NATIVE AMERICAN COMMISSION PAGE 4:  POCATELLO ANTI-RACISM COMMITTEE  [HUNTER GRAY -- REGIONAL ORGANIZER, DSA ANTI-RACISM COMMISSION; CHAIR, NATIVE AMERICAN COMMISSION, SPUSA.]

Here is a man -- my direct ancestor -- who always fought for the Indian people:  John Gray with his wife, Marienne.  Attached is an old and special arrowhead and the medal of St. Ignatius of Loyola -- patron of warriors, my saint, and that of many in our family over the several great epochs.  See  http://www.hunterbear.org/family_stuff.htm

In addition to what will be considerable material on these Idaho and related racial situations, this page also contains the Appeal and updates for murdered Native youth Russell Turcotte and some updated material on the murdered Indians at Grand Forks, N.D. [See Native American Commission Page 2 for background on the still unsolved murders.] 

We'll continue to up-date with great regularity.  And, although there are now occasional efforts to maneuver us into closing this particular page on the murders of Native men in North Dakota, there is no chance whatsoever that we shall ever do that.  I've been involved for over 20 years in various dimensions of the North Dakota racism situation -- and for all of my life in many other social justice struggles.  We always keep on, keeping on!  And success is always ours in the long run.

HUNTER GRAY [HUNTERBEAR] ORGANIZER

Member, Local 1981, National Writers Union/United Auto Workers

We are now able to reach, via our e-mail lists and collateral sources, about 10,000 people in just a few minutes.

The body of Russ Turcotte was found very close to Devils Lake, in trees not far from Highway 2.  Devils Lake is a predominately Anglo border-town, immediately adjacent to the Spirit Lake [Sioux] Nation Reservation -- and traditionally has been a generally hard-line racist region.  Some years ago, we fought a number of successful Native rights fights in that setting -- and only a few of those many high spots are on this website page of ours:  Racism in the Northern Plains http://www.hunterbear.org/Devil's%20Lake.htm   At this point, as far as is known, there is nothing to link the Turcotte tragedy directly to the Devils Lake setting.

For traditional racism at Grand Forks Police Department, see http://www.hunterbear.org/there_is_a_saying_in_our_native_.htm

OUR APPEAL FOR E-MAILS, TAMMY MILLER'S UPDATE RE RUSS TURCOTTE MURDER, AND BRIEF UPDATE ON FORKS KILLINGS  [DECEMBER 2 2002]

Note by Hunterbear:

We need your good help once again.

This attached detailed report is from Ms. Tammy Miller -- cousin of murdered
Russell Turcotte.  Russell, a  19 year old Turtle Mountain Chippewa,
disappeared at Grand Forks, North Dakota last mid-July.  Law enforcement
efforts to find him were much less than laconic -- with the North Dakota
officials taking the strange position for months that it was a case which
belonged to Wolf Point, Montana: Russ' home.  His body was found just off
Highway 2 near Devils Lake, North Dakota in early November. Almost
immediately, the State's Attorney in that county -- Ramsey -- made a
vigorous [and very strange] effort to get me to remove all material relating
to Russell from our large website, Lair of Hunterbear www.hunterbear.org  Of
course, I very strongly refused to do so, stand absolutely with that
position, and we update that special page regularly.  It has much material
on the Turcotte case and certain other cases, and is at
http://www.hunterbear.org/NATIVE%20AMERICAN%20COMMISSION%20PAGE%204.htm

Russ'  very large funeral, which Tammy describes so vividly, was held at
Wolf Point, Montana on November 18.

But the investigation certainly appears to be lagging.  The State's
Attorney, in his unsuccessful effort to get me to clear my web page on the
tragedy, also indicated he is waiting for an unknown someone, some day and
some way, to make a in-prison confession.  None of us accept that as viable
in the remotest sense!  The sheriff apparently does not, either.

In the meantime, back at the Forks [Grand Forks], the September, 2001
murders of the three Turtle Mountain men -- Jerome DeCoteau [who I knew, as
I do many members of his family], and Robert and Damian Belgarde [father and
son] remain unsolved.  Periodically, "off the record" indications are given
me that arrests in those cases may be close -- but the arrests never occur.

Your help is much needed.  Again, we ask for e-mails.  Please contact these
two State of North Dakota officials and ask them to lend every resource at
their command to push the murder investigations of the four Turtle Mountain
Chippewa men and secure arrests.  In addition to the need for justice, there
is also the fact that there must be no more of these murders.

