WALDORF, Md. – On April 5th of this year, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Public Justice Center (PJC) formally released a message on the ACLU website calling on Charles County leadership to stop the eviction of the Cedarville Band of Piscataway Indians from their land, land that they have owned for the past 40 years and was the home of their ancestors for thousands of years.
According to tribal chairwoman Natalie Standingontherock Proctor, “There were no calls or emails. The decision to kick us out was all done so abruptly, secretively, behind closed doors. Your word should be worth its weight in precise gold. They did not keep their word and they were not transparent about ending the month-to-month lease.”
In addition to halting the evictions, the ACLU also asks that Charles County return to the Piscataway their land in the long term.
Despite opposition to the move, Charles County, in a shameful move, went ahead with the evictions and dispossessed the CBPI’s land on Sunday, April 9th.
In addition to their land, the tribe’s cultural center, sacred artifacts, and religious and ceremonial items were also dispossessed by Charles County leaders. Fortunately, members of the tribe were able to pack up some of their precious artifacts and put them into storage.
Neydin Milián, the author of the message on the ACLU website, wrote, “The Cedarville Band is a survivor of our Nation’s shameful history of genocide, dispossession, and discrimination committed by European colonizers, and continued throughout history by those in power. Today, as a Maryland State-recognized tribe, the Cedarville Band should not be driven from their own lands, which would continue this oppressive legacy.”
The request and the PDF for the letter to the commissioners can be found at https://www.aclu-md.org/en/press-releases/aclu-calls-charles-county-stop-april-9-eviction-indigenous-people-give-land-back.
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It’s incredibly disappointing that this is still happening, Charles county government is in the wrong here. I know of the Proctor family and what they have been through, none of this is ok.
Are you a recognized state tribe though? I thought only Piscataway Conoy was state recognized? Where is the proof?
They have been there a long time the people who are putting them out only want t keep building they are money hungrey only 1 good one in the bunch i would rather have the tribe then what is moving down here
ok, what is the process to become a state recognized tribe? Something tells me somebodys gonna write a letter to the editor about this.