Wednesday, December 11, 2024

There must be 50 ways: Participating in democracy #5: Testify at public hearings

It was a nice fall day. I drove my little Geo Metro to a public hearing in northeastern Minnesota from my little home on a few acres in northern Wisconsin. I intended to testify at a public hearing over the issue of building a golf course on land that was near the Fond du Lac Anishinaabe reservation. 

As a single man from a monochronic culture (we tend to be on time), I arrived early, and signed up to offer public testimony. Within 20 minutes another 40 or more had arrived and signed up.

I was number three on the list of citizens to testify before the zoning board of the county in question. 

Halfway through the second citizen an Anishinaabe elder entered surrounded and accompanied by four young men from her tribe. She signed up, probably number 45 or so. I know enough about public hearings to predict that it would be likely that by the 45th testimony the committee members would be up there balancing their checkbooks, doodling ideas for Christmas vacation, and just generally unplugged. I hustled up to the tribal elder and asked her if she would like to switch places with me so she could testify while the media were there and the commissioners were paying attention. She nodded and smiled.

I went to the registration table and told them of the switch.

The commissioners called on me. I explained that I had traded places with someone who was a more important stakeholder than I and she delivered her testimony, explaining that the proposed golf course could not be built because it was on a place sacred to her people. "Why do you think it's called Spirit Mountain?" she asked. "We named it. We visit it. It is right next to our reservation. Our connection to it goes way back, long before white people came here." 

The testimony went on and on, as attention flagged and minutia mounted. Finally, I got my moment and simply said, "Commissioners, I understand you have decided this is your final hearing. You neglected to involve or consult with the tribe and you've just heard from them earlier today. You clearly believe from the way you talk that this is a done deal, that the golf course is a fait accompli. Well, I teach and write in the field of Nonviolent Conflict Transformation and I'm about to move to Oregon to continue doing that there, but my message to you is, 'This is not over at all.'"

I moved. After a year, I checked back with some tribal friends. They still had an encampment on Spirit Mountain and the golf course was still a proposal but with a much dimmer future, likely just a corporate chimera. Understanding determination, resilience, resistance, and cultural priorities is key to understanding a great deal of public policy.

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