NCAI Press Events During Week Of White House Tribal Nations Conference
Indian Law and Order Commission Press Conference
WASHINGTON, DC: The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is pleased to announce a series of events surrounding the November 13, 2013 White House Tribal Nations Conference. The Conference gives the White House the opportunity to interact with tribal leaders from across Indian Country and the concentration of tribal leaders in Washington, DC allows Native and non-Native allies to discuss a wide variety of policies facing Native peoples.
Many inches and much airtime have been given to the debate over the name of the Washington, DC football team. The White House meeting and the preceding events on November 12th are an opportunity for members of the media and the general public to become more acquainted with the diverse scope of issues currently under debate and review in Indian Country.
NCAI will hold a Tribal Leaders Preparatory Meeting prior to the Conference on November 12th. The meetings are not open to press. However, there will be a press conference at 12:30pm and additional time set aside for connecting with tribal leaders.
The Indian Law and Order Commission, the national advisory board to the President and Congress on criminal justice issues created by the Tribal Law and Order Act, will hold a lunchtime press conference to release a new report, “Strengthening Justice for Native America: A Roadmap.” The report, one of the most comprehensive such studies ever undertaken, details the public safety crisis in Indian Country and recommends specific legal and policy reforms. “American Indian and Alaska Native communities and lands are often more dangerous than the rest of our country, and outmoded federal laws and policies are largely to blame,” stated Commission Chairman Troy Eid. “The Commission’s recommendations seek to eliminate the public safety gap that threatens so much of Native America.” The report will be made available to press during the event.
On the evening of November 12th, Turkish Ambassador to the United States Namik Tan is holding a ceremony to mark the first development grant awarded to tribal nations. The grant will help build a water tank for an ongoing elementary school construction project which will help the people of The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon meet their water needs for the next 10 years. The grant is the Turkish Agency for Cooperation and Coordination’s first ever to an entity within the United States and builds on years of growing ties between Turkey and Indian Country, including consecutive attendance of a Turkish official delegation at the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s Reservation Economic Summit.
Details and contact information for these, and additional events, below.
November 12
- 12:00 – 1:30 PM: Press Availability
Washington Plaza Hotel
RSVP at this link or by emailing Sarah Beccio, sbeccio@ncai.org
Box lunches will be available with a donation.
- 12:30 – 1:00 PM: Indian Law and Order Commission Press Conference
Washington Plaza Hotel
Dial In: 1-888-244-8150 / 473-463-4492#
- ILOC REPORT: “Strengthening Criminal Justice for Native America: A Roadmap” details recommendations for making Indian country safer by:
- Strengthening tribes’ ability to fight violent crime through expanded tribal criminal laws and institutions that apply equally to all persons.
- Protecting defendants’ Constitutional rights, Indian and non-Indian alike, in tribal courts through enhanced Federal judicial review – including a new U.S. Court of Indian Appeals.
- Reforming outdated federal juvenile justice laws that systematically discriminate against Native American youth.
- Harnessing the power of tribal sovereignty and self-government to improve public safety in Alaska Native nations.
- Cutting bureaucratic red tape and eliminating waste in Federal criminal justice grant-making and other programs.
- Speakers: Hon. Troy A. Eid, Chairman of the Commission; Affie Ellis (Navajo), Commissioner; Carole Goldberg, Commissioner and Vice-Chancellor; Hon. Jefferson Keel (Chickasaw), Commissioner and Lieutenant Governor, Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma; Hon. Theresa M. Pouley (Colville), Commissioner and Chief Judge; Theodore R. Quasula (Hualapai), Commissioner and General Manager; Alex Wesaw, NCAI Youth Commission Co-President
- 8:00 PM: Grant Award Ceremony
Ambassador Namik Tan’s Residence
1606 23rd St, NW
RSVP by contacting Shane Brown at shaneb@bljworldwide.com or 202.596.8710
- The Ambassador will announce the first development grant awarded by the Turkish Agency for Cooperation and Coordination (TIKA) to the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon to assist, in part, with a school construction project.
November 13
- 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM: White House Tribal Nations Conference
Department of the Interior
Contact the White House for admittance.
November 14
- 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Violence Against Women Government-to-Government Consultation
Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs
Contact info@ovwconsultation.org for more information.
About The National Congress of American Indians:
Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. For more information visit www.ncai.org
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