Post by Okwes on Jun 16, 2006 11:09:52 GMT -5
Little Earth director leads like careful warrior
Posted by: "Victoria" bayareauk@yahoo.co.uk bayareauk
Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:26 am (PST)
Little Earth director leads like careful warrior
AMY FORLITI
Associated Press
www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/14797174.htm
<http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/14797174.htm>
MINNEAPOLIS - When he was a young boy on the Lower
Brule Sioux reservation, Bill Ziegler learned some
valuable lessons from his grandmother.
First, she told him, a leader must make sacrifices for
the community. And even the strongest warrior must
know when to stop fighting and lay down his bow.
Ziegler says his grandmother's wisdom was in his
thoughts last week, as he came under pressure to
release a security videotape showing possible police
misconduct at the American Indian housing complex he
runs. He withheld the tape at first, then released it
when he worried that speculation about what it showed
might incite violence.
"Every decision I make here, I have to look in the
eyes of the community. I have to look into the eyes of
the children," Ziegler said. "My goal ... I want
tomorrow to be better than yesterday for the people
here."
Ziegler is executive director of Little Earth of
United Tribes, an American Indian housing community
here with some 850 residents from 38 different tribes.
It's a place that's important to the greater
Minneapolis American Indian community because what
happens there "happens to us all," said Shirley Stone,
with the American Indian Neighborhood Development
Corp.
Ziegler, the kid from the South Dakota rez, has some
big dreams - like someday building a school for the
community's children, or creating a group to instill
wisdom and honor in young boys being wooed by gangs.
He's helped start mentoring and youth cultural
programs.
In just 18 months at Little Earth, the 35-year-old has
shown his mettle by personally kicking out drug
dealers and thugs.
"In every Indian community I've ever been in, there's
an overwhelming sense of hopelessness," he said. "A
lot of the programs and things we're bringing into the
community are really based on trying to bring hope."
He added, "There is a time and a season for everything
... and this is the right time for change to happen."
Last week, Little Earth and Ziegler were thrust into
the spotlight after allegations that two police
officers mistreated a man while making an arrest last
month.
The video that Ziegler ultimately released shows the
handcuffed suspect - who is not a Little Earth
resident - doubling over after an officer walks into
him. The man's father also said his son was held in a
squad car for several minutes, in 81-degree heat, with
the windows closed.
Ziegler went to police after residents made him aware
of the incident, and held a news conference soon
after. He vowed to make sure the incident was fully
investigated, but his refusal to release the video
angered some people.
Ziegler said he didn't think doing so would benefit
Little Earth.
"I thought, 'It may be time to lay down the bow and
talk,'" he said. He changed course, he said, out of
fear that misstatements about the video's contents
might lead to violence.
Ziegler said he hoped that going to police first would
help build what he called a positive "but fragile"
relationship with law enforcement.
"The reason I call it fragile is I'm afraid ... one
incident can throw us back 20 years, where the
mistrust is so high in the community that our people
stop calling 911," he said.
It's a position police appreciate.
Inspector Scott Gerlicher, who commands the precinct
that includes Little Earth, said Ziegler has nurtured
an improving relationship. Last year, he said, a pair
of killings were solved because residents trusted
police and testified against suspects.
"He has gained my respect and I trust him," Gerlicher
said of Ziegler. "I think Bill is real plain spoken, a
straight shooter, and I appreciate that."
Lori Ellis, a Little Earth resident for more than 30
years, remembers when life there was "awful."
In the morning, she remembers, she'd have to move past
drug dealers outside her workplace. At night, she was
scared to go out because of gang members, and her
6-year-old granddaughter was afraid of being shot.
Ellis, who chairs the residents' association, says she
feels safer with Ziegler running things and likes how
he's handled the police case so far.
"He's done such a tremendous job," Ellis said. "The
Creator has finally sent us the right person for the
job."
In an interview, Ziegler took pains to try to deflect
such praise.
"It's really the people who are making the
difference," he said. "I honestly feel like a
bystander in most cases, to be honest with you. ...
It's the residents of Little Earth that are changing
the community.
"I'm just a guy who's along for the ride."
Ziegler was raised with five brothers and four sisters
on the Lower Brule reservation in South Dakota. He
attended tribal schools and didn't spend much time off
the reservation until attending college at Northern
State University, in Aberdeen, S.D. He majored in
business management and marketing.
As a child, he learned the traditional Lakota
spiritual ways. During his teenage years, his family
got involved with the Baptist church. He said he leans
on both for his spirituality.
He remembers growing up in poverty, but said he didn't
realize it at the time, because everyone around him
was also poor.
"It wasn't uncommon to look forward to the school
year, because then we knew that we got one meal. ...
We didn't know we were poor because everybody was the
same."
He married his elementary school sweetheart, and
celebrated his 14th wedding anniversary Tuesday. He
has five children, ages 3 through 13. Every weekend he
makes the 400-mile trip to the reservation to be with
his family.
He said Little Earth is so much like the reservation,
he doesn't get homesick.
There are some differences, though. He said when he
was a boy - a bit of a troublemaker - adults in the
community would always keep him in check. He wants to
build the same sense of community at Little Earth.
"What I want to build here at Little Earth is a
small-town mentality ... extended family, one family,"
he said. "We'll know that we're there when we have a
community event and everybody's there."
