Indian Voices - Promoting and Sharing Native Indigenous Values and Traditions

The Mayor of Las Vegas wants to reopen soon. Nevada Governor Sisolak and casino-resort workers say wait

Las Vegas, Nevada April 24- The first case of Covid19 was reported in Nevada on March 5, 2020. It was a man in his 50s in Clark County, which is in Southern Nevada and where the famous Las Vegas Strip is. Properties on the Vegas Strip were ordered to shut down operations in mid-March by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak. Since then, now 50 days into shut-down, here’s where the numbers are in Nevada: 4,208 total cases; a per capita rate of 1.39 infections per 100 people; 195 deaths as of April 23.

Earlier in the week Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman set off a firestorm of responses when she granted CNN anchor Anderson Cooper an extended interview in which she made the following head-scratching claims: “Entertainment Capital of the world where everything is clean.” “We don’t do bad things to people at all ever.” We’re not getting the truth. I know over the years, going back to the 1950s, with the atomic bomb, don’t worry about more testing in Nevada. You’ll all be fine. Take a shower.”

Covid19, Coping, Community

An interview with San Diego area professor and Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone native Kiana Maillet

Kiana Maillet is a member of the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe where she is a Tribal ICWA Representative and part of the Cultural Resource Protection Committee. Maillet holds Masters Degrees in Social Work (MSW) and Public Administration (MPA), Bachelors Degrees in Psychology and Child Development, and she is currently a doctoral student in a joint program through UC San Diego and CSU San Marcos studying Educational Leadership. Professionally, Kiana is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and an Adjunct Professor. She has extensive volunteer and work experience working with youth, families, and communities in need.

Indian Voices: Can you tell us about some of the challenges you see people dealing with regarding distance education during the Covid19 quarantine in your community?

Kiana Maillet: People are experiencing so much stress right now. A lot of people don't have the equipment for online learning, and if they have the equipment they often don't have the knowledge of how to use it and all the different programs that are needed. That goes for the students as well as the teachers. Many of the teachers themselves are learning how to do online teaching for the first time, which is a lot of hard work. I've taught online for 6 years, and online teaching is at minimum, twice the work. A lot of students may not have access to the internet and at the same time, with their families at home, they may not have a quiet place to do their studies. Everyone's situation is different. You're talking about laptops, tablets, P.C.s and getting online. Then on top of that you have people faced with this trauma. It's hard for students to focus. There's so much anxiety out there, a lot of worry, and learning online takes focus and good time management skills.

My message to all COVID 19 Freedom protesters:

Hey, I'm like the only liberal who understands you it seems. And I'm with you guys, but remember when you used to tell protesters that if they dont like the laws of this country they should leave?

What happened to that?

And the whole "get a job" comment that would plague all protesting videos.

Do you think you could use this whole thing as a lesson in helping you understand why people protest? It's not because they wanna troll, it's because they're genuinely struggling, like you are now. The Black Lives Matter protesters, they're people, just like you, who simply want the freedom to live and pursue happiness. Don't let the media control how you perceive your brothers and sisters in the same class of society as you.

I applaud your passion for freedom and to express your concern regarding COVID 19. It reminds us what is great about the spirit of this country.

Is The NAACP Lynching Its Leadership?

On February 26, 2020 I, Clovis Honoré, then President of the NAACP San Diego Branch, received a letter from the National NAACP quoting a section of the NAACP constitution and telling him I was no longer a member, and would be kept out for 3 years before I can reapply for membership.

While I received some static from the NAACP California State Conference about a policy issue, I have never gotten any documentation from the National NAACP, the only one with the authority to take away my membership, according to the NAACP Constitution, explaining why they expelled me for 3 years. It's like I'm the Black kid in school who gets expelled because he's being a 'disruptive' Black kid."

When I joined the San Diego Branch of the NAACP as a volunteer, I thought I was going to be able to fight for what is best for oppressed people and people of color at the local level - here in San Diego. But apparently the local Branches can only fight for what the State and National NAACP think is best, or you can be summarily removed from the organization without explanation or due process, just for asking for a change in policy - and we followed their procedures. I feel like I've been lynched by the very organization that was founded 111 years ago to stop lynchings."