Tease Page |1 Brian W Tease Professor Sally Brown ETHS-2440 Individual Research Paper In June I went to Fort Duchesne

for the annual Northern Ute Powwow. During my visit, I was talking with Everett and Cassandra Mann, Everett is the chief of the tribal police on the Ute reservation. Everett's wife Cassandra was telling us during lunch that Everett was up most of the night dealing with some gang issues they're having on the reservation. When I asked Everett about the situation, he told me that it was becoming not only problematic on their reservation but on many reservations throughout the United States. Everett stated that many of these gangs have added to an increased amount of violence, thefts, drug addiction and alcoholism on an already stressed community. In this paper I will first discuss Native American youth and gangs on the reservation, and some of the causes and effects that these gangs have on reservation life as a whole, and the decline in the quality of their traditional ways. Then I will address the tribal Council in regards to some suggestions and or solutions that may help them combat the ever growing gang issues on the reservation. Unlike mainstream society of the United States, Indian country faces new challenges regarding the values, mores, and behavior of its young people. As I learned in class, from their first encounter with European explorers, American Indians have fought to preserve their culture and traditions. Federal policies that address the Indian problem by establishing reservations and BIA boarding schools, as well as through the implementation of assimilation, termination,

Tease Page |2 and relocation programs, are but a few illustrations of a long history of institutional efforts to colonize American Indian culture and identity. Centuries of these violent efforts have slowly eroded the foundations of Native traditions and have manifested themselves in drug and alcohol abuse, social isolation, family violence, and negative economic opportunity that plague many American Indian communities. In this context, Indian Country is fertile ground for the spread of youth gangs, for many young Indians have come to believe that traditional values are irrelevant to their lives. In contrast to many Native cultures, dominant American values dictate that the desires of the individual are superior to those of the community. As we learned in class, traditionally, tight knit American Indian communities had informal social controls that resulted naturally from the close Family and religious ties of the group. These ties also fostered an environment of belonging and acceptance in which personal values and social welfare, rather than individual achievement, were of primary importance. Today, the urban environment and its slow involvement of the imagination of Indian youth undermine the parental and communal influence over young Native Americans. Youth are drawn to the flashy lifestyle of the street, and the attraction weakens the strength of their ancestors voices. For too many young Indians today, gangs are the only place that they feel they belong. According to the most recent census data available, there are approximately 5.2 million Indians live in a variety of urban and rural settings across the United States. While the general population of the United States is growing older, the exact opposite is happening in Indian country the population is rapidly growing younger. It is estimated that Indian youth make up 34% of the Indian population. It is not unusual for tribes to have significant numbers of their members under the age of eighteen. The Gila River Indian community in Arizona is an example

Tease Page |3 of this phenomenon: approximately 50% of their tribal population are under the age of seventeen. Despite the historic shortage of reliable crime data from Indian country, existing statistics indicate that American Indians are just disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. Although they constitute only 1.5% of the American population, Native Americans comprise 2.2% of all arrests. On average it is estimated that one in 25 American Indians eighteen years or older is under the jurisdiction of the nation's criminal justice system. That rate is 2.4 times greater than the rate for white offenders. When the youth and young adults return to the reservation after living in big cities or from incarceration, the seeds of gangs are often brought to the reservation with them. Gang culture also migrates into Indian country through youths interaction in schools both on and off the reservation. Historically, gangs have provided alienated youth with a place to belong and an opportunity for them to actively respond to the instability of the world around them. There is no single cause or group of causes for gangs in Indian country, but there are factors that may inform Indian youth's decisions to join gangs. The world that young Native Americans see around them and the future if any that they envision for themselves is often bleak, filled with the everyday realities of poverty, unemployment, racism, drug and alcohol addiction, and family violence. Many Indian youth who live or have been relocated to the reservation cannot find relevance in the old ways and are bored by the isolation of Indian country. Currently a full range of gang activity is taking place in Indian Country. The number of Indian youth gangs, which were documented by tribal police as early as 1985, significantly increased in the early 90s. While some tribes have been fortunate and have had no significant

