Coup? Really?

Is it traditional to declare your own coup?

Indigenous Sounds counting Coup over Mitakuye Oyasin

Exposing Eugene Johnson- KBOO DJ of Mitakuye Oyasin

Eugene Johnson started to attack Cheyenne Chief Bernard Red Cherries making claims he had FOUR women that were alleging abuse. Well after almost 2 months NO ONE has come forward with any claims of abuse against Chief Red Cherries and NO ONE has filed any complaints against Chief Red Cherries to the police. June 6th, Eugene Johnson and representing Chief Red Cherries Robert Van Pelt were my guest on Indigenous Sounds. I always try to get both sides of any story and that week I had both. Eugene Johnson was angry that I allowed another opinion/view other than his to be aired. I would like to point out again NO ONE has come forward and filed any claims of abuse. There is no proof of any abuse! just the claims made by Eugene Johnson.

I aired the show to let people know that if you are going to attack any American Indian on any subject you better have some proof or you WILL be called and exposed on your claims!

Here are some links to listen to the show. Eugene Johnson was kind enough to record the show and post it on the internet.

Part 1

Part 2

Finally Mitakuye Oyasin is a Lakota term meaning “All my relations” This is the title of Eugene Johnsons radio show on KBOO in Portland Oregon. Eugene Johnson is an American Indian but he doesn’t use his Native language to name his radio show?

Sorry comments are closed for this entry

Shusli posted this comment on Sal's blog, only to have it removed by Sal...4 TIMES!

I listened to your poor excuse of an "interview" with my husband, Eugene, and with Robert Van Pelt. I didnt' hear Eugene "attack" Bernard Red Cherries. It was obvious to any but the catatonic that this was all about you trying to skewer Eugene and his viewpoint and the voices of the victims of Bernard Red Cherries and to protect a so-called chief at all costs. You came across like a Brittney Spears diehard fan.

There are actually that many women who have chosen to contact us and tell the tales of violence done to them by Bernard Red Cherries. The wheels of justice may turn slowly, but they are turning. Time will tell.

Here's little bit about Van Pelt. He, at one time, had my respect for performing a borrowed Lakota ceremony, "wiping away of tears", at the Chemawa Indian School (what do you think about that, Sal? Van Pelt is Umatilla/Tututni, but he performed a Lakota ceremony. Are you shocked or critical of that fact? I bet not - at least not like you are that Eugene's show is called "Mitakuye Oyasin", a Lakota term. You are very selective about whom and what you criticize.) After that, I held Van Pelt in high regard.

The summer before The Longest Walk II took off, I made up some 1/4 page flyers to hand out at the Siletz powwow. The first person I came across was Van Pelt, who was talking with my parents. I brought up the subject of AIM, Dennis Banks, and the Longest Walk II. Van Pelt went OFF!! He called AIM nothing but "a bunch of poverty pimps". He had nothing good to say about Banks.

The next time I saw Van Pelt -- get this -- HE WAS SPEAKING AT AN AIM FUNCTION HERE IN PORTLAND!!

He is the one who levied the threat against Eugene, and by extension, me, from AIM.

His theatrics on your show were priceless. Also, I noticed he knocked books and education in one breath, then turned around and cited studies that show Natives may be born with anger.

To me it boils down to this: You and Van Pelt are there to cover up the voices of women who have been abused and call that "traditional". If that's tradition, I don't need it.

Shusli Rhonda Baseler-Johnson

I especially like the last paragraph. Reread it several times.

Shusli also made this comment on reposting her previous comment on Sal's blog:

Sal,

How do you justify not allowing my comment on your blog attacking my husband, Eugene Johnson?

You pretend to be such a brave individual, even "counting coup", yet you silence the voices of women -- especially the victims of Bernard Red Cherries/Robert Coltte.

Shame on you!

Shusli Rhonda Baseler-Johnson

In the beginning of this whole issue, I made a post on this blog about how Sal and Bernard lied about me on Sal's show, "Indigenous Sounds." Sal and his supporters have claimed he is not biased. However, he made this comment on that original post, minus all the stuff not necessary to make my point.

Chief Bernard Red Cherries is a friend of mine. We became friends many years ago... Through out the years I crossed paths with Chief Red Cherries...[w]e became friends as we seemed to always be fighting on the same side... Chief Bernard Red Cherries has shown me he is an honorable man... Chief Red Cherries asked for my help in restoring his name and reputation... Chief Bernard Red Cherries is a man I consider my friend... Chief Red Cherries has earned my respect and I hope that I have his. Chief Red Cherries is one of the very few honorable Natives I have ever met. I will stand beside my friend Chief Red Cherries...

Pardon me, but that is BIAS! And Sal wonders why no one has come forward to him. PLEASE! Tell me, readers, if you were a victim of abuse by Bernard Red Cherries, would you come forward to Sal after he has said such things about Bernard?

Here is a lie Sal also put in the above comment:

Since there was no proof of the allegations and Eugene Johnson did offer an apology and a settlement offer, I believed Chief Red Cherries. I don't know at this time if the settlement offer will be accepted or rejected.

The apology I made was about bringing the issue forth in public, which even that apology I have recanted because of the behavior displayed by Sal, Robert, and Bernard. There was NO settlement offer, and I have no idea where that idea even came from. Since Sal's blog post, Robert Van Pelt's testimony, and Bernard's testimony on Sal's show, are LITTERED with this bits of mis-information, I would seriously question the credibility of these folks.

Martha Alvarez, a former step-child of Bernard's, came forward with allegations of abuse. During part two of the show, which I have not listened to all of, I'm told it was said by Robert that Martha should forgive. Why? Sal, Robert, and Bernard continue to claim there is no "proof." If there is no proof, why should there be any forgiveness?

Prior to me being on Sal's show, I was contacted by a friend who said she talked with Sal. She claims Sal told her that he talked with Martha Alvarez and that she recanted her story. I contacted Martha and she stated she never talked with Sal. I have since asked Sal several times if he was lying, or if he actually called someone who claimed to be Martha. I asked him that if he actually did call someone, who did he get the number from. Sal has yet to answer these questions.

Still, Sal claims no one has come forward. In an e-mail dated 5-28-09 to me, Sal, and Shusli, Martha Alvarez stated the following:

I do not know what's going on with all of this but I am Martha Alvarez daughter of Lois K. Estimo and Jose M. Alvarez Sr., Mother of Kian Alvarez, Grand-daughter of Chief Tom Estimo of the Palouse People of Yakima Nation, and Grand-daughter of Della Smith-Estimo. I am also an enrolled member of The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

I am writing to tell you I never talked with you and if someone called saying they were me it is false. I am not and have not recanted anything. I have been away at a funeral in Warm Springs while you did your show this past Saturday in Florida.

Bernard was my step-father many years ago and while I was in his home I went through a great deal of abuse. Physical, and mental. It has taken me many years to actually talk about this but I am no longer afraid. I have been attacked on many levels but the brutality of what Robert has done not only to me, my family, but many many others has made me realize I can't just let this go. I let it go once, to happy just to be away from him as a child. I blame myself for what others have suffered by his hands. I am old enough now to do something about it and I will stand against this "Leader" as long as there is breathe in my body.

Truly and Sincerely yours,

Martha

Proof? Testimony is not proof to Sal or any of Bernard's supporters. If testimony is not proof, the testimonies of Robert and Bernard, let alone Sal, should be disregarded as well. I have asked Sal what exactly his definition of "proof" is, and he has never answered that question, either.

Eugene Johnson was angry that I allowed another opinion/view other than his to be aired.

I was not angry that another opinion was aired. I found out that there would be other guests from Arlene Sweeting of WSLR. I was angry that Sal might be attempting to railroad me. He said he wasn't and that he would let me tell my side of the story. [note: He deleted Shusli's comment from his post 4 times]. I asked who his other guests were going to be, and he said something rather vague. I didn't care who his other guests were, I was just glad I would not get railroaded. Why he wouldn't tell me, I have no idea. How could I be angry that there was going to be a different opinion when I wasn't even sure who he was having on? Again, further mis-information by Sal "White Horse" Serbin.

More mis-information: I did not record the show and put it on the internet. I didn't even record the show. Assumptions are being made here and set forth as truth. I point this out because it is a continued pattern in Sal's behavior, as well as Robert Van Pelt's and Bernard Red Cherries/Robert Coltte.

Finally Mitakuye Oyasin is a Lakota term meaning “All my relations” This is the title of Eugene Johnsons radio show on KBOO in Portland Oregon. Eugene Johnson is an American Indian but he doesn’t use his Native language to name his radio show?

I would add to Shusli's excellent comment on this point, the following:

All Indians should take offense to this, besides all the grammatical errors. With the destruction of Native languages throughout the U.S. and Canada by the governments thereof (an act of genocide), you'd think that such a traditional as Sal might be a little more sensitive to such an issue. This, of course, is an obvious stick at me to get a reaction, to show Sal's superiority over me. Here, it could be suggested, that Sal is making a stick at all Indians who don't speak their own languages with no empathy toward the destruction of Native languages and how it took place.

As Shusli pointed out in her excellent comments to Sal's post, Sal has an obvious disregard for victims and has silenced the voices of women on his blog and on his show. This is present in the fact that he has deleted Shusli's comment 4 TIMES! and then took the comment section off of that post so he doesn't have to face any challenges to his words. He also continues to refuse to listen to Martha Alvarez's testimony.

Thank you many times over, Shusli, my wife, for that wonderful comment, which, of course, has been reposted here.

A few other bits of mis-information set forth by Robert Van Pelt in "Part 2:"

Robert stated that I come from some other part of the state twice a month to spew my hate speech out on KBOO. Obviously, he has not listened to "Mitakuye Oyasin." He also seems to ASSUME that I don't live in Portland. I do live in Portland.

Robert also states I walked out on a meeting. I did. But he makes the statement in the context that I walked out on a traditional meeting like I was offended. Like Sal not asking me about the name of the radio program, "Mitakuye Oyasin," Robert never asked me why I left early. He just assumed. I left because I had to be up at 1am to go to work.

These folks tell me I should do investigation, and yet, what kind of investigations have they done about me and the "Mitakuye Oyasin" radio program, let alone Bernard's victims?

One final point:

Sal has never stated what Native Nation he is affiliated with. An alert reader of this blog stated that she knew Sal (including giving me his last name, "Serbin"). She didn't like him, and she stated that Sal claimed several different official tribal memberships. I don't know if this is true or not, as it is another question that I have put forth to Sal that he has never answered.

What nation are you from, Sal?