Navajo Grandmothers Intimidated While Lawfully Gathered

Burnham, NM and the Navajo Nation, December 21, 2006 - Paddy wagons, police and
other enforcers came and attempted to haul away members of the Navajo Nation -
mostly grandmothers - during a prayer ceremony this morning. The women, members of
the Dooda (Navajo for "NO!") Desert Rock Committee, have been keeping a vigil at the
site of a proposed coal fired power generation station that they oppose for reasons
of their families' health and well being. These women were brutally forced out,
their food taken away, their camp dismantled this afternoon in clear violation of
their constitutional rights and in absence of any form of restraining order or other
legal mandate. Although they showed legal documents that protected them, Officer
Demsey claimed they were meaningless. They have committed no crimes, were not
interfering with any work going on at the location, and were acting within their
rights to gather peacefully in the hopes of persuading our Navajo Nation government
not to make this kind of mistake again.

Their vigil has been going on since December 12th, near the site where Sithe Global
Power, a Texas-based energy company, proposes to build the Desert Rock Power Plant.
This plant will further damage the air, water and land in the four corners area of
the American Southwest, in the heart of the traditional Navajo homeland. Two other
plants in the immediate vicinity are among the worst sources of pollution in the
United States. Mercury, sulphur dioxide, and dozens of other toxic chemicals are
spewed from these plants each day. Incidents of cancer, respiratory disease,
reproductive disorders and other illnesses occur here at much higher than average
rates. The plants foul the water in a part of the world where water is already
scarce.

Sithe, in collusion with our Navajo Nation executive office, have strong-armed,
threatened, lied to and otherwise coerced our local population to accept this
proposed power plant throughout the past two years. Families have had their land
taken from them with insufficient compensation to move anywhere else. We've been
told, as we've been told many times in the past, that this polluting monster will
bring "hundreds of jobs" to the Navajo Nation, and lots of economic benefits. Time
after time, we've heard this same lie for too many projects just like this one.
After over a hundred years of such development the Navajo people are among the
poorest people in the entire United States.

Nobody is calculating the costs - to our land, to our air, to our water, to our
children. Members of the Dooda Desert Rock Committee, members of Diné Citizens
Against Ruining our Environment, and other organizations, have tried to offer
alternative solutions. There are cleaner, more sustainable ways to bring prosperity
to our people, without sacrificing the lives and well-being of our people. No one
has listened.

This is not just a local problem. This is big energy companies forcing themselves on
the American people. This is a violation of civil rights and an illegal suppression
of dissent here at home in the United States. This facility will further pollute the
air and water throughout the area. And those who are speaking out in opposition,
innocent grandmothers who only care about their families, are being silenced with
violence. We ask that all who share our concern about our future, and are tired of
being forced to pay the consequences of these corporations and government bodies,
who care nothing for the lives of people, please lend us your support.

_____________________________________________
Dailan Jake, Media Contact
DineCARE/Dooda Desert Rock Committee
505.801.0713 (cell)
dailanjake@dartmouth.edu (e-mail)
For current updates: www.desert-rock-blog.com

_____________________________________________

Please call President Shirley! If you are in the area or know
anyone in the area please get out to the site and be a Legal
Observer!