"What happened July 14 was horrible," says Narragansett Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas. "I'm angry that the Narragansett nation was disrespected."

08:38 AM EDT on Thursday, July 15, 2004

BY KATIE MULVANEY
Journal Staff Writer

Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski Narragansett Indians hold a rally yesterday to mark the one-year anniversary of the state police raid on their smoke shop in Charlestown.

CHARLESTOWN -- A year may have passed since the state police raid on the Narragansett Indians' smoke shop, but the pain remains, tribal leaders said yesterday.

"I don't think we'll be able to take that wound away. When your leader is taken to the ground, it cuts deep," Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas said in a ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of the raid. "When something like that happens, it means someone looks at you as less, and we're not less."

Medicine man Lloyd Wilcox yesterday lit a ceremonial fire at the smoke shop site to recall the moment of the raid: 1:20 p.m. Narragansett leaders sprinkled tobacco onto the flames and invited members involved in the skirmish to join them in sending a prayer to the Creator.

"They are the ones who stood on the frontline," said Councilman Hiawatha Brown, who was arrested in the incident. "It's very important to protect tribal sovereignty."

The Narragansett tribe opened the shop on Route 2, on July 12, 2003. Two days later, Governor Carcieri ordered the state police to stop what officials claimed was the illegal sale of tax-free cigarettes.

A violent clash erupted that left eight people injured and eight tribal members arrested, including Thomas. Images of the confrontation played nationwide, drawing sharp criticism from Native American and civil rights groups.

About 200 tribal members and supporters gathered yesterday afternoon in front of the Narragansett Indian Health Center, where more than 1,000 people rallied on behalf of the Narragansetts three days after the raid. The crowd -- which included a busload of West Warwick residents -- feasted on hot dogs, iced tea, sodas and cookies as speakers took the stage and others participated in ceremonial dance and drumming.

"My mother taught me to tuck my kids in . . . and if anything happens, to call the police," Councilwoman Bella Noka told those gathered. On July 14, she said, "it was the police who knocked down my kids, my husband, my chief."

"That day, it weighs heavy in my heart," said Noka, who was arrested in the raid along with her husband and two children.

Tribal leaders called for unity against a common opponent -- states bearing down on tribes struggling to gain economic independence.

"This brings Indian nations together to understand we all have the same fight . . . It's not just Rhode Island," said Lance Gumbs, chairman of the Shinnecock tribe, one of at least seven Northeast tribes to be represented. "This aggressive attitude comes to the surface as Indian tribes try to make themselves self-sufficient. We call it the new genocide -- keep us economically insufficient and you'll be able to control us."

The Shinnecocks operate nine smoke shops on Long Island, but are battling New York State in court for the right to open a casino.

Narragansett medicine man Wilcox blasted the governor for what he viewed as his hypocritical stance on gambling and his opposition to the tribe's proposed West Warwick casino.

Early this month, Governor Carcieri vetoed legislation that would have put Harrah's casino proposal before voters in November. Harrah's has promised to give the tribe a share in the revenue.

"Guess what, guess who wants their hands on the purse strings," Wilcox said.

Lawmakers expect to return to the State House in the coming weeks to override the veto.

The tribe opened the smoke shop last year after Carcieri and the General Assembly failed to approve holding a referendum on the casino question. A day later, state and tribal representatives met to discuss the shop, but those talks broke down over the casino issue.

Tribal leaders refused to close the shop, and left the meeting assuming that the next day would be spent in court, Thomas said.

"What happened July 14 was horrible," the chief said. "I'm angry that the Narragansett nation was disrespected."

First Councilman Randy Noka yesterday disputed any suggestion that the tribe had opened the smoke shop as a ploy to gain public sympathy. The tribe needed the income, and tobacco sales represented the second-largest moneymaker for tribes behind casinos, he said.

"Never, ever did we foresee the state troopers coming in 30 strong," said Noka, who was among those arrested.

U.S. District Judge William E. Smith ruled in December that the tribe did not have the right to operate the tax-free smoke shop on its Charlestown lands. The tribe has challenged that decision in the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that as a sovereign nation the tribe is outside the state's taxing authority. Arguments are set for September.

The state agreed to hold off on the prosecution of tribal members until that appeal has been resolved.

The governor's office issued a statement yesterday saying that although "we completely disagree on the merits of establishing a full-fledged casino in Rhode Island," it would continue to work to forge "a climate of mutual respect and collaboration" with the tribe.

DIGITAL EXTRA: Look back at the Narragansett Indian smoke shop raid and its aftermath, at:

http://projo.com/extra/2003/smokeshop/