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When the last red man shall have perished from the earth and his memory among white men shall have become a myth, these shores shall swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe. Your children's children will not be alone. Let the white man be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not altogether powerless.

- Chief Seealth, Duwamish

Below poems and the attached drawing are a few reflections from a 19yr old Native American man who "looks suspicious." Tall and dark, hounded by police along with his brother, unable to walk or drive down a street without their notice, overcharged with alleged infractions, tased as a juvenile by an officer kneeling on his back while having an asthma attack and just after an 18hr chemo treatment for Stage 4 cancer, denied his civil liberties, refused an attorney when requested, arrested for an argument with a friend over a cell phone and $108 then finding himself charged with 2 area store robberies on top, all punishable by up to 50 yrs in prison... The list does go on and on. Twisting of statements, violating federal laws, and grueling harassment without end. Yes, the fingers do itch to pull the trigger do they not? As you surrounded him with your many police cars and men with their guns drawn over a cell phone dispute, but he has been trained by my black colleagues on how not to get shot by the officers. You will have to go yet further to take his life, but perhaps denial of medical care for cancer while in state custody will finish the job for you?

Yes, the executive branch does dominate and flex the muscles daily without regard to the laws that were sworn to be upheld, but see what the racism and racial profiling can produce? The human spirit is noble and resilient. Despite your attempts to crush it with brute force, it somehow yet survives and glows brightly from a cold, ugly jail cell.

Having little training in sketching and poetry, and having never tried his hand at it before unless forced to do so by a teacher, the words and sketches do pour from your target. The invisible hand of his ancestors follows him. "Let the white man be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not altogether powerless."

Power of the Pen

Once a man is convicted, he becomes a convict.

At that point, he's forced to make a decision.

His flesh becomes detained,

Yet his soul will always remain unchained.

They can never detain the thoughts of a convict

For the soul fact that we carry the...

Power of the Pen...

The things I've felt bled through this pen

Reach beyond imagination, constantly bleeding again

One day it may deliver tears, so sad and blue

As a puddle forms around me, clearly missing you

In another moment... comfort can be shed

Embracing a smile, not the tears previously cried instead

This pen can bleed about a signature of hope

Sealed, kissed and sent by envelopes

There's so much power contained inside this pen

Its authority can draw closure or elsewise make amends

It can touch ones heart, so gentle, sweet, and soft

Vice versa, it can deliver pain, and piss one off

The things it does, fall behind the mind forcing it to bleed

When I push at this pen my heart flows away free

There are no fences, locked doors, or walls

To stop your thoughts from bleeding, when the mail is called

Yet, be careful, what you choose to say

And remember the authority...

Contained within this pen, each and every day

Jacob Bumpass (pen name Tsotigh)

Say, I can

Figure it out yourself, my lad,

You've all that the greatest of men have had,

Two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes,

And a brain to use if you would be wise,

With this equipment they all began,

So start for the top and say, I can.

Look them over, the wise and the great,

They take their food from a common plate,

And similar knives and forks they use,

With similar laces they tie their shoes,

The world considers them brave and smart,

But you've all they had when they made their start.

You can triumph and come to skill,

You can be great if you only will,

You're well equipped for what fight you choose,

You have legs and arms and a brain to use;

And the man who has risen great deeds to do,

Began his life with no more than you.

You are the handicap you must face,

You are the one who must choose your place,

You must say where you want to go,

How much you will study the truth to know;

God has equipped you for life, but He

Lets you decide what you want to be.

Courage must come from the soul within,

The man must furnish the will to win.

So figure it out for yourself, my lad,

You were born with all the great have had,

With your equipment they all began.

Get a hold of yourself and say, I can.

Jacob Bumpass 3-23-08

And last is a poem from 9th grade. An English assignment with the first two words supplied on the form and the rest completed quickly and without much thought by him. Even then he saw the way you looked at him.

I Am Poem

I am a big brown Indian

I wonder what I would look like white

I hear you talk about me

I see the moon rise

I want to see my ancestors

I am a big brown Indian

I pretend to be very mean

I feel like I am smaller than everyone

I touch the water and it ripples

I worry that none likes me

I cry when we lose the game

I am a big brown Indian

I understand that school is very important

I say that I don't care

I dream that I will one day play football

I try to do my best

I hope that it is enough to please them

I am a big brown Indian

Jacob Bumpass (Tsotigh)