The two officials are:     Honorable John Hoeven, Governor


                                         Honorable Wayne Stenehjem, Attorney
General 



Thank you very much.  Tammy Miller's report now follows.    
Hunter Gray [Hunterbear]


From Tammy Miller:       December 2, 2002

Boozhoo Hunter,

First I would like to yet again send thanks to the many people who expressed
the condolences.  The funeral services were very touching and peaceful.
Many, many people gathered to celebrate life and remember my cousin.  The
services were held in the high school auditorium.  There were so many
people, some had to stand in the hallways of the school as no more could fit
into the auditorium.  At the feed after the services I met several people
who had traveled for hundreds of miles to attend.  I have never seen such a
gathering of warm hearted people.  And it was people from all walks of life,
that in itself shows the impact he had on people.

As time passes, we are experiencing the frustration of dealing with the
investigative process.  Little to no information is being attained.  At
least not to the knowledge of my Uncle, whom I spoke to a couple days ago.
He phoned with frustrations of the lack of information and a request to help
keep this investigation in the forefront.  In speaking with him, I have
learned the coroner's report has yet to be released and they offer no
information of when or if it will be released.

He did state a investigator or detective from North Dakota was to travel to
Wolf Point, MT to speak with the law enforcement there.  This action causes
me to question the direction they are taking in this matter.  On the other
hand this may be an indication of them leaving no stone unturned.  I have my
doubts after reviewing the correspondence you received.  We encourage the
letters and emails to the Governor's office, law enforcement and to the
media in attempts to keep this matter "on the front burner".  I believe the
media attention and all the publicity surrounding this from the beginning
has made a huge impact and, if continued, will cause the investigators to be
accountable in their actions.

It is not acceptable that the method of concluding this matter be "waiting
for an in prison confession".  That is ludicrous.  While the leads may be
cold, due to lack of action taken initially, there still has to be something
to go on.  I know my cousin would have fought, as he was trained as a boxer
until he decided that was not to be his path (just a few years ago), and he
would not have gone down without a fight no matter how peace loving he was.
There are clues, it's just a matter of diligence and determination in
finding them.

And on a final note, my Uncle and I discussed the request received by you to
remove the information from your WebPages.  Please do not concede to this
request.  Our family agrees, for the most part, that the action taken to
make people aware will help more so than hurt.  The more attention the
situation in North Dakota receives, the better the chances of improving it.
There have been far too many unanswered questions now and in the past, it is
definitely time for some answers and changes.

Migwetch Baamaapii (Thank you Until later),

Tammy Miller

Hunter Gray  [Hunterbear]
www.hunterbear.org
Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´
and Ohkwari'



FROM THE HAVRE [MONTANA] DAILY NEWS  [11/20/02]

Little to go on in Turcotte case, prosecutor says  [Havre Daily News -
Montana]     11/20/02    T.J. Pyette

      The prosecutor assigned to the Russell Turcotte homicide said
investigators don't have much to go on.

      In an e-mail dated Nov. 7, Ramsey County State's Attorney Lonnie Olson
told a social justice activist, "This is a case where the trail of the
murderer is cold."

      Olson said the strategy of the investigative team is to wait for the
murderer to confess. "In our experience, we expect that the best chance for
the murderer to be brought to justice is by confession of the culprit," he
wrote.

      Ramsey County Sheriff Steve Hamre confirmed Tuesday that the e-mail
was written by Olson from Hamre's computer, but said that the investigation
is not in a sit-and-wait phase.

      "We are continuing to investigate this full-bore. We are still
actively searching for leads and when we are done searching, we'll find
somewhere else to search," Hamre said.

      "It would be unfair of me to comment on the contents of that letter,"
he added, "but I would like to say I hope that (waiting for a confession)
does not become our only strategy."

      Olson could not be reached for comment.

      Turcotte's body was found in a shelter belt near Devils Lake, N.D., on
Nov. 5, about 90 miles west of Grand Forks, where Turcotte was last seen on
July 12 as he hitchhiked home to Montana from a hippie gathering in
Minnesota.

      Olson sent the e-mail to Hunter Gray, regional organizer of the
Democratic Socialists of America Anti-Racism Committee. Gray has criticized
Grand Forks law enforcement for not aggressively investigating after
Turcotte was reported missing.

      The e-mail said a confession would most likely be obtained in a prison
setting and that the only way a jury would believe such a confession would
be if it contained elements that only the murderer could know.

      Olson asked Gray to remove references to Turcotte's homicide from his
Web site so as not to interfere with the investigation.

