Tonight while watching the news, I heard something that really stood out to me. KXMB was running coverage of the sentencing of 17-year old Jeff Brown Otter for a crime spree a while back. What caught my ear was not the report, but what I heard on the 911 recording. It was played for the court, and a portion of it aired during the KX report. The women who he carjacked had run to a nearby house and called 911, and during the call they exclaimed that it was “Indians” outside.<\/p>\n
I’d just like to ask a quick question: if someone forces you to take them somewhere against your will, using a shotgun, and firing a shot in the air as they leave…what does their race matter?<\/p>\n
Stating someone’s race to help identify the perpetrator of a crime is prudent, but the voice on that 911 recording sounded to me like they were especially traumatized that the person who had just fired a gun while stealing their car was of Native American descent.<\/p>\n
The young man stated in court that he’s seen nothing but violence all his life, and I’m sure he’s not the only one in his situation. A person like that could be more prone to violence, I don’t know. But the voice on that recording didn’t know anything about Jeff Brown Otter, even who he was. He could have been from anywhere, not necessarily a South Dakota reservation. In other words, the voice on that recording didn’t cry out anything other than that there were “Indians out there.”<\/p>\n
Obviously there’s no excuse or defense for the crime spree. I doubt that the women could help it if they were more scared of Native American criminals than anyone else. Stereotypes have a way of sticking around even on a subconscious level. I just heard the recording and thought it was noteworthy. It’s sad to report, but I’m pretty sure of what I heard.<\/p>\n
This reminded me of the same sort of ear-catching moment I had in high school. Our speech, art, and drama students at Mandan High were getting together for a trip to Minneapolis. We were visiting lots of museums, seeing some plays and musicals, and doing some shopping. In a pre-trip meeting at the school, the issue of safety came up. One of the teachers related an example of a mugging incident in the downtown area. During the course of the story, I remember the phrase “and it was a black guy…” and was flabbergasted. First off, does it matter who mugs you? You still get mugged. Second, I was sitting next to my friend Andre, who happened to be the only black guy attending Mandan High. I couldn’t help but think…how did that make him feel? I was too embarrassed to ever mention it, but I never forgot it.<\/p>\n
I have Native American friends who are doctors or other sorts of professionals. I have Native American friends and acquaintances that are some of the most selfless folks I’ve ever met. I can’t help but wonder what some people might think if they saw these people outside at night. Would they be scared? If so, would they even know why?<\/p>\n
As my previous writing should show, I’m not a bleeding-heart multi-culturalist. I think “political correctness” is a farce. That’s probably a major reason why I’m a die-hard UND Fighting Sioux logo proponent. But I hate seeing people judged, stereotyped, or feared because of their skin color. In this situation, Jeff Brown Otter was<\/em><\/strong> a scary person. I just wish he hadn’t scared someone even more simply by being Native American. That’s what stuck in my mind after hearing that 911 recording tonight.<\/p>\n As always, feel free to comment…but remember, I moderate the comments. If there’s even a touch of racism in a submitted comment, it’ll never see the light of day. I allow comments that are critical of me or disagree with my opinions, as long as someone has the guts to sign their comment. But I don’t allow profanity or inappropriate language and I never will.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tonight while watching the news, I heard something that really stood out to me. KXMB was running coverage of the sentencing of 17-year old Jeff Brown Otter for a crime spree a while back. What caught my ear was not … Continue reading