Remarks by the President Before Signing the Tribal Law and Order Act<\/p>\nEast Room<\/strong><\/p>\n
4:58 P.M. EDT<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Please have a seat.<\/p>\n
I want to start, obviously, by thanking Lisa for her introduction and having the courage to share her story with all of us today. It\u2019s for every survivor like Lisa who has never gotten their day in court, and for every family that feels like justice is beyond reach, and for every tribal community struggling to keep its people safe, that I\u2019ll be signing the Tribal Law and Order Act into law today. <\/p>\n
And in doing so, I intend to send a clear message that all of our people — whether they live in our biggest cities or our most remote reservations — have the right to feel safe in their own communities, and to raise their children in peace, and enjoy the fullest protection of our laws. <\/p>\n
As many of you know, I campaigned on this issue. And during our last — during our tribal conference last year, I pledged my administration\u2019s fullest support for this bill. And I told Senator Dorgan last week that I intended to sign it in a ceremony here at the White House with all of you. So today, I am proud to make good on my word. <\/p>\n
Now, I\u2019m told there\u2019s a Seneca proverb that says \u201cHe who would do great things should not attempt them all alone.??? (Laughter.) And that\u2019s particularly true of this legislation, which is the product of tireless efforts by countless individuals across this country. Congressional leaders like Senator Dorgan, Representative Herseth Sandlin, and others who are here today, and tribal leaders like Chairman Marcus Levings, President Theresa Two Bulls, President Diane Enos, Chief Chad Smith, Vice Chairman Jonathan Windy Boy — we are grateful to all of them for their extraordinary support. And then we\u2019ve got leaders in our administration like Attorney General Holder and Secretary Salazar, Kimberly Teehee, Jodi Gillette here at the White House who work tirelessly on this legislation. <\/p>\n
And that\u2019s nothing to say of all the dedicated judges and prosecutors and tribal and BIA law enforcement officers — some of whom are here today — who\u2019ve supported these efforts. And the determined survivors most of all, like Lisa, who even when it\u2019s too late to undo what happened to them, still speak out to seek justice for others. <\/p>\n
All of you come at this from different angles, but you\u2019re united in support of this bill because you believe, like I do, that it is unconscionable that crime rates in Indian Country are more than twice the national average and up to 20 times the national average on some reservations. And all of you believe, like I do, that when one in three Native American women will be raped in their lifetimes, that is an assault on our national conscience; it is an affront to our shared humanity; it is something that we cannot allow to continue. <\/p>\n
So ultimately, it\u2019s not just the federal government\u2019s relationship with tribal governments that compels us to act, it\u2019s not just our obligations under treaty and under law, but it\u2019s also our values as a nation that are at stake. And that\u2019s why earlier this year, after extensive consultations with tribal leaders, Attorney General Holder announced significant reforms to increase prosecutions of crimes committed in Indian Country. He hired more Assistant U.S. Attorneys and more victim-witness specialists. And he even created a position for a National Indian Country Training Coordinator who will work with prosecutors and law enforcement officers throughout Indian Country. <\/p>\n
And under Secretary Salazar\u2019s leadership, we\u2019re launching new community policing pilot programs. We\u2019ve overhauled the recruitment process for BIA officers, resulting in a 500 percent jump in applications and the largest hiring increase in history. And we\u2019re working to deploy those officers to the field as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n
The bill I\u2019m signing into law today will build on these efforts, because it requires the Justice Department to disclose data on cases in Indian Country that it declines to prosecute and it gives tribes greater authority to prosecute and punish criminals themselves. It expands recruitment and retention and training for BIA and Tribal officers and gives them better access to criminal databases. It includes new provisions to prevent counterfeiting of Indian-produced crafts and new guidelines and training for domestic violence and sex crimes. And it strengthens tribal courts and police departments and enhances programs to combat drug and alcohol abuse and help at-risk youth. <\/p>\n
So these are significant measures that will empower tribal nations and make a real difference in people\u2019s lives. Because as I said during our tribal conference, I have no interest in just paying lip service to the problems we face. I know that too often, this community has heard grand promises from Washington that turned out to be little more than empty words. And I pledged to you then that if you gave me a chance, this time it would be different. I told you I was committed to moving forward and forging a new and better future together in every aspect of our government-to-government relationship.<\/p>\n