      "The murderer may very possibly be reading your Web site," he wrote.

      Gray posted a response on his Web site: "I obviously have no intention
of removing or reducing my Web site page covering the Turcotte tragedy in
any fashion whatsoever."

      He added, "Let's hope a far more zealous and immediate search for the
killer or killers is being conducted by North Dakota officials than the
apparently leisurely approach laid out in this extraordinarily strange
communication."

      Hamre admitted that authorities do not have any suspects, and said he
has not yet received the results of the autopsy.

      Once the autopsy results are available, Hamre said, he will not make
public any information that only the killer could know.

      Hamre said last week he doesn't believe there is any connection
between Turcotte's homocide and the slayings of three Turtle Mountain
Chippewa men in and around Grand Forks in September 2001. Turcotte was also
a member of the Turtle Mountain clan.

      Gray, a former Indian studies professor at the University of North
Dakota who formerly used the name John Salter Jr.,  speculated on his
Web site about a link between the cases. Gray is the chair of the Native
American Commission for the Socialist Party USA and is a former head of the
Mayor's Committee on Police Policy in Grand Forks, and later chair of the
city's Community Relations Committee.

      Hamre also said he has no reason to believe that the disappearances of
four college-age students missing in the Upper Midwest are connected to
Turcotte's death, although, he said, "All avenues are still being explored."

      All four students, 20 to 21 years of age, disappeared after visiting
bars or being at parties late at night. The missing students, one in
Wisconsin and three in Minnesota, disappeared in a time period between Oct.
30 and Nov. 9.

      Turcotte's father, William Turcotte of Havre, said last week that he
hoped the family would be given some answers when they retrieved Russell's
body. He also said he was anxious to hear the results of the autopsy.

      "I hope it (the autopsy report) leads somewhere, rather than just
telling us they have a cold trail," Turcotte said.

      Gray released Olson's e-mail on Monday after inquiries he made to the
North Dakota governor's office and the state attorney general regarding the
message received no response.

===========================================================


STRANGE STUFF FROM DEVILS LAKE, N.D.  [POSTED ON 11/18/02]

From Hunter Gray [Hunterbear]

Here, right at this outset, I have two things to say:

First, it's obviously critical that the killer or killers involved in these
hideous situations be swiftly apprehended before anyone else is murdered.
And secondly, we have no intention of removing any material from
our Hunterbear website relating to any of these matters.

The funeral of Russell Turcotte has been held today, November 18, at Wolf
Point, Montana. He, of course, is the 19 year old Turtle Mountain
Chippewa youth missing at Grand Forks since July 12, 2002 and found
murdered just off Highway 2 near Devils Lake, North Dakota, in early
November.

There have been no arrests yet in this case.  Nor have there been any
arrests yet in the murders of the other three Turtle Mountain men -- Jerome
DeCoteau, and Robert and Damian Belgarde -- murdered at Grand Forks in
September 2001:  fourteen months ago.

For close to four months after Russell's disappearance, Grand Forks law
enforcement authorities took the position that it was a case belonging to
Wolf Point -- Russell's Montana home -- even though he'd last been sighted
in Grand Forks. No systematic search was conducted by North Dakota
lawmen -- and, when Russell's body was finally found 90 miles or so
west of the Forks -- close to Highway 2 -- it was by a man searching
for cattle that had escaped from his truck.

A couple of days after the murdered body was found, I received a very
strange communication purporting to come from the State's Attorney at Devils
Lake, in Ramsey County, North Dakota.  I post it here, with the
qualification that [1] it obviously isn't on any official letterhead; [2] is
apparently sent from the office of the county sheriff -- Steve Hamre --
something we learned only later through our own deductive efforts; [3]
makes little logical sense.  Consequently, we see it as a  very mysterious
letter -- and, from that perspective, I immediately sent it on to the
Bismarck offices of Governor John Hoeven and State Attorney General
Wayne Stenehjem, accompanied by a letter of my own to them.

The following is the strange letter from Devils Lake, along with my letter
to the North Dakota state officials -- and finally my wrap-up comments for
the present.