Posted by: "Victoria" bayareauk@yahoo.co.uk bayareauk
Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:26 am (PST)
Little Earth director leads like careful warrior
AMY FORLITI
Associated Press
www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/14797174.htm
<http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/14797174.htm>
MINNEAPOLIS - When he was a young boy on the Lower
Brule Sioux reservation, Bill Ziegler learned some
valuable lessons from his grandmother.
First, she told him, a leader must make sacrifices for
the community. And even the strongest warrior must
know when to stop fighting and lay down his bow.
Ziegler says his grandmother's wisdom was in his
thoughts last week, as he came under pressure to
release a security videotape showing possible police
misconduct at the American Indian housing complex he
runs. He withheld the tape at first, then released it
when he worried that speculation about what it showed
might incite violence.
"Every decision I make here, I have to look in the
eyes of the community. I have to look into the eyes of
the children," Ziegler said. "My goal ... I want
tomorrow to be better than yesterday for the people
here."
Ziegler is executive director of Little Earth of
United Tribes, an American Indian housing community
here with some 850 residents from 38 different tribes.
It's a place that's important to the greater
Minneapolis American Indian community because what
happens there "happens to us all," said Shirley Stone,
with the American Indian Neighborhood Development
Corp.
Ziegler, the kid from the South Dakota rez, has some
big dreams - like someday building a school for the
community's children, or creating a group to instill
wisdom and honor in young boys being wooed by gangs.
He's helped start mentoring and youth cultural
programs.
In just 18 months at Little Earth, the 35-year-old has
shown his mettle by personally kicking out drug
dealers and thugs.
"In every Indian community I've ever been in, there's
an overwhelming sense of hopelessness," he said. "A
lot of the programs and things we're bringing into the
community are really based on trying to bring hope."
He added, "There is a time and a season for everything
... and this is the right time for change to happen."
Last week, Little Earth and Ziegler were thrust into
the spotlight after allegations that two police
officers mistreated a man while making an arrest last
month.
The video that Ziegler ultimately released shows the
handcuffed suspect - who is not a Little Earth
resident - doubling over after an officer walks into
him. The man's father also said his son was held in a
squad car for several minutes, in 81-degree heat, with
the windows closed.
Ziegler went to police after residents made him aware
of the incident, and held a news conference soon
after. He vowed to make sure the incident was fully
investigated, but his refusal to release the video
angered some people.
Ziegler said he didn't think doing so would benefit
Little Earth.
"I thought, 'It may be time to lay down the bow and
talk,'" he said. He changed course, he said, out of
fear that misstatements about the video's contents
might lead to violence.
Ziegler said he hoped that going to police first would
help build what he called a positive "but fragile"
relationship with law enforcement.
"The reason I call it fragile is I'm afraid ... one
incident can throw us back 20 years, where the
mistrust is so high in the community that our people
stop calling 911," he said.
It's a position police appreciate.
Inspector Scott Gerlicher, who commands the precinct
that includes Little Earth, said Ziegler has nurtured
an improving relationship. Last year, he said, a pair
of killings were solved because residents trusted
police and testified against suspects.
"He has gained my respect and I trust him," Gerlicher
said of Ziegler. "I think Bill is real plain spoken, a
straight shooter, and I appreciate that."
Lori Ellis, a Little Earth resident for more than 30
years, remembers when life there was "awful."
In the morning, she remembers, she'd have to move past
drug dealers outside her workplace. At night, she was
scared to go out because of gang members, and her
6-year-old granddaughter was afraid of being shot.
Ellis, who chairs the residents' association, says she
feels safer with Ziegler running things and likes how
he's handled the police case so far.
"He's done such a tremendous job," Ellis said. "The
Creator has finally sent us the right person for the
job."
In an interview, Ziegler took pains to try to deflect
such praise.
"It's really the people who are making the
difference," he said. "I honestly feel like a
bystander in most cases, to be honest with you. ...
It's the residents of Little Earth that are changing
the community.
"I'm just a guy who's along for the ride."
Ziegler was raised with five brothers and four sisters
on the Lower Brule reservation in South Dakota. He
attended tribal schools and didn't spend much time off
the reservation until attending college at Northern
State University, in Aberdeen, S.D. He majored in
business management and marketing.
As a child, he learned the traditional Lakota
spiritual ways. During his teenage years, his family
got involved with the Baptist church. He said he leans
on both for his spirituality.
He remembers growing up in poverty, but said he didn't
realize it at the time, because everyone around him
was also poor.
"It wasn't uncommon to look forward to the school
year, because then we knew that we got one meal. ...
We didn't know we were poor because everybody was the
same."
He married his elementary school sweetheart, and
celebrated his 14th wedding anniversary Tuesday. He
has five children, ages 3 through 13. Every weekend he
makes the 400-mile trip to the reservation to be with
his family.
He said Little Earth is so much like the reservation,
he doesn't get homesick.
There are some differences, though. He said when he
was a boy - a bit of a troublemaker - adults in the
community would always keep him in check. He wants to
build the same sense of community at Little Earth.
"What I want to build here at Little Earth is a
small-town mentality ... extended family, one family,"
he said. "We'll know that we're there when we have a
community event and everybody's there."