ST. REGIS MOHAWK TRIBE DEMANDS APOLOGY FROM WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES
Publication Launches Own Malicious Attack
On Mohawk Community

Akwesasne, N.Y. - The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is demanding an apology from the Watertown Daily Times for the misrepresentation presented in its Sunday editorial and its decision to run the one-sided New York Times story on drug trafficking. 

“The editors of the Watertown Daily Times treated the New York Times story as gospel,” stated Tribal Chief Barbara A. Lazore.  “They didn’t even have the courtesy of speaking to us to get our side of the story,” she added.

 The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe has issued a rebuttal to the New York Times story for its unfair depiction of the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation and the Mohawk people.  The New York Times refused to print the rebuttal and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe published it in last Friday’s Indian Country Today.

The New York Times made several disparaging remarks about the Mohawk people that were unwarranted and malicious.  It accused all 11,000 Mohawks of smuggling stating “In upstate New York and across the Canadian border, the roughly 11,000 Indians living here now have long dipped their hands into the rewarding till of smuggling, moving goods as varied as diapers and tobacco across this lightly patrolled frontier, 12-miles of open water and land separating the two countries.”

“The decision by the Watertown Daily Times editors, in reprinting the article, to omit any reference to the Tribe’s efforts at fighting crime is unconscionable,” stated Tribal Chief James W. Ransom.  “It only serves to project the image of lawlessness that they are trying to create,” he added.

The reprint in the Watertown Times modified the original story, adding its own disturbing headline and changing wording from the New York Times article.  More importantly, the reprint omitted statements from the original article that captured the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s commitment and efforts related to border patrol and law enforcement. 

The Tribal Council has taken extensive measures to prevent illegal activities from occurring in Akwesasne. Over the past several years, tribal revenue has been diverted to law enforcement as federal grants have disappeared. The amount of funding the tribal police currently receive from the Tribe is the most in tribal history. It has meant taking needed tribal funding away from other essential community services.

“Using the story from the New York Times to voice that the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe should not be allowed to build a Catskill casino borders is baseless and deplorable,” stated Chief Lorraine M. White.  “The Johnson family has crossed the line in responsible journalism. It is influencing public opinion based on one story they have manipulated to support their opinion,” she added.  “That is sad,” she concluded.

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe rebuked the New York Times for making a similar unsubstantiated conclusion that Indian gaming and drug trafficking is intertwined.  The Watertown Daily Times editorial took it even one step further, suggesting that Indian gaming may not be legal.

The Tribe has worked diligently to pursue its Catskill casino and continues to work with all levels government to have its application approved by the State and Federal governments.  It also has reached impact agreements with local governments.  Indian gaming is fully regulated through the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

 As a regional paper, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe holds the Watertown Daily Times to a higher standard than the New York Times and expects to be treated fairly and with respect. Over the past three years, it has had an open and honest relationship with the various reporters for the paper.  The Tribal Council is shocked that it would use such a biased picture painted by the New York Times to launch its own attack on the Tribe and Mohawk people.

”It’s troubling when a national publication does unfavorable reporting of Akwesasne, but it’s even more disturbing when it’s done by a publication that is trusted to report on our community. For that, we demand an apology from the Watertown Daily Times for the callous and insensitive coverage of this issue,” concluded the members of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council.

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