From. Gary Hunt at the Outpost of Freedom on the Onondaga Reservation, New York
Date: October 7,1993 Phone: (315) xxx-xxxxI had been unsure of some of the events that I had been told had occurred here prior to my arrival. There were stories, but then they may have been just stories. For example there was an altercation between the two sides on Sunday the 26th of September. I have seen affidavits from both sides, and I won’t even try to put the story together until the court has its day.
What has become clear, as I have reported in the past, is that the telephone and power were cut off at Smoke Signals. The power had been restored by my arrival on the 31st, but the telephone was not restored until the Chiefs, or their representative, finally gave permission to the phone company on the October 5th. So, in determining how the service was cut, I have been searching for the cause.
I have in front of me a sworn affidavit explaining those circumstances. Those representing the "illegal existing businesses" were having an arraignment on September 29th. While they were in court, and while Chief Allison Gibson was trying to extend the distance for which a protective order would be issued, and perhaps the time away from Smoke Signals and the two other establishments, Allison’s brother, Sheldon Gibson, and nephew, John George, were busy during the absence of the owners, with cable cutters in hand cutting both the power and telephone at a roadside power pole just about eighty feet away from the OR’s building (one of the three "illegal existing businesses"). Assisting them were Jim Campbell, Greg Farmer, Ray White, Ryan Hill and Ron Shenandoah.
Now, you are probably wondering why I am going into such detail. Well, one of the local newspapers The Post-Standard, October 5. 1993, had a short article about the vandalism (again, let’s make clear that vandalism is an act of violence), in which they stated that the lines were cut "by unknown persons." I had been told that the affidavits prepared that afternoon bad been turned over to the Sheriff. So, if the Sheriff had these names, and had the names of those supporters of the "illegal existing businesses" who were charged with assault, and those who were supporters of the Council of Chiefs who were subsequently charged with assault, then why did The Post-Standard only get the names of those people on the side of the "illegal existing businesses?
Let’s go one step further, and maybe we will find our answer. On the day that the wires were cut, incident just described in above, the Affiant further states that when they were cutting the wires at OR’s the Affiant went to the median where two officers (Sheriff) were sitting in one vehicle watching these events. When asked why they were not doing anything, they responded, "There isn’t anything we can do. We are here just in case there is trouble" Meanwhile the "gang" crossed the street to cut Rockwell’s service. The Affiant, and others had tried to stop the "gang" when they got their ladder out of the truck, but the gang proceeded, and the Sheriffs Deputies watched. I wonder what they meant by "trouble."
So, we have a Sheriff who selectively releases names of those charged with crimes. We have a Sheriff who allows his deputies to observe crime in progress, and do nothing. We have deputies who observe people attempting to stop a crime, while the deputies observe, and the deputies will not come to the assistance of those attempting to do the deputies jobs.
I am willing to bet that I know where some of the unaccounted for Tribal funds have gone. Moreover, I bet the Sheriff didn’t report them on his income tax.