And let's hope a far more zealous and immediate search for the killer or
killers is being conducted by North Dakota officials than the apparently
leisurely approach laid out in this extraordinarily strange communication:

----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Hamre
To:
Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2002 10:47 AM
Subject: Russell Turcotte death in Ramsey County North Dakota


Dear Mr Salter,
          My name is Lonnie Olson, Ramsey County State's Attorney.  At this
moment, agents of the FBI, North Dakota BCI, the Ramsey County Sheriff and
myself are meeting to review the evidence and set a strategy for the
investigation and prosecution of the person or persons responsible for the
death of Russell Turcotte.  We are extremely concerned about the amount of
information being leaked to the public.  We are asking for the information
to be removed from your web page.
          This is a case where the trail of the murderer is cold. In our
experience, we expect that the best chance for the murderer to be brought to
justice is by confession of the culprit.  These confessions will not
generally be made to upstanding persons of our society, but to prison
inmates by the murderer who will be bragging in prison in order to gain
social status in the prison society.   I am sure you will recognize that a
jury will inherently not trust prison confessions, because these convicts
will always expect a quid pro quo, thus a shorter prison sentence for giving
the information.  The ONLY way a jury will believe a prison confession is
when this convict witness testifies to bits and pieces of the truth that
only the murderer would know.  Thus I hope you see how imperative is it that
the public not be given the information that only the murderer knows.  If
this information is public, the defense attorney will only have to say
"don't believe them,these prison confession witnesses only are relating
information that is known to the public", and the MURDERER WILL WALK.
         I speak from experience.  In 1986, a young Native American male
named Gilbert Fassett was found dead and very decomposed on what was then
called the Devils Lake Sioux Indian Reservation.   Assistant US Attorney
Lynn Crooks released very limited information to the press, and actually
some misinformation.  Mr Crooks knew that the best chance of solving this
murder was by prison confession, and that the only way to make these
witnesses credible was by them only knowing the truth that only the murderer
would know. It worked.  Werner Kunkel, an acquaintence of Fassett's, was the
last man seen with Fassett .  As years went by, he bragged to various people
in prison and to a girlfriend.  Six of these people testified including
evidence that only the murderer-Werner Kunkel- would have known.  In August
1995, a jury in Ramsey County convicted Kunkel of the murder of Fassett.
The only way this was achieved was through the wisdom and foresight of Lynn
Crooks.  Mr Crooks was allowed by the US Attorney, the late John Schneider,
to assist me in the prosecution of Kunkel.  The charge had to be filed in
Ramsey County, because all Kunkel's confessions had him committing the
murder in Ramsey County and that he dumped the body on the reservation.
         I could go on and on about the murder of Gilbert Fassett, someday I
may write a book about it. It had a lot of fascinating twist and turns, but
that is something for another day.   For this day, I ask for your assistance
so that we may have the best possible case to present against the murderer
of Russell Turcotte.  I also ask for you to keep this between ourselves, as
I would very much prefer to keep our strategy a secret.  The murderer may
very possibly be reading your website.

                               Lonnie W. Olson
                               Ramsey County State's Attorney


From Hunter:

This is addressed to the Governor and the Attorney General, State of North
Dakota, Bismarck   [11/07/02]

Gentlemen:

As you are aware, I've been involved -- as much as possible -- in
endeavoring to secure justice for the three murdered Turtle Mountain men at
Grand Forks and also long-missing [and now known to have been murdered]
Russell Turcotte. [Wayne, by the way, knows me reasonably well.]

I have just received a very strange communication purporting to come from
the Ramsey County States' Attorney's office -- Mr Lonnie W. Olson.  The
e-mail address used to send it gives the name of a Steve Hamre. These names
mean nothing to me since the last Ramsey County States' Attorney involvement
I've had was with the late Lew Jorgensen, some years ago.  This odd letter
is attached and you'll note that it really makes little logical sense in the
context of criminal investigation.  It occurs to me that it could easily be
a crank -- or, even possibly, someone with his own vested interest in this
tragic matter.

The letter addresses me by my former name which I legally changed in 1995 --
and which I now use only for purposes of historical identification.

The material on our website relating to Russell Turcotte's disappearance and
confirmed murder is comparatively minimal:  my logical speculation about
what happened -- based on a generation of residence in that section of North
Dakota -- and communications from Turcotte family members who have kept me
very closely posted to this moment.

Given the very strange nature of this -- and its departure into other and
unrelated case matters -- I am sending it to your offices forthwith.
Although I have no intention of publicizing this strange communication, I am
sending a copy to several family members simply for reference:  My wife,
Eldri; my son, John, a writer at Glyndon, MN in the Fargo area; and my son,
Peter, an editor of the Lincoln Journal Star -- sister paper of the Bismarck
Trib of which Pete was for some years State Editor.

