Racism, Justice and the American Indian
Racism far exceeds just Black and White or Hispanic and Asian. Often forgotten, the American Indian has experienced a great deal of racism in the U.S. Although many people overlook or excuse the behavior of the settlers, this was the home of the Indian person before Christopher Columbus. Contrary to popular belief, Columbus didn’t discover America, the Indians already called this vast land home. And like any person defending their home or territory, the Indians fought to keep their land.
It seems a shame that Native Americans are subjected to racism in a country they called their own but they do. According to the United States Department of Justice Native Americans experience per capita more than twice the rates of violence as the average American citizen. American Indians are the victim of violence by those of other races more than 70 percent of the time. So why then is the public not aware of these statistics? The answer is horrifyingly simple; the justice system in American does not tend to care for its native sons and daughters.
According to the US Department of Justice, by its own admission, crimes against Native Americans go unpunished. The DOJ states that some of the problem is reporting of crimes by Indians but they also admit that police officers nationwide are not equipped with the knowledge needed to fight crime within Native tribes. Many times because tribal members live on reservations local police are reluctant or discouraged from responding to crimes against natives. In affect this leaves many tribes policing themselves that can get difficult because of tribal ties.
Another consideration in this sad situation is that there is still a racism barrier between Caucasians and Natives as well. There still remains distrust between Native Americans and White people thus creating an atmosphere contusive to racism. Many Native American still refer to the justice system outside the reservation to “white man’s law” because many feel they don’t get a fair shake. Until there is an acknowledgment that three is a problem with racism and Native American people it will continue. Admitting that there is a problem, after all, is half the battle. The Native American people have grossly been overlooked, their culture and values have been stolen and devalued. One wonders why alcoholism is a major problem with the Native American population.
It’s sad commentary that in this country there is so much racism or prejudices against different groups. Much of this racism is generational, past down from one generation to the next. Hopefully, at some point racism will be eliminated.
