Red Lake Band Declares Public Health Emergency, Adopts Banishment Over Drug Epidemic
The Red Lake Tribal Council has declared a Public Health Emergency on the reservation due to the large-scale trafficking and addiction of illegal drugs. Within a resolution passed by council members, the band will now allow banishment of tribal members and exclusion of non-tribal members in “appropriate circumstances.”
During a tribal council meeting on July 11, Chairman Darrell Seki Sr. expressed concern over a rash of opiod overdoses, addictions and dealings of dangerous drugs within the reservation, according to a press release.
The council drafted an emergency resolution, which said there was “massive abuse by tribal members of prescription drugs and other illegal drugs, particularly heroin.” It went on to claim that pharmaceutical companies bear a large part of the responsibility by encouraging doctors to prescribe powerful opiates.
It also said that the tribe had seen a breakdown in family networks, child neglect and abandonment, along with a disproportionate criminal incarcerations of tribal members due to their addictions.
As outlined within the the document, the council said that decisions such as banishment would be taken to “effectively remove the supplies of illegal substances which have caused the present emergency.”
A motion to approve the declaration was made by Representative Robert Smith and seconded by Representative Roman Stately. The resolution was unanimously approved by the eight members of the council who were present. Two members were not at the meeting.
The document will be forwarded on to multiple federal and state agencies to ask for assistance during the crisis.
Community and tribal program members have been directed to evaluate the effectiveness of the emergency status at the beginning of 2018.
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My prayers are with the families of Red Lake. I know this will not bring your children back .Also that loss to your community has been great. I hope this helps other’s to make change as well. With much LOVE and PRAYERS.. Michelle
What about the 150 years of alcohol abuse and it’s role in the destruction of the family? No one banished your moms, dads, aunts and uncles. Banning the users and dealers makes the streets safer but what does it do to solve the problem? Just closing your eyes and forcing the people to Bemidji and Minneapolis doesn’t solve the issue.
Looks like the red lake police have to get a few drug sniffen dogs up there. Start on both ends and go to the middle. Every body gets checked out and ck every car that comes on the res
Sonner or later you will get answers
YES, 😍😍 TIME TO DO THIS IN LEECH LAKE NEXT, AND THAT OPIATE BUILDING TOO.
I say invite a pharmaceutical company to red lake for some fishing then arrest them for drug trafficking and manufacture. Make sure the media is alerted to the mostly symbolic arrests and hope for some attention
this is not just a problem for the red lake nation. This is a problem across the county, across the state, and across the USA. I can and will congratulate the red lake nation for taking the appropriate steps to try to start to combat this. Wish we had representatives that had the guts to stop arguing and start acting….
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Provide help before banishment, detox, see Portugal, very successful program
The drug and alcohol problem has been on-going for some time, extreme measures seem drastic but when you have drug dealers caught and arrested time and time again, the drug dealers choose to sell drugs and get their own people addicted, how shameful! Drug dealers don’t work a job, yet they are on Red Lake public services, i.e, housing, state snap, etc. and have nice vehicles to drive and money in their pocket. Red Lake has a very high rate of pregnant women who are addicted while pregnant.
The Tribal penalties need to be revamped and the US attorney’s needs to step up to put away the drug dealers. If these dealers were caught off the Reservation, they would be getting 2-5 years.
It’s simple economics, supply and demand folks. Outside drug dealers setup shop on the Reservation or provide the enrolled members with the trafficking. It’s unfortunate that the enrolled members allow the non-members to do this, but the members allow it and therefore make that choice.
Banishment is an old age solution for the tribes when someone has hurt the tribal community. It is that bad already, there could have been over 20 deaths if it was not for the great services of the Police,EMS/IHS. (fast response)
Red Lake has programs but they cannot force people to change or make better choices. The Red Lake programs need to have a checks and balance, someone of higher authority needs to evaluate their programs and see if they are successful and verify if their programs work and make people accountable instead of just receiving a paycheck. If the programs do not show improvement success, they should not be allowed to keep receiving funds for programs that are not improving the communities. Everyone needs to be more pro-active instead of re-active. I pray for the communities and families to heal.