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Bob Zellner has a long history of relations with Shinnecock Indian Nation. He was arrested and injured by New York State Troopers when he was asked by tribal council members to mediate a conflict, which arose when Parrish Pond Associates began bulldozing ancestral lands near their reservation in preparation for a grid housing development. For more informations about this incident, please go here. NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATING COMMITTEE 287 towd point road FOR RELEASE: Monday February 17, 2003 [PRESIDENT'S DAY] Note to off-island editors:
***Nationsl Civil Rights Committee says there is a need to organize expressions of support in order to give voice to the voiceless. Individual voices in letters to the newspapers are important, as are quotes of support from local citizens. These and other voices can be amplified through the formation of committees, and the development of informative web sites*** SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. - Announcing plans today to come to the aid of a beleaguered Shinnecock community by organizing an ad hoc support committee, Co-Chair, Dr. Robert Zellner, of the National Civil Rights Coordinating Committee, had this to say: "I have become concerned in recent days with the shrill cries and vigilante tactics of those who oppose developments benefiting our Shinnecock neighbors." This concern has lead the NCRCC to spearhead the development of a Shinnecock Neighbors Care Committee in order to give ordinary citizens an opportunity to share their support and good will with our Shinnecock neighbors. "It has occurred to many citizens of good will that some of the most vociferous opponents of the Shinnecock Nation have the least moral authority," said Mr. Zellner. "Where were these newly vocal ecologists when bulldozers desecrated the sacred traditional burial grounds to make way for more Parrish Pond McMansions?" If even one of these naysayers had stood shoulder to shoulder with the women and children, the elders and the youth of the reservation on that occasion three years ago this month, their voices would now carry more weight. It is odd that these new environmentalist are suddenly against new development. It is easy to see where Indian land begins and white man's land ends. Driving the roads one transitions immediately from booming development, right up to the reservation property line, to the quiet woods. You can hear the song of birds and the rustle of deer and rabbits. We of the Shinnecock Neighbors Care Committee (SNCC) trust our Native American friends to be good stewards of their land, even if we in the non-Indian community have not fared so well. The committee also trusts that the police of all jurisdictions will provide equal protection to all involved. We are disappointed that Shinnecock protestors were arrested on their own or public property, three years ago, while recent trespassers on reservation property were not. This discriminatory double standard must stop. It will only embolden the opposition and could lead to the commission of serious hate crimes. The Hamptons have had enough of these and we don't intend to have more. The Shinnecock Neighbors Care Committee has consulted legal counsel and if the law enforcement agencies don't clean up their acts, there is a possibility of legal action to correct their discriminatory practices. Sincerely, Dr. J. Robert Zellner For comment: phone 631 287-5292 If you want to join dues are $10 plus $10 per
month pledge for one year, total of $120 annually. Please make checks
out to Shinnecock Neighbors Care Committee. Mail to 287 Towd Point
Rd. Southampton, NY, 11968.
URL:
www.bobzellenr.com |