Here is our website page on the Turcotte tragedy.

http://www.hunterbear.org/NATIVE%20AMERICAN%20COMMISSION%20PAGE%204.htm

With best wishes, I am
Cordially,
Hunter Gray  2000 Sandy Lane, Pocatello, Idaho /


And finally this wrap-up note by me, Hunter Gray [November 18,  2002]:

I've heard nothing from any North Dakota official source regarding this
strange letter I received -- no confirmation that it's actually from Lonnie
Olson, State's Attorney of Ramsey County -- nor has there been any response
of any sort to my communication to Gov John Hoeven and
AG Wayne Stenehjem.  Steve Hamre, from whose system
the letter purportedly from  Olson was apparently sent, is the sheriff of
Ramsey County -- and we have determined that the sending address
seems to be located at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center at Devils
Lake. This is, of course, the same general setting in which the two Sioux
kids, Marty Hegland and Tammy McKay, were very badly treated by "lawmen"
back in '87 --  as we were building our  effective 'rights campaign at
Devils Lake -- and that touched off our boycott and related actions in
that racist bastion. See this page from our Hunterbear website for some
highlights of these campaigns http://www.hunterbear.org/Devil's%20Lake.htm

Given all of this -- and the absence of any responses
at all from the North Dakota state officials to my letter of many days
ago -- we are now making this public.

In any event, the Olson letter -- whether actually written by Olson or
not -- apparently comes from some sort of official source.  Be that as it
may, I obviously have no intention of removing or reducing my website page
covering the Turcotte tragedy in any fashion whatsoever.  And, as I
mentioned in an earlier note, I've now added to that page my website link
on Northern Plains racism which gives some of the many highlights of our
battles at racist Devils Lake. [I've also, on the same page, added a bit
regarding the sorry and increasingly obvious racist situation right here at
Pocatello which draws our efforts as well.]
http://www.hunterbear.org/NATIVE%20AMERICAN%20COMMISSION%20PAGE%204.htm

Lynn Crooks, mentioned in the "Olson letter" in
connection with another case, is the Assistant US Attorney who engineered
the frameup of Leonard Peltier at Fargo.

In Solidarity -- and more later

Hunter Gray  [Hunterbear] [formerly John R Salter, Jr]
Regional Organizer, DSA Anti-Racism Commission
Chair, Native American Commission, SPUSA
Member - Solidarity
Member - CCDS
www.hunterbear.org
Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´
and Ohkwari'


From Hunter Gray [ 11/12/02] in response to Tammy Miller [cousin of Russell Turcotte]  whose letter of the same date follows:

Dear Tammy -- Yah-Tay

Thanks so very much for your full and informative note.  If I hear
anything -- anything whatsoever that might have a bearing on any of this --
I'll be in touch immediately.

I haven't lately kept up that closely with the Devils Lake
situation -- although now, of course, I will  very much be scrutinizing it
on an on-going basis.  I have heard of no other disappearances in and around
Grand Forks -- other than Mr Kelly, an Anglo, from Fargo, who was days later
found [early this Fall] in the Red River. [He had disappeared on the East
Grand Forks side, his car parked and still running.]

This attached article, however, appeared in the Grand Forks Herald
this morning.  It concerns mostly Minnesota -- with one Wisconsin case.  I
wonder if this is what someone heard and passed on -- but, in any case, I'll
check the Forks thing pretty thoroughly and see if there is anything we
could have missed. It's not too likely, since we read the paper every day,
my son in Fargo picks up all the Forks news on radio and television, and we
hear regularly from people in that immediate area.  If any foul play or
suspected foul play involved any Native victims, my son and others would
telephone me immediately.  Anyway, here is the Herald story from this
morning.

Our Catholicism is heavily mixed with our Native beliefs -- and our
prayers join all of the many prayers from your countless well-wishers from
all sorts of backgrounds and go to you all always.

We'll be in very close touch.  Again, if so much as a leaf falls that
involves any of this, we'll let you know immediately.
 

Take care and our best to your family.

      Nialetch

      Hunter [Hunterbear]

Boozhoo Hunter,  [from Tammy Miller]

As of today we found out Russell's body will be released from the coroner's
office.  The funeral is being held in Wolf Point, MT on Monday, Nov. 18.  It
will be held at Wolf Point High School at 10:00 am.  Clayton Memorial Chapel
is handling the arrangements.  The services will be Christian and Native
collectively.  It is my understanding, people (other than that of our very
large family) are coming from all over for this.
 

