Native America Calling

The city of Anchorage plans to clear a large encampment of homeless people at a park in mid-June following years of complaints and public safety problems. The park has seen two fatal shootings and a large fire in recent months. The city’s move is one of dozens of encampment “abatements” around the country following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that allows such law enforcement actions. Some cities have multi-pronged strategies to help homeless residents further displaced when officials clear encampments. We’ll explore where solutions may lie in the balance between compassion and public safety.

President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles has upped the ante when it comes to the response to direct action. Native Americans turned to civil disobedience during high profile protests at Standing Rock and following George Floyd’s death more recently, and during the formation of the American Indian Movement more than a half century ago. Will the equation for direct action include confrontations with the U.S. military from now on? We’ll discuss what Native activists see for the future of public protests.

In what is becoming an annual occurrence, numerous fires across at least three Canadian provinces are putting Indigenous nations residents at risk. The 3,000 citizens of the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation are affected by evacuations because of the fires. They are among the estimated 30,000 people forced to flee from some 200 wildfires. Many, like the Sandy Lake First Nation, had to be airlifted to safety. At one point, workers took refuge against the smoke and flames for several hours in a shipping container. Smoke from the fires are also degrading air quality in northern U.S. states. We’ll find out what is on the minds of Indigenous people affected by the fires and what long term solutions might be in store.

At least two tribal relocation efforts foreshadow what can go wrong when even small communities are forced to contend with the increasing threats posed by climate change. A report by the Washington Post, ProPublica, and Bethel radio station KYUK documents the ongoing difficulties which the residents of Newtok, Alaska confront after moving their village to escape the effects of the rising sea and thawing permafrost. We’ll hear about that report and the worries about future efforts to react to changing landscapes.

An exhibit at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History in Eugene, Oreg. assembles works by Native LGBTQ2 artists that express this moment in time. It is among the hundreds of events, including parades and panel discussions, to mark Pride Month. This year’s push for awareness will have to go on without acknowledgement by the federal government, which is foregoing any mention of Pride. And the annual report by the advocacy group, GLAAD, notes that while violent incidents against gay and lesbian people are down as a whole in the past year, attacks against trans citizens has significantly increased. We’ll check on the status of Native Pride.

Plus, we’ll get career highlights of the late actor Jonathan Joss (Comanche and White Mountain Apache) who died this week.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of Native America Calling’s first national radio broadcast. Started in the studios in Albuquerque public radio station, KUNM, NAC has been the daily voice for Native issues, politics, entertainment, and arts ever since. Tribal leaders, activists, educators, bureaucrats, aunties, presidents, and everyday people have all made their way onto the airwaves on NAC, all with one common thread: to talk about the things that are important to Native Americans from a Native point of view. We’ll mark the occasion by hearing from some of the voices associated with Native America Calling over the years.

The increase in highly publicized deportations is unnerving both undocumented and documented migrants in the United States. Indigenous people from other countries, some who have visas or are awaiting decisions from immigration proceedings, are among those caught up in the Trump administration’s focus on mass deportations. Many of those who remain say they live in fear of being apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The New York Times reports immigration actions appear to have ramped up in May. The top deportation destination are Guatemala and Honduras, places where Indigenous people are fleeing violence and poverty. We’ll talk with people working with migrants about what is happening on the ground and what is different than actions in the past.

Three Alaska Native tribes filed a lawsuit to stop a controversial gold mining operation east of Nome. The tribes say a permit just granted by the U.S. Corps of Engineers will allow the destruction of salmon habitat and other important environmental elements in a pristine estuary. The mining process involves extracting ore from material dredged from river and ocean beds.

On the other side of the state, residents of Wrangell are concerned about a gold mine just over the border in Canada. A new report finds heavy metals in groundwater on the Alaska side.