Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation Support Onondaga Nation Land Rights Action

For More Information Contact:
Jeanne Shenandoah, Onondaga Nation Communications Office -- 315-952-0467
Lindsay Speer, M+R Strategic Services -- 315-383-7210
ONONDAGA NATION APPEALS FOR JUSTICE, HEALING, ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION
Native Americans seek justice for theft of their land by New York State, on 520th anniversary of Columbus's landing
New York, NY -- Whether or not the schedulers for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals planned it, the irony of the court hearing's date is not lost on Onondaga Nation leaders. On October 12, 2012 the Onondaga Nation will offer oral arguments in front of the three-judge panel in hopes of overturning the 2010 dismissal of their Land Rights Action by the Northern District Court.
The Onondaga Nation seeks a declaratory judgment documenting that New York State unlawfully acquired lands from the Onondaga in violation of the 1790 federal Trade and Intercourse Act, the U.S. Constitution, and treaties with the U.S. government. Shortly after the lawsuit was filed in March 2005, Sherrill v. Oneida turned equitable law on its head when it came to Native Nations, triggering a series of decisions on which the Onondaga Nations' case was dismissed. The first footnote in Sherrill mentioned the Doctrine of Discovery, which has its roots with Columbus and the Catholic Church. Does this doctrine still prevent justice for Native peoples 520 years later? The Onondaga Nation's Land Rights Action has yet to be considered on its merits.
The intent has always been to use the declaratory judgment not to evict people or settle for casinos, but to use the acknowledged rights to their land "as a legal and moral force for the environment and the Earth-to clean up polluted areas and protect those areas not yet defiled for generations to come". This vision for a better future hit home with their Central New York neighbors, who have suffered over 100 years of industrial pollution of Onondaga Lake in the heart of their community. Instead of opposition, the Onondaga Nation has seen unprecedented support and collaboration from their neighbors, some of whom are coming all the way from Syracuse in solidarity on Friday.