There has been much publicity concerning this entire matter, law enforcement
is being forced to handle this investigation rather than sweeping it under
the carpet.  A few leads have come to surface, although none overly
substantial.  There have been many indications involving the race of all the
men being a primary factor.  People are apparently calling with "tips"
leaning towards the Skinheads, anti-Native organizations, and people
involved with the carnival/fair that travels through North Dakota during the
summer months.  Anybody with any information is being asked to share, no
matter how insignificant it may seem.
 

Other information indicates there are two more men missing from the Grand
Forks area and one from the Devil's Lake area as of October 15, 2002.  Do
you have any knowledge or information about this?  It sure seems there is
definitely too much foul play there, especially for it occurring in the same
area as the other three, now four.  I do not know if these other men missing
are Native or not.  In fact I can find nothing concerning these at all.  It
causes concern as the source of the missing men stems directly from the
Sheriff Office, therefore have no reason to doubt the credibility.  The lack
of attention to the new disappearances is upsetting and frustrating.
 

And finally, I received the condolences sent on from you.  I have passed
them on thru our family and we wish to express our Thanks.
 

Tammy Miller



Attached article on missing young people in Minnesota and Wisconsin:
      Posted on Tue, Nov. 12, 2002  Grand Forks Herald

      UPPER MIDWEST: Four college-age students missing
      Associated Press

      Four college-age students are missing in the Upper Midwest - all after
visiting bars or being at parties late at night. Authorities, friends and
relatives searched for them Monday.

      The latest incident became public Monday morning, when authorities in
central Minnesota began looking for a St. John's University student missing
since Saturday night.

      Josh Guimond, 20, a junior from Maple Lake, Minn., was last seen about
midnight Saturday as he left a party. Divers on Monday searched a lake near
a building where the party was held but they didn't find him. Officers in a
State Patrol helicopter and on horseback also searched.

      In central Wisconsin, investigators have found no clues in the
disappearance of a University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire student. Michael J.
Noll was last seen leaving a bar late Wednesday, his 22nd birthday. Friends
told police he was intoxicated.

      The search for Noll, a junior from Rochester, Minn. resumed Monday
after volunteers spent the weekend searching the area around the bar and the
banks of the Chippewa River.

      Deputy Chief Gary Foster of the Eau Claire Police Department said
investigators have no indication foul play was a factor in the
disappearance.

      Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, friends and relatives posted pictures of
Christopher Jenkins, a University of Minnesota student missing since Oct.
31, around the city.

      Jenkins, 21, of Eden Prairie, Minn., was last seen leaving a Halloween
party at the Lone Tree Bar & Grill in Minneapolis. He is a senior at the
university's management school.

      Early last week, searchers looked for Jenkins on the banks of the
Mississippi River, which cuts through the university campus.

      A police investigator was assisting early in the search. Minneapolis
police receive about 180 missing person reports annually.

      In Brainerd, police planned an air and ground search on Tuesday for
Erika Marie Dalquist, 21, who has been missing since Oct. 30. She was last
seen leaving a bar in downtown Brainerd with a white male and was wearing
blue jeans and a blue sweatshirt.

      Dalquist grew up in Pillager, where about 100 people held a prayer
service for her Sunday.



Evening of November 6:  Reports indicate Russ Turcotte's body was found near Devils Lake, N.D. -- a town also on Highway 2, the road to Montana. The earlier report that it was found near Minot, N.D. was in error.  Devils Lake is about 90 miles west of Grand Forks where Russ was last seen on the night of July 12, 2002.  Law enforcement officers are quoted as calling it a homicide.

RUSSELL TURCOTTE'S BODY FOUND:  MURDER

Note by Hunterbear:  [Wednesday, November 6, 2002]

I have just received this sad confirmation of that which we have long
suspected: the murder of Russell Turcotte, the missing 19 year old Turtle
Mountain Chippewa youth.

Tammy Miller, I should add, is Russ'  devoted cousin.  Minot, ND is a small
city about 200 miles west of Grand Forks on Highway 2 -- the road to
Montana.

No arrests have yet been made at Grand Forks in the September 2001 murders
of the three Turtle Mountain Chippewa men in that setting:  Jerome DeCoteau,
and Robert and Damian Belgarde.

Hunter [Hunterbear]

 

Boozhoo Hunter,

The body of Russell Turcotte was found yesterday about 2 miles out of Minot.
The body was found about a half mile off Highway 2 under a grove of trees.
I don't have all the information and the details I do have indicate foul
play.  I do know the body was partially concealed and found nude.  Cause of
death has yet to be released.  The coroner has indicated blunt trauma to the
head as well as other bone fractures.