Tease Page |4 instances of gang activity, other communities have been traumatized by violence of gangs and host anywhere from one to thirty-three separate gangs. Tribal jurisdictions in over a dozen states have reported an entire spectrum of gang-related criminal activity, including graffiti, theft, armed robbery, arson, assault and murder. Criminal activity has always been perceived as a quick, easy way to wealth and to the status and power that go along with it. In a society that values the dollar above all else, young Native Americans are too often locked in a vision of limited choices and narrow possibilities. They realize that they have neither desirable skills nor significant purchasing power, and believe that they will never have the means to attain these things. In this context, joining a gang can be seen as beneficial for youth who accurately perceive their own marginalization. Gang membership offers a route around this hopeless vision. There are many different types of gangs and they vary in severity and organization. For the most part, Indian youth gang members belong to street gangs, which can be defined as somewhat organized groups of youth who come together for any number of reasons, including recognition, status, safety from other gangs, money, power, and a sense of belonging, as well as an escape from such realities as poverty and unbearable home life. Gangs fulfill emotional needs, boost self-esteem, and teach survival techniques to youth from socially and economically isolated communities. Members ages range from nine to thirty and are most commonly between thirteen and twenty-three. They typically elicit a strong sense of loyalty among their members while cultivating antisocial, hostile and violent attitudes towards the greater community. Individual gangs are identified by territory, symbols and colors. Members are typically involved in individual and collective criminal activity, and in most cases these gangs put the health and safety of the community at risk by creating an environment of fear and intimidation.

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Tribal Council When Speaking with Everett and Cassandra, I learned of the gang issues that are currently plaguing the Indian country. With your permission I would like to address the tribal Council and discuss the gang violence in Indian country. Whether gangs manifest themselves in minor misbehavior or more serious acts of violence, tribal governments, leaders and communities must be prepared to effectively address this intruder in Indian country. There are three major areas that tribal governments should address in confronting this problem: identification, prevention, and suppression. One of the first steps that a tribe should consider taking when assessing the scope of gang violence in their jurisdiction is to identify the level of gang activity (if any) that is present. Identifying gangs in their early stages can be of great benefit to tribes, for it provides an opportunity to bypass serious violence and to develop thoughtful, working alternatives for those youth who are considering joining or forming a gang. Often communities that have been overrun by gang violence realize after thinking about it, that they ignored the early signs of gang growth. Assessing risk factors among the youth of the tribal population is an important starting point for the tribes that wish to successfully combat gang violence. Once a tribe has determined the level (if any) of the gang activity present, they can implement appropriate actions. In areas that gang activity has not begun, prevention strategies are crucial to reduce the influence of gangs on Indian youth. In those communities in which gangs have already taken root, suppression methods must be strongly implemented. The organization of a community task force or multidisciplinary and team, made up of key

Tease Page |6 community leaders is central to the coordination of successful prevention strategies. Each tribal community will need individualized procedures and plans that fit the needs of their community. The decrease of juvenile delinquency occurs over time, thus it is important that they build structure within the community that allows for new individuals to be guided through the policies and process procedures. It is essential that youth are involved in the development and execution of gang prevention strategies, for this helps ensure that the resulting ideas and programs will appropriately address the needs and therefore be more likely to succeed. Prevention strategies involve providing youth with outlets for their talents and energies. When there are enough activities that youth to be involved in, it can be more difficult for gangs to recruit new members. Ideally, prevention strategies incorporate occupations and pastimes that engage and challenge youth and remind them of the link between themselves, and their community, and the world around them. Some suggested occupations that could incorporate pastimes; working on some cultural service projects, such as dance groups, arts and crafts, language programs, spirit camps, storytelling, elder groups, a community garden where some of the produce could be sold to the local grocery store. Set up a mentoring program with tribal police that allow the youth to get involved within their community. Like creating a meal program where the youth would prepare and deliver meals to elderly tribal members. Tribal officers can demonstrate that they care about the communities they served by recognizing the special needs of Indian youth, by getting involved in the communities they serve. They could also help the youth organized an annual powwow that would raise money to help the youth purchase sheep to raise and take to the market. Working with the local schools in getting the youth involved in afterschool programs, such as Boys and Girls Clubs. Educators could help create a young Native Indian boys and girls Association that would teach the ancient ways of

Tease Page |7 their ancestors. This would promote teambuilding strategies and sense of community among the young tribal members. The more that students are involved in the planning process of school activities through meetings or brainstorming sessions the more likely they are to participate, for two reasons; first, the results will reflect the students' own needs and interests; and second, students will feel ownership in what they have created. It is this ownership in education that produces results. Youth are usually more mature and more capable than the adults in their lives give them credit for. When they sense they are being treated in a way that reflects their perception of themselves as adults, they are more likely to respond and achieve. Teaching ownership and responsibility in this way is one of the most important lessons that a positive educational environment can provide. Some gang suppression strategies would include tribal councils that issue a strong policy statement about their youth: that they care. Setting up arenas for parents, teachers, police, tribal officials, youth, and elders to interact together, as equals, is an invaluable way to bring culture and community together in a way that can be beneficial for both youth and adults, and will broadcast the tribes message of care and concern for tribal youth. The courts can be an instrumental tool in suppression tactics. Court personnel should be aware of surrounding Indian communities and should utilize any options that are available, most notably, the tribal courts and alternative sentencing methods. Referring cases to tribal venues helps to strengthen the tribal justice systems, and ensures that cases will be heard in an appropriate forum. If tribal courts are not an option, then judges and lawyers should make every effort to maximize creative alternative sentencing methods, when appropriate, for Indian youth, including community service, elderly mentor, and continuing education, and restitution. Every day the courts encounter youth whose futures are at stake. Creative sentencing combined with efficient coordination between case

Tease Page |8 management plans and referrals to appropriate specialty programs, can have an enormous positive impact in a young person's life. Courts have a unique opportunity to help youth get back on track. By providing a meaningful, relevant, and compassionate forum for Indian youth, courts can prevent youth from getting lost in the criminal justice system. Collaborative efforts between the courts, probation department and housing are an opportunity for diversion or first offenders. A youth involved project to clean up graffiti within the community. Suppression policies could also include counseling services for youth and their families. Another useful tool is to create a Community empowerment sessions for parents to assist them in identifying at-risk behaviors and strategies to reduce the attraction of gangs. Training for school staff to recognize early indicators of gang activity and involvement has proven indispensable in gang suppression efforts in other communities. Implementing a community-based task force that involves community leaders, teachers, tribal police, and parents, to combat gang growth and activity within the community is a proven method of suppressing gang activity. Helping families with access to resources reduces stress within the community and individual households. Tribal leaders and councilmembers could examine existing tribal codes to determine if changes would impact gang activity within their community. Organizing and creating a youth services coordinator position whose responsibilities would be to ensure that program resources for youth are funded through the tribal Council. In conclusion In the last few years, most of the opportunities for gang and youth violence prevention funding have included the requirements of community and program collaborative efforts, cultural competency, balance and restorative justice, resiliency and community building. Tribal

Tease Page |9 communities are often successful in obtaining these grants because of their history of community commitment. The following agencies offer funding and technical assistance:

U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP) 202-307-0703 www.ojp.usdoj.gov American Indian and Native Alaskan Desk 202-616-3205 Training and technical assistance to increase tribes capacity to provide adequate and appropriate responses to youth crime, violence, and victimization. Contact area State Planning Agency for more information. Drug-Free Communities Support Program: Aims to reduce substance abuse among youth by addressing the factors that serve to increase the risk of substance abuse and minimize the risk of substance abuse. Collaborative efforts are required. Tribal Youth Program: Supports Juvenile Crime and Victimization Prevention (including truancy reduction, conflict resolution and child abuse prevention), Interventions for Tribal Youth in Juvenile Justice Systems, Juvenile Justice System Improvements, and Substance Abuse Prevention. The program is part of a joint Justice Department and Interior Department Indian Country Law Enforcement Improvement Initiative to address the need for improved law enforcement and administration of criminal and juvenile justice in Indian Country. Tribal Youth Program/Mental Health Project: Established to provide funding for mental health services for Indian youth in or at-risk of becoming involved in juvenile justice systems. Supports a broad range of youth services and programs in a variety of settings (homes, schools, violence prevention programs, health care treatment programs, and juvenile justice systems). This is part of a collaborative effort between the Justice Department and the Departments of Education, Interior, and Health and Human Services Court Appointed Special Advocates Program Development for Native American Tribal Courts: Funds available to provide technical assistance to tribal courts and other groups wishing to establish or maintain CASA volunteer programs. Safe Kids/Safe Streets: Collaborative effort designed to break the cycle of early childhood victimization and later juvenile or adult criminality and to reduce child and adolescent abuse and neglect resulting from child fatalities Tribal Drug Court Training and Technical Assistance: Assists tribal courts to develop curriculum to train Native American teams to plan and implement drug courts that fit into the tribal justice systems and communities.

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Bibliography:
Everett and Cassandra Mann, Ute Nation Fort Duchesne, I visited on June 16, 2013

U.S. Bureau of the Census, http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/ C2kbr01-15.pdf. Federal Document Clearinghouse on Joint Senate Hearings of the Judiciary and Indian Affairs Committee, June 3, 1998. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Jails in Indian Country (2002). https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/202714.pdf I visited this site on November 27th, 2013 http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb11ff22.htm, I visited this site on November 30th, 2013