as I was unaware of this decision. I immediately went to
Halbritter's legal office to obtain my paperwork on this order. I was
denied the demolition order, even though it's publicly accessible.

My three children's & my inherited birthrights of this country are being
violated. Although my home meets and exceeds all New York State safety and
housing codes, we are going to be made homeless with no financial means as
we have to seek all future accomodations at our own expense. I have been a
prisoner, unable to leave my home unattended in fear of when the demolition
& eviction will occur. There is no justice in this tribal court since
Halbritter has final decision over any and all apeals. Because I do not
recognise this illegal dictatorship under Ray Halbritter, “whatever it
takes” measures are being used against me and the remaining families to
remove us from our inherited birthrights to live as Haudenosaunee free
people upon our indigenous land.

I ask for anyone who opposes violators of civil, constitutional, religious,
and human rights to please aid us in our stand to exercise our right to
fight with the truth and save my home as well as the homes of the other
remaining residents who all face the same fate. We are in need of
financial assistance and legal observers to come to the Oneida Territory.
Help us to record inhumane and cruel treatment and actions forced upon
Indian people by the hired non-native paramilitants -right here in central
New York.

Rules: NO WEAPONS, NO DRUGS, NO ALCOHOL We are maintaining our peaceful
presence, our community rejects any violence to be used as the excuse for
Halbritter to execute every last one of us here fighting for our rights.

All statments are true and have been documented by video, legal documents,
audio, pictures, affidavits. We extend an open invitation for all to come
and see the truth for yourselves.

Ny;Wah ~thanks to all who are willing to aid us as we face these illegal
actions taken against an all traditional native community close to
destruction.

Directions: Off New York State Thruway exit 33, make left onto Rt. 365
follow to end to Rt. 5, make right and at the intersection of Friendly's
restaurant make left onto RT. 46 s, 3 1/2 miles make left at intersection of
blinking light, check-in point is last home on the left side at end of road.
Please bring tents, any and all recording devices, walkie- talkies,
supplies, and food. At any given moment the paramillitants will be here to
evict and demolish.

For more information:
http://www.Oneidasfordemocracy.org
http://www.Nativenewsonline.org found at Oneida Backgrounder
http://www.mytwobeadsworth.org
http://www.angelfire.com/indie/oneidas Oneida Action News

Contact or to send donations:
Onyota'a:ka Oneidas for Democracy, a non-profit organization
PO Box 450
Oneida, New York 13421
or send emergency housing & legal defense funding to:
Danielle Schenandoah Patterson
Box 48 Oneida Indian Territory
Oneida, New York 13421

email: [email protected], [email protected] , [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected]
[email protected]