I thank you for all your time and efforts.

Tammy Miller


POCATELLO ANTI-RACISM COMMITTEE

SINCE THE FOLLOWING LETTER WAS WRITTEN, THERE HAS BEEN -- IN ADDITION TO NO RESPONSE TO IT FROM THE RESPECTIVE POCATELLO CITY OFFICIALS -- EVIDENCE OF AN INCREASINGLY EXPLICIT RACIST ETHOS IN THIS TOWN:  E.G., COVER-UP AND DENIAL OF ANTI-INDIAN DISCRIMINATION AT HIGHLAND HIGH AND POLICE HEAVY-HANDEDNESS AT THE SCHOOL AND ARBITRARY POLICE/CITY COUNCIL CLOSURE OF A PREDOMINATELY CHICANO/NATIVE BAR. UP-DATE:  THE BAR'S LICENSE WAS REINSTATED ON 11/21/02.

THIS IS THE BASIC PORTION OF AN E-MAIL LETTER WHICH I SENT ON OCTOBER 18 2002 TO THE MAYOR OF POCATELLO -- WITH A COPY TO THE "NEW" POLICE CHIEF.  THERE HAS BEEN NO RESPONSE TO THIS LETTER.   HUNTER GRAY  [11/08/02]

October 18 2002

Hon. Roger Chase
Mayor
City of Pocatello

Dear Mayor Chase:

This is a friendly letter.

We do not know one another at this point.  Last January, I was the keynote
King Day speaker at the city-wide ecumenical service [the Reverend Bray's
Central Christian] but I think that was one of the few of the many King Day
doings that you were unable to make. . .

I'm a Native American who grew up in Northern Arizona, have been
active for decades in Native rights, union labor, civil rights.  I'm -- for
a title of sorts -- regional coordinator of the Anti-Racism Commission of
Democratic Socialists of America.   I'm also chair of the Native
American Commission for the Socialist Party USA.  I retired as full
professor, and former chair, of the Indian Studies Department at University
of North Dakota, Grand Forks -- where I was also, for many years, head of
the Mayor's Committee on Police Policy, and later Chair of the City's
Community Relations Committee  until we moved here.  We came to Pocatello,
back to the Mountain West, in the late summer of '97 -- and almost
immediately encountered very strange police and related experiences and
situations.  The arrival of Chief Guthrie has, I believe, alleviated this
situation considerably -- but I strongly think the Pocatello Police
Department continues to have some serious problems in human, and especially,
minority relations.  The recent situation on upper Valleyview [our general
neighborhood] illustrates that -- and the Highland High matter of yesterday
raises significant questions.

In the summer of '98, a member of the Pocatello Police Advisory Committee
asked me if I'd be willing to serve on that body.  I was quite agreeable --
since I'd done much of that to the satisfaction of most at Grand Forks.  But
I never heard another word.  In January, 2000, another person raised the
possibility of my joining the body -- but, again, nothing.  Six weeks ago,
the person who had originally raised this back in '98, once again asked me
if I'd be willing  to serve -- and was even more specific.  I was quite
agreeable -- but have heard nothing.

Far more important than my serving on any committee is the need for
Pocatello to develop and further and retain strong positive police/community
relations based on mutual respect. To do so, some sort of police committee
with strong and committed and sensible folks is critical.  I hope that comes
about -- and very fast -- whoever specifically sits on it.

In the early '80s, the Grand Forks PD was in seriously bad shape -- and the
minority relations piece of it was horrific.  Changes were effected and it
became a much-studied model -- including by Federal agencies.  Then, in
April of '97, the massive Red River flood occurred.  I had been officially
retired from UND for several years and we left many months later and, still
later, the quite good police chief, Chet Paschke, retired.  Since then,
there've been increasing problems on many city and related fronts --
including the still unsolved murders of three Native men in September 2001
and the mysterious, more recent disappearance of a 19 year old Native youth
last July.  I've been deeply involved in all of those situations from the
outset . . .

Again, this is in no sense a criticism of Chief Guthrie or many of his
people.  But there are some very substantial police/community relations
problems here in Pocatello -- and, with respect to other law enforcement
agencies, around it.

