Mar 26, 2009 12:06 ET
Native Americans Face Third World Conditions at the Hands of Electric Company.
Reports CAN-DO Central Electric Cooperative Disconnects Electricity in Nation's Poorest County Despite Freezing Temperatures.
FORT THOMPSON, SD--(Marketwire - March 26, 2009) -Temperatures reaching below 7 degrees F with the wind chill and blizzards on the Crow Creek Reservation this week have become an emergency situation as Central Electric Cooperative continues cutting power, leaving many residents in the nation's poorest county without heat, losing their food, water, and in some cases, threatening their lives.
'This is blatant abuse and the destruction of a community,' stated Eric Klein, Founder of CAN-DO.
'What people need to understand is that when a person gets their power cut, they not only lose their heat and lights, but they also lose their food and often times water when their pipes can break due to freezing temperatures, costing the residents thousands of dollars in repairs.
With no job opportunities, the majority of these residents go without income and are often denied government funding.
Most families are forced to live on $25 per person per week in food stamps, yet are charged higher rates for their power than any other region in the state.
'What is most disturbing is that the power being generated is produced on what was once tribal land, with the promise of free electricity when the hydro-electric dam was first built.
Today, people