And slowly but surely, that is exactly what we are doing. At this moment, agencies across our government are implementing detailed plans to increase coordination and consultation with tribal governments — and I intend to hold them accountable for following through. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve also included a permanent reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act in the health care reform legislation we passed this spring. We\u2019re strengthening Tribal education. We\u2019re working to spur economic development throughout Indian Country. And in consultation with Indian tribes, we\u2019re now formally reviewing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. And after 14 long years, we\u2019ve finally settled the Cobell case and we\u2019re working with Congress to get the settlement approved as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n
So we\u2019re moving forward, and we\u2019re making progress. And as we celebrate today, I\u2019m reminded of a visit I made a couple of years ago to the Crow Nation out in Montana. While I was there, I was adopted into the Nation by a wonderful couple — Hartford and Mary Black Eagle — so I\u2019m Barack Black Eagle. (Laughter.) But I was also — I was also given a Crow name that means \u201cOne Who Helps People Throughout the Land.??? And it\u2019s a name that I view not as an honor that I deserve, but as a responsibility that I must work to fulfill.<\/p>\n
And looking back, I can\u2019t help but think that only in America could a guy like me named Barack Obama — adoptive son of the Crow Nation — go on to become President. (Laughter and applause.) That was improbable when it happened two years ago — (laughter) — but it would have been inconceivable a generation or two before that. And I think the same could be said of this legislation.<\/p>\n
And that should ultimately give us all hope. It should remind us that our union has a way of — over time — becoming more, and not less, perfect — more inclusive, more fair, more free. And that\u2019s because of people like you — leaders and public servants and everyday folks who understand that we\u2019re more than just heirs to a difficult past. Here in America, we have a chance to choose a different future, and to heed those better angels of our nature and cast our lot with something bigger than ourselves. <\/p>\n
So it\u2019s in that spirit that I hope we define the relationship between our nations in the years ahead, and it is the goal of this legislation that I am proud to sign into law today.<\/p>\n
Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)<\/p>\n
(The bill is signed.)<\/p>\n
END 5:09 P.M. EDT\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
El Presidente Obama prometi\u00f3 trabajar con los l\u00edderes ind\u00edgenas durante su campa\u00f1a y ayudar a toda la gente del pa\u00eds incluyendo a los ind\u00edgenas. Creo que ha demostrado que intenta mantener su palabra. \u00a1Gracias Presidente! While I was there, I was adopted into the Nation by a wonderful couple — Hartford and Mary Black Eagle — so I\u2019m Barack Black Eagle. (Laughter.) But I was also — I was also given a Crow name that means \u201cOne Who Helps People Throughout the Land.??? And it\u2019s a name that I view not as an honor that I deserve, but as a responsibility that I must work to fulfill. Me encanta esta cita donde \u00e9l dice que cuando visit\u00f3 una de las reservaciones le dieron un nombre Crow. El nombre que le dieron significa: ‘Alguien que ayuda por todas partes’. El Presidente Obama dice que acept\u00f3 el nombre no como un honor que se merec\u00eda sino como una responsabilidad por la cual debe trabajar para realizarla. El 19 de mayo de 2008 escrib\u00ed una entrada en la cual opin\u00e9: Ojal\u00e1 que este acto no sea uno de meramente pol\u00edtica. Obama ha mostrado que s\u00ed quiere ayudar a todos los habitantes de este pa\u00eds. Si \u00e9l cumple estas promesas que ha hecho a los ind\u00edgenas, a los estudiantes, a los trabajadores, a los veteranos, al medio ambiente, etc, sin duda alguna, pasar\u00e1 a ser unos de los grandes l\u00edderes de este siglo. Poco a poco, el sentimiento de esperanza que El Presidente Obama comparti\u00f3 con la naci\u00f3n, se va convirtiendo en hechos y en mejores vidas y oportunidades para muchos que han carecido de ellas. Son estos momentos que me hacen sentir muy contento de que tengamos a Barack Obama -AWE KOOTA BILXPAAK KOOXSHIIWIASH- como nuestro presidente. The Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010: A Step Forward for Native Women | The White House.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[23,1435,250,1436,1437],"class_list":["post-8232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-barack-obama","tag-crow-nation","tag-indigenas","tag-native-americans","tag-tribal-law-order-act-of-2010"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lamaravilla.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lamaravilla.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lamaravilla.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lamaravilla.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lamaravilla.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lamaravilla.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8232\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lamaravilla.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lamaravilla.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lamaravilla.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}