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Benewah County Commission's Wife: "You Indians have no jurisdiction"
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 04 October 2008 10:36
Sources:
Spokesman Review story
Coeur D'Alene Tribal Police Department incident report that is a part of public record.
On the early afternoon of July 20, 2008, while patroling a fishing tournament on Coeur D'Alene Tribal waters within Benewah County, Idaho, a tribal police unit stopped a boat for a vessel safety inspection and for violation of a no-wake zone. On board the vessel were Benewah County Commissioner and wife Jack and Eleanor Buell. According to the police report, during the department's boarding to begin the inspection Mrs. Buell assaulted a police officer and directed her husband to elude them, but backed down after being issued warnings. Both of the Buell's claimed to be exempt from tribal jurisdiction based on their white race. Recently, Benewah County stopped cross-deputizing Coeur D'Alene Tribal Police officers though neighborhing Kootenai County continues to do so. In other words, the tribal police are equivalent to Kootenai County Sheriff's Deputies when dealing with non-tribal members within Kootenai County, but this is no longer so in Benewah County where jurisdictional definitions have been disputed since 2001 when the Supreme Court awarded the Tribe jurisdiction over approximately the southern third of the Lake.
Eleanor Buell said to officers, "Do you Indians know where you are?" and to her husband, "Jack, the Indians have no jurisdiction over white people, so just leave."
Because Mrs. Buell is accused of assaulting a federal officer, the Coeur D'Alene Tribal Police have referred the case to the FBI for investigation. Powwow Time urges all citizens to write their congressional representatives to remind them to follow up on this case and any others like it. Racial equality begins at home.
Benewah County Commission's Wife: "You Indians have no jurisdiction"
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 04 October 2008 10:36
Sources:
Spokesman Review story
Coeur D'Alene Tribal Police Department incident report that is a part of public record.
On the early afternoon of July 20, 2008, while patroling a fishing tournament on Coeur D'Alene Tribal waters within Benewah County, Idaho, a tribal police unit stopped a boat for a vessel safety inspection and for violation of a no-wake zone. On board the vessel were Benewah County Commissioner and wife Jack and Eleanor Buell. According to the police report, during the department's boarding to begin the inspection Mrs. Buell assaulted a police officer and directed her husband to elude them, but backed down after being issued warnings. Both of the Buell's claimed to be exempt from tribal jurisdiction based on their white race. Recently, Benewah County stopped cross-deputizing Coeur D'Alene Tribal Police officers though neighborhing Kootenai County continues to do so. In other words, the tribal police are equivalent to Kootenai County Sheriff's Deputies when dealing with non-tribal members within Kootenai County, but this is no longer so in Benewah County where jurisdictional definitions have been disputed since 2001 when the Supreme Court awarded the Tribe jurisdiction over approximately the southern third of the Lake.
Eleanor Buell said to officers, "Do you Indians know where you are?" and to her husband, "Jack, the Indians have no jurisdiction over white people, so just leave."
Because Mrs. Buell is accused of assaulting a federal officer, the Coeur D'Alene Tribal Police have referred the case to the FBI for investigation. Powwow Time urges all citizens to write their congressional representatives to remind them to follow up on this case and any others like it. Racial equality begins at home.
