Works In Progress - June 2007 - The swoop on Frank's Landing

"I thought there must have been a murder down there or something." This was the response of a Nisqually Wildlife Refuge employee to the excessive number of police vehicles blocking the main road leading to Frank's Landing Smoke Shop. "I told my crew it must be something serious to use all those resources."

He, like many others familiar with the Frank's Landing Native Community, was angered to hear of the raid on the smoke shop located on tribal land in Nisqually. Even more upsetting was the home raid on the shop's owners, Hank and Alison Gottfriedson.

On the early morning of May 15, armed federal agents with search dogs invaded this small peaceful community. That day Billy Frank, along with many other tribal leaders were finalizing an agreement on shellfish gathering that's been 17 years in the making during the same time the raids were carried out. Was this a coincidence?

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms worked in cooperation with Washington State Liquor Control Board Tobacco Tax Unit and the US Attorneys Office in Seattle. Climbing through bushes with guns raised, they approached the home of the Gottfriedsons: Hank, Alison, and their two granddaughters, 10 and 11 years old.

One of the girls heard the noises outside and opened the door as officers prepared to plow it down with a battering ram. The girls were taken outside at gunpoint, in their pajamas and patted down. Obviously, this is not standard procedure. When Hank asked if the girls could at least go inside and get dressed, the federal agents stepped aside to discuss whether or not these children could put clothes on, finally deciding they weren't a threat.

"They scared the heck out of my grandkids," said Alison Gottfriedson. "They took both the computers and they trashed the whole house."

"They trashed her bedroom," said Maiselle Bridges, Alison's mother, noting the level of invasion on her daughter's home. Maiselle is an honored elder and head caretaker for Wa He Lut Indian School. The smoke shop was also raided and the entire stock of cigarettes was confiscated.

"Operation Chainsmoker" consisted of seven search warrants targeting two Oregon wholesalers, four Native smoke shops and two private homes. Law enforcement calls these raids a continuation of an operation carried out in 2003, in which allegedly untaxed cigarettes were confiscated from several other native smoke shops.

Frank's Landing Native Community has been negotiating for a state compact since December 2005, and the government has not yet made an offer that wouldn't put Frank's Landing out of business. "They need to come to the table," said Alison.

The Yakima Nation is also negotiating with the state. They say they will accept the state's demand to work out issues of the compact, but that the tax has caused destruction to the tribal economy and people. 19 of 29 Washington Native Communities have these compacts or state contracts to collect taxes that are used to support tribal programs. Proceeds from Frank's Landing smoke shop are used for supplies and equipment at Wa He Lut Indian school, teaching native studies to native children without tuition. It also funds programs that help the poor and the tribes' mental health care programs. All of these funds have been frozen by "Operation Chainsmoker."

For the purpose of reaffirming the US government's commitment to tribal sovereignty and self-determination, President Bill Clinton issued a revised Executive Order in 2000 on consultation and coordination with Native Tribal Government. It was proclaimed to ensure that all Executive departments and agencies consult with Native tribes and respect tribal sovereignty as the agencies consider policy initiatives that affect Native communities.

The Frank's Landing Native Community, and this family in particular, were at the forefront of a nationwide struggle in the 1970s to keep fishing rights promised to them by the Medicine Creek Treaty. For over a decade they endured night raids, tear gas, clubbings and beatings, stealing of their nets and sinking of their boats. They have held a culture celebrated here for thousands of years, with strength, dignity and perseverance.

"Alison was two and a half the first time she saw a raid," said Maiselle. After the recent raids, Maiselle told me she looked down at her youngest great-grandchild, who is six months old, and wondered if he too, would endure similar treatment on his ancestral land.

"They need to stop the attacks on Frank's Landing," said Alison. "They need to honor the treaties."

The federal government needs to explain how they are following Clinton's order while freezing funds to essential programs, seizing property and forcefully invading homes of Native people. Governor Christine Gregoire and the State of Washington need to explain how they can help coordinate raids during negotiations, and finally, someone needs to be accountable for the ill-treatment of the Gottfriedson's grandchildren.