Bear Butte Update - Since this article ran, many who were
concerned voiced their opinions to the legislator who have conceded to
purchase the land surrounding Bear Butte to recognize and preserve the
sacred site, and to honor the religious rights of the American Indian
people.
February 2, 2008
Bill fails to ban alcohol near sacred mountain
Feb. 06, 2008
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) An effort on the behalf of
American Indians to make
alcohol off-limits near Bear Butte was
rejected today in the South Dakota
Legislature.
The mountain on the outskirts of Sturgis is
sacred to Indians, and many of
them go there to pray.
HB1309 would have prohibited alcohol
beverage sales within 1 mile of Bear
Butte.
Representative Jim Bradford of Pine Ridge
says increased development in the
area is encroaching on the mountain and
should be stopped.
But the House Commerce Committee did not
agree. It rejected Bradford's
proposed buffer zone by a vote of 9-4.
_www.kxmc.com/
News/206652.asp_
Here we have American citizens with good intentions, asking
their government leaders to project their religious rights but are denied
protection under the law in favor of those who want to use a sacred site so
they can get drunk. Are there not enough places in South Dakota to drink
alcohol? Or is it because they are Indians who are asking for help? People
say there is no racism in America. People say that the American Indian
people are treated with equality as are all Americans. Yet here is one of
many examples that proves the opposite to be true.
The issue here is not just a few people who choose Bear Butte
as a place to drink a few beers. It is the crowds of people who are going to
Bear Butte, blasting the area with loud music from boom boxes, and leaving
their trash everywhere. This kind of activity is disruptive to those who go
to Bear Butte to worship. It would be the same as a drinking party being
held in the parking lot of a church disrupting religious services. Of coarse
authorities would then take immediate action. Then why are one people given
protection under the law and not others? Bear Butte has been a sacred site
for worship long before the area became populated by whites.
Discrimination that goes by ignored, people who say "its not
my problem" are in fact contributing to the erosion of the human rights of
everyone everywhere.
See: Ignorance The Root of All
Racism
