In August of 2020, a group of Seneca mothers gathered in front of a residence on Route 438, on the Cattaraugus Territory, in protest of illegal drug activity. That was the formation of the Seneca Mothers Against Drugs (S.M.A.D.). In September of 2020, the Council established the Seneca Nation Drug Taskforce (SNDT), to address the drug epidemic and formulate plans to establish systems of deterrents which will impact and impede the illegal sale of drugs on our sovereign territories.
The drug taskforce consists of Seneca Nation Executives, Executive staff, Seneca Nation Marshals Department, Councillors and some key members from the SMAD group. In September of 2020, I was serving as President of the Seneca Nation, and felt strongly that I should chair the taskforce and assist in any way I could to help. In November of 2020, I became the Treasurer and have continued in my role as Chair of the taskforce.
As I’m sure everyone must be aware by now, we are not alone in this drug epidemic. The same thing is happening all over the U.S., as well as all over the world. Dealing with this issue can be challenging at times and can get very frustrating – knowing that we are limited in our capacity to combat this drug epidemic without assistance from the surrounding outside law enforcement agencies at the city, county, state and federal levels. Recently, the Seneca Nation Council approved a resolution to activate the Seneca Nation Law Enforcement Commission to develop some options for Council to consider, which could provide our Marshals with stronger law enforcement powers. We have made very good strides in fortifying relationships with outside law enforcement and will continue to rely on the resources they provide.
As far as the work of the drug taskforce goes, in order for any initiatives or plans to be effective, they must be carried out as covertly as possible. If they are not, we risk alerting any illegal drug activities prior to any attempt at combatting this problem. For instance, the nation has recently been in discussions with private companies whom provide drug detector dogs on a contract basis. This could prove to be an excellent deterrent to illegal drug activity within our borders. In addition, our Marshals Department has purchased a state of the art drone to assist with surveillance and collect data in known/suspected drug sale locations, which we all know exist on our territories. We need to be able to substantiate all reports of illegal drug activity, as the penal system does not accept hearsay or rumors as evidence. We must be willing to do whatever we can to assist with prosecutorial actions, if we want to make an impact on this. As I mentioned earlier, we have been consistent with repairing relationships with outside law enforcement agencies to enlist their assistance with removing drug selling houses from our territories. This includes providing them with data, tips and other logistical information about illegal drug activity, which is being reported on a weekly basis. In addition to the above mentioned items, there are additional initiatives under consideration, which include, but are not limited to legislative options. I firmly believe we should leave no stone unturned.
In my role as a leader in our community, and as a father and a grandfather, the main problem I see with this drug epidemic is the self-destruction of so many of our people, which now includes many of our youths. I see this as the number one destroyer of the family unit. This drug epidemic has brought undesirables to our territory and they prey on our people on “check day”, which puts us all in jeopardy. The taskforce may not be able to provide all of the solutions we need, but we can continue to plug away at establishing deterrents, remaining vigilant. We do not have to live with this in our communities. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be serving the people in this capacity and am hopeful we will be able to reduce the presence of drug dealers on our territories.
Respectfully,
Rickey L. Armstrong, Sr.
