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With Racial Tensions Building, Riverton Hosts Community Dialogues

The city of Riverton hosted a community forum last week to help reduce racial tensions that have been building there. In July, a white city employee shot two Native American men at a detox center, killing one and seriously injuring the other. Some tribal leaders say it was a hate crime. And with a federal court decision pending on whether Riverton falls within reservation boundaries, tensions have been escalating.

The community discussion last week was organized by the U.S. Department of Justice and local groups. Chesie Lee with the Wyoming Association of Churches says people were hesitant at first to talk about the hard stuff, but eventually they came around to it.

“We had a great discussion within our group about the perception of whether or not there’s favoritism toward Native Americans by our federal government. Or whether in fact there’s a lot of discrimination.”

Lee says the forums are based on a four-part curriculum intended to build toward a set of practical goals. She personally has a suggestion for one.

“There needs to be kind of a grievance procedure that’s developed so that when people feel they’re being discriminated against, that there’s a body to which to take that to and be able to work out those issues on an ongoing basis.”

Lee says 50 people attended the forum last week, but she hopes for more at the next meeting, especially tribal leaders. That one will take place January 7 at 6 p.m. in Lander.

Melodie Edwards is the host and producer of WPM's award-winning podcast The Modern West. Her Ghost Town(ing) series looks at rural despair and resilience through the lens of her hometown of Walden, Colorado. She has been a radio reporter at WPM since 2013, covering topics from wildlife to Native American issues to agriculture.
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