Pic: Grampa, Myself, Lobo (I.S.R security deceased) and Big D at Grand Ronde Pow Wow 2008
Intro: There is information online about racism in the medical field but there is less information on medical “accidents” that happened on human rights activists. One such case happened in the 1990s in a place called Corvallis Oregon. (Kalapuya, Santiam) territory.
Anecdotal evidence: Many people have said they were victims of political and racial medical sabotage.
Military Service: Grandfather would have been drafted so instead of being drafted he signed up for more hardcore duty. He joined 5th Marines in Korea and ended up being the bodyguard for the General partly because he had top scores on mac-10 sub machine gun. He was chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear warfare expert. I point this out not to glorify militarism but to illustrate how or why this might have been done. Dallas Hass made Seargent and any rank he was offered after that he turned down. The u.s empire is using and abusing indigenous people for military purposes and it fails to protect those of us who served.
Activism: A senior member of the American Indian Movement used to live in Corvallis. He was a true militant. He challenged Peabody coal in the southwest at a time they said he was stepping on Russel Means toes even they said. He attempted to make it to the Wounded Knee Standoff but was accused of kidnapping his own daughters one of which was my mother and he returned home. Later he would walk across the so called u.s in Longest Walk 2. He was a personal friend of Dennis Banks. I remember growing up hearing my grandfather talk to Dennis on the phone. Later even after the medical silencing he would go on to personally pay for water testing on fishing lakes in the north to see that they were not polluted with mercury and other substances. He played a support role with Center For Nonviolence in Bainbridge Washington and did security for Buddhist monk Senji Kenaeda and others on anti nuclear peace walks. He was blasted with a radiation device while protesting Hanford nuclear reactor. He and other elderly militants threatened to go to Bristol Bay end the gold mining operation that threatened the salmon fishery. Non profits took credit for what the elderly militants achieved. Some from as far away as Hawaii.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mesa_Peabody_Coal_controversy
Ground Zero
Construction: Grandfather ended up in construction and built a large portion of Corvallis including many of the schools. When i tell this to the people of Corvallis they tease and mock me. I find it very frustrating that they do this kind of internet bullying and taunting. Grandfather even worked on the old Corvallis High School. He built Wilson, Adams and Garfield elementary schools that i know of. I didn’t even know all he had built. Corvallis has a long way to go towards redeeming itself towards indigenous peoples both from here and those from elsewhere like my family who is Potawatomi and Dakota.
Pic: Grampa at Greasy Grass 2010
Medical Silencing: My grandfather would speak his mind and people would listen, i seen him do this casualy like at the grocery store or at a resteraunt dinner. I feel that the wrong people took notice of this. While getting a tumor removed a doctor collapsed both his his lungs and he nearly died. He had a tracheostomy and stoma put in his throat and after that he had to learn how to talk again. The doctor said to him “Well you didn’t need to be going around doing native shit with a canoe on top of your truck anyway”. The medical silencing left him unable to use a canoe because if it tipped over he would drown with the stoma. Our grandfather was a fisherman. This basically ended his fishing. Our family was very angry. It was not my Grandfathers regular doctor. His regular doctor was angry at the doctor who hurt my grandfather. There was talk of having my older cousin knock out the doc. I feel like my grandfather sued and got a small amount of money. Perhaps he was told not to talk about it afterwards, but he is dead now. In many ways i speak for him now. This medical silencing made him feel embarrassed in public. Ultimately this lowered the quality of his life significantly and shortened his life span. Even when he regained some ability to speak, he often just wouldn’t. I have trauma from experiencing him being silenced. Openly he acted as a Democrat but in private he shared his most militant thoughts with me. The deterioration of the American Indian Movement and his inability to help me left me at odds with my own grandfather. My aunt told me not to write about him on the internet. In so many ways i shouldered my entire families end of the struggle politically as they chose to be silent and blend in for fear of losing more than they had already lost.
Pic: Grampa and i when we hosted P.D.J run for the water 2012
Politicized: We need our own medical separate from the empire. Tribes can and sometimes do make their own medical centers. Some are better than others. Another thing needed is medical within an organization as a program of self-determination. I.S.R could do that if the people would end their boycott of substance and quality.
I dedicate this blog entry to ending medical racial abuse and experimentation. To the dream of safe and free medical care for all people and to my grandfather who was an actual solid human being and role model.
Written By: War Chief Mko
Illahee Spirit Runners 