A Wounded Knee update, and the situation appears to be quite confusing. Senator Abouresk says it's all over, and attributes conditions for a resolution of crisis to Aaron DeSerra, a Rosebud Sioux who claims to speak for AIM. There are three conditions necessary for a conflict resolution: audit of tribal council books (Richard Wilson's books) on Pine Ridge Reservation, especially with fund disbursement; assurance by BIA that a petition for a referendum to recall Wilson will not be turned down; investigation of Civil Rights for those still at Wounded Knee. Meetings will be held tomorrow in Rapid City and at Roadblock One. There's an unconfirmed rumor that Richard Banks and Russell Means are no longer in Wounded Knee. A light plane came in and landed at Wounded Knee, unloaded what the government says is a cache of ammo and guns. On what evidence is there that this information is correct, reporter McKiernan says It's total speculation.
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KEVIN MCKIERMAN: The situation is totally confusing. Senator Abourezk says that it's all over. He is attributing the conditions for the resolution of the crisis here at Wounded Knee to [? Aaron Desira. ?] Now, [? Aaron Desira ?] is a Rosebud Sioux who claims to speak for the American-Indian Movement. No one around here however, has seen him for the last couple of weeks.
There are three conditions that Abourezk speaking from [? Desira ?] says are necessary for the resolution of this conflict. First that there be an audit of the tribal council books on the Pine Ridge Reservation. That's Richard Wilson's books, especially with a close eye towards the disbursement of OEO and BIA funds. Secondly, there would be assurance that by the Bureau of Indian Affairs that the petition for the referendum to recall Wilson not be turned down as it has been previously. And thirdly, that there be an investigation of the civil rights of those who are still at Wounded Knee.
Now we have no further report on what that means, in other words, what the Civil Rights are or any details surrounding that. But those three issues he says, are necessary for the resolution of the conflict. I just spoke with Assistant Attorney General Kent Frizzell. He says that there's a meeting tomorrow morning in Rapid City with Ramon Roubideaux, [? Aaron Desira ?] and Marvin Franklin, who is the ranking interior department official here.
Richard Wilson says he'll send no tribal representative to Rapid City. "Hopefully, Frizzell says, "there will be a meeting at roadblock 1." That's the roadblock closest to Pine Ridge. It's about 7 or 8 miles from here. He said, hopefully, there'll be a meeting there tomorrow at 3 o'clock.
Now so you have the meeting in the morning going on in Rapid City. And you have the rumored report that banks and means are no longer within Wounded Knee, which has been unconfirmed. And Assistant Attorney General Frizzell himself cannot confirm it. Simply the community relations service people said they didn't see means or banks when they were in there.
A light plane came in and landed at Wounded Knee and unloaded what the government says was a large cache of ammunition and guns.
SPEAKER: Now, if you have not been able to get into Wounded Knee, and if no other reporters have been able to get in there, what we're really basing our knowledge on about what is going on in Wounded Knee at this time is comments by people from the government and by comments from Wilson's followers.
KEVIN MCKIERMAN: Absolutely true.
SPEAKER: What evidence have they offered that they have, in fact, been able to get into Wounded Knee? And what evidence do they offer to suggest that what they are saying is, in fact, true?
KEVIN MCKIERMAN: It's total speculation, total speculation. When Dick Wilson says that his intelligence reports, quote unquote, "indicate" such and such, you simply have to take the statement as such. I asked Frizzell how did he know that they were guns, in fact, in the boxes, and he said they were long boxes.
Now, who knows? That may have been a food drop. The New York Times and all the wire services and so on, they're all batting their heads against the wall. The fellow from upi said, "I think I ought to bury my typewriter at Wounded Knee."
SPEAKER: Kevin McKiernan, thank you for calling.