Friday, June 8, 2012
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Community Service Treaty rights are civil rights
The tribes’ fight to Several weeks ago one of So, what are some ways preserve and protect the my good friends passed from that you and I can be engaged salmon and our treaty this life, being set free from in serving our community? fishing rights has mirmuch pain and suffering. Frankly, the list is endless, rored the civil struggle in And despite his physical lim- simply because there are so the United States. That’s itations, this many needs. because treaty rights are man modeled And rememcivil rights, just like your a life of com- Senior Life 101 ber, it doesn’t right to vote, and they munity sermake any difare protected under the vice. Although ference how U.S. Constitution. there were old you are. When we were fighttimes when In fact, many ing for our treaty rights his enthusiasm of the people in the 1960s, we marched and determinaI know who with Dr. Martin Luther tion proved to are the most King. Returning home, be frustrating involved are we continued the strugfor some, one seniors who gle by protesting, getting never doubted Carl R. Johnson now find arrested, getting out of his committhemselves in Community jail and starting over ment and zeal that time of again. for wanting a Relations Director life when they On Sept. 9, 1970 we Kitsap Alliance of better comhave the time had a fish camp under munity. In Resources for Elders to volunteer. the Puyallup River fact, Silverdale, And that’s Bridge near Tacoma. and much of just a start. The state of Washington Central Kitsap, owes this The opportunities for sercame down on us that man a huge debt of gratitude vice are unlimited. As Hank day, just like they had for his tireless efforts of com- Mann Sykes discovered … done many times before, munity service. serving your community is to stop us from exercisIf you haven’t already not something you do, it is a ing our treaty right to guessed, I’m talking about part of who you are. fish. “Mr. Silverdale” Hank Mann They gassed us Sykes: a man of vision, entreIndians and threw us all preneurial giftedness and in jail. dogged determination. But someone else got Although Hank was one1. Maintain the Clear gassed that day, too. His of-a-kind, he serves as a great Creek Trail name was Stan Pitkin, example for anyone who 2. Tutor students in your the U.S. Attorney for loves his or her community local school district western Washington. He and who wants to make a 3. Assist teachers and was part of the crowd difference. administrators in school that gathered that day to But, just what is commurelated activities watch the event unfold. nity service? Troubled by what he 4. Serve on boards of For some, community serwitnessed, Pitkin quickly local non-profit organivice is associated with restitook the first steps to file zations tution, a way to make amends the U.S. v. Washington for an offense. For others it’s 5. Join a service organicourt case that would a “project” that has been zation such as Rotary, lead to the 1974 Boldt prescribed for graduation Lions, or Kiwanis decision. credit. However, the kind of 6. Join the sheriff’s With the support of community service I have office “Citizens on the Justice Department in mind, and for which we Patrol” group and U.S. Attorney’s honor and recognize people 7. Volunteer at a local office, we were successful such as Hank Sykes, is selffood bank in defending our treatyless volunteer contributions reserved fishing rights. 8. Participate in outof time and energy to benefit Under the Boldt decision reach activities through society. we were affirmed as cofaith-based organiParticipating in a recent managers of the salmon zations (churches, essay contest, a high-school Salvation Army, etc.) resource with the state student expressed these of Washington. We are thoughts: “Without commu8. Work as a blood drive responsible for managnity service in our society volunteer ing half of the salmon many people would not know 9. Serve as a volunteer returning to western the meaning, usefulness, at the local hospital Washington every year. or importance of charity. 10. Participate in adoptBut since the Boldt Serving in your community a-highway clean-up decision we have seen addresses many grass roots days. a steady decline of the problems that fall through the cracks of government and social agencies.” Wow! Even a high-school student gets the significance of the impact that community service can make. In fact, without men and women FRAPPE • ESPRESSO • COFFEE being willing to invest their TEA • JUICES • PASTRIES • PANINI time, talents, and energy in SALADS • SANDWICHES helping to meet the needs of Locally Owned and Operated others, we will see more and 360-377-1180 more people falling “through the cracks” that government 105 Washington Ave. We proudly serve Pura Vida Coffees. and social agencies are not Bremerton meeting. Fair Trade, Shade Grown & Organic. Straight across from the ferry terminal
need the help of the Justice Department to protect our treaty rights. Last summer we launched our Treaty Rights at Risk initiative to call on the federal government to take charge of salmon recovery in western Washington. We took this strong step because we are losing the fight for the salmon. The federal government has both the obligation and authority to recover salmon and protect our treaty rights. We want the government to align its agencies and programs to lead a more coordinated effort and get us back on the path to recovery. We are encouraged by the early response from the federal government. We all agree about the need to strengthen the tribal and federal relationship to address obstacles to salmon
Guest Column
Billy Frank, Jr. Chairman Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission salmon resource. After a long, difficult battle, we are seeing our hard-won treaty rights slip away because salmon and their habitat are being lost faster than they can be restored and the state refuses to enforce its own laws to protect the resource. We may once again
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recovery. We’ve already developed recovery plans and identified habitat barriers in most watersheds. Now we need a commitment from the federal government to coordinate the effort to tackle the most pressing obstacles in each watershed. In the end, that effort can only be as effective as the decisions we make and the actions we take. We sure don’t need more talk. We don’t need more process. We need action. That’s why I think the Department of Justice needs to take a hard look at the damage being done to salmon habitat and the threat to our treaty rights. That may seem like strong medicine, but for us Indian people, nothing less than the heart of our culture is at stake.
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