America has failed her first people

On October 28^th, Amnesty International USA issued a press release detailing their sending a delegation human rights observers to Standing Rock “to monitor the response of law enforcement to protests by indigenous communities” ("AIUSA," 2016).

On October 31^st, The Guardian reported that the United Nations “is investigating allegations of human rights abuses by North Dakota law enforcement against Native American protesters” (Levin, 2016) at the Dakota Access pipeline protest at Standing Rock.

American media coverage of these two events, particularly the mainstream media outlets, has been virtually non-existent. The silence on the part of the American news media regarding this matter is a shameful example of just how little news is actually being reported in this country. While we are nearing the end of a bitter presidential election, it is no excuse to ignore this glaring failure of US law and treaty obligations to its indigenous peoples.

The silence of the Obama administration has been deafening. The silence on the part of the Clinton campaign has been equally deafening. I expect no better from the Trump campaign and the GOP, but the Democratic party has higher principles and standards to live up to. And President Obama has a legacy that will now bear the indelible stain of his failure to stand for the rights of America’s indigenous people.

References

Amnesty International USA to Monitor to North Dakota Pipeline Protests. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/amnesty-international-usa-to-monitor-to-north-dakota-pipeline-protests

Levin, S. (2016). Dakota Access pipeline protests: UN group investigates human rights abuses. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/31/dakota-access-pipeline-protest-investigation-human-rights-abuses