law enforcement Archives

Despite what the county staff report said, Del Norte Sheriff Garrett Scott told supervisors that he has used his ability to hire at a more advanced step in the salary schedule four times in the last six months.

Though they agreed that being able to hire at a level higher than Step A but no higher than Step C is a useful tool — one they allowed to continue on Tuesday — the Board was surprised at the sheriff’s news.

“It was less than three weeks ago when we had this conversation, and at the time it wasn’t a useful tool. As a matter of fact, I think you made some statements that it was a morale killer,” District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard said. “Obviously now you’ve corrected us in the sense you believe it has been used. I’m curious what’s changed with your perception in the last several months since the Board adopted this for you.”

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CRESCENT CITY, CA—More than a year has passed since 13-year-old Dante Hat-Anew Wayne Romannose-Jones was shot and killed at point blank range near his home on the Yurok reservation in rural Northern California.

For his family members and tribal community, closure has not yet come.

Last January, when District Attorney Dale Trigg dismissed the case against Dante’s suspected killer (a 16-year-old Native boy from the same community) citing insufficient evidence, Dante’s mother, Martha Romannose-Jones, expressed her anguish on Facebook:

Since then, the family’s outcry for justice has grown louder. Family members publicly expressed outrage over what they believe was a mishandling of the case by law enforcement, and have organized marches and rallies under the banner “Justice for Dante.” The most recent march took place on May 14 to mark the anniversary of the tragedy and was attended by roughly 100 tribal community members, family and friends who took to the streets of nearby Crescent City.

“This is part of growing up Native. We were raised to be this way, to fight,” said Dante’s cousin Jessica Banuelos, who organized the march. “He can’t speak from the other side of the grave, so it’s up to us to fight for him and make sure he gets justice.”

Read the rest of the article here: http://fusion.net/story/312808/crisis-indian-reservations/

To read more about writer, Jacob Patterson and her Rise Up; Be Heard! Fellowship with Fusion, check out our article here: http://www.redwoodvoice.com/local-youth-journalist-selected-for-fusion-fellowship/

Redwood Voice

Tag Archives: law enforcement

Del Norte Sheriff Retains Ability to Hire At More Advanced Salary Step

Fusion: Crisis on Tribal Lands

Telling the untold stories of Del Norte and Tribal Lands through amplified youth voices.