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| Indian tribes to get stimulus funds to fight crime |
| By google.com |
| Published: 09/22/2009 |
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to helping American Indian communities battle a rising tide of violence against women and children, gang activity and other crime, a top agency official said Monday. Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli said Indian communities have done a tremendous job fighting crime considering their limited resources, but it's clear more needs to be done. "We all recognize the only way to address these problems is through a long-term and sustained effort," he said. "That's what we at the Department of Justice are committed to doing — finding concrete solutions that we can implement right away and deciding what are the best long-term strategies we can work on together as partners." Perrelli and other agency officials were meeting Monday and Tuesday in Albuquerque with Indian leaders and law enforcement experts as part of a national initiative to address tribal justice. The meetings will set the stage for a listening session that Attorney General Eric Holder has planned for all tribal leaders next month in Minnesota. The Justice Department's renewed attention to issues that have plagued Indian country for decades has instilled hope in Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. and the governors of several New Mexico pueblos. "Every time there's an election, new leadership comes in and that new leadership sometimes doesn't know what's going on out there in Native America," Shirley said. "They have to get educated, and I think that's what these work sessions are about. The more they know, the better position they're in to help us." On the sprawling Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, Shirley said gangs are running rampant and alcoholism and substance abuse have led to domestic violence, drunken driving and other crimes. "The crime rate is high on Navajo land. We've done everything we can ourselves to try to address those issues, but we need more help," he said. Read More. |
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