Hunter Gray [formerly John R Salter, Jr]
2000 Sandy Lane
Pocatello, ID 83204

Hunter Gray  [Hunterbear]
www.hunterbear.org
Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´
and Ohkwari'

ON MISSING RUSSELL TURCOTTE AND THE MURDERS OF INDIANS [NORTH DAKOTA]:
 

LETTER:  FLO TURCOTTE TO HUNTER GRAY [OCTOBER 30, 2002]

Hello Hunter,

I apologize for not responding to you before now. My schedule has been
extremely hectic for the past several days.  I greatly appreciate your
information regarding the sporting good stores. I definitely think that's
one avenue that we have to travel. I'm in the process of obtaining the
names and addresses of the sporting goods stores and shops in the areas
that you have mentioned. Since I'm not at all familiar with the area, your
information is of great assistance to me. I want to tell you , once again,
how much I truly appreciate all of the information and support that you and
everyone has given to our family. As we continue our search, we'll keep you
updated with the progress.  God Bless You All!

Until we talk again,

Flo Turcotte


LETTERS:  FLO TURCOTTE  /   HUNTER GRAY  [OCTOBER 22, 2002]

Dear Flo Turcotte: [from Hunter]

I am sending a copy of this to my immediate family members.  One son, John,
a writer, is in the Fargo area and another, Peter, is a newspaper editor at
Lincoln, NE -- and formerly state editor of the ND state-wide [and into
Eastern Montana] Bismarck Tribune.  Those papers are part of the same chain.

Thank you very much for your powerful communication.  With that kind of
commitment and intensity -- so very broadly found among your fine family --
I am sure that ultimately "the best of what will be, will be" will come to
pass.  For our part, we certainly join you and very definitely are
continuing our efforts.  You can always count on whatever we can do -- and
then even more.

My mind has been constantly drawn --  persistently -- for many , many days
to the Highway 2 sweep in the region west of Grand Forks Air Force Base.
[The Base itself, as you know, is about 13 miles west of the Forks. ]  And,
generally, I'm not thinking of even that far to the west of the Base.  The
strange and dying town of Niagara and its strange setting, to simply give an
example, is about 25 miles west of the Base, right off Highway 2.

We shall do everything we can to encourage landowners -- farmers, ranchers
et al. -- and hunters and hikers to keep their eyes open in this very
critical pre-winter period.

My wife, Eldri, has this very solid suggestion.  That, apropos of the
upcoming hunting season, you all send posters about Russ [and his backpack
etc]  to the sporting goods stores in the primary North Dakota towns on
Highway 2.  As you likely know, starting from the Montana border, those
basic towns are Williston, Tioga, Minot, Rugby, Devils Lake, Lakota and
Grand Forks -- and I'd add East Grand Forks, MN.  Again, as you may well
know, none are large, some are small. Each would have at least one and -- in
the case of Minot and Grand Forks --  a few such places of business.  The
telephone directory section in any public library in a reasonably sized
small city or bigger could quickly provide the basic names and addresses of
those businesses. [Grand Forks also has WalMart and K-Mart, Devils Lake has
WalMart, and I assume Minot has both.  Those stores always have some sort of
sporting goods section as well. In addition, East Grand Forks MN has a large
Cabela store -- a huge sporting goods place.]  To me, this computer stuff is
still close to 21st Century witchcraft, so I think in terms of public
libraries -- but the Internet itself might be able to provide this info.

We shall certainly stay in touch.

Take care and keep your face to the Sun.

All best / Nialetch

H

Hunter Gray  [Hunterbear]
www.hunterbear.org
Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´
and Ohkwari'

----- Original Message -----
From: "Flo Turcotte"
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2002 2:39 PM

Hello Hunter,  [from Flo Turcotte]

I wanted to take just a moment to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude
to you, and the numerous wonderful people, that provided and are continuing
to provide support to our family. The support is overwhelming and I am so
proud of our "people." I am so proud to be a part of such a loving and
generous "nation."   Words just don't seem to be enough. Our family truly
appreciates the love and prayers during the search for Russ.

The search was very disappointing, because of the end results and concern
about how the search was conducted. I'm also very disappointed that the
advise from persons, such as yourself and persons who are most familiar
with the area, went basically unheard. I had such great hopes that the
search would provide some answers. I still have a very strong feeling that
my nephew, whether alive or not, is still in the Grand Forks area!  We'll
continue to go forward with our search no matter which direction it takes
us. I know that we'll find Russ and be able to bring him home.

With the utmost respect and deepest gratitude.

Until we talk again,

Flo


RUSSELL TURCOTTE:  THE STORY AND SEARCH WILL CONTINUE  [HUNTER GRAY  10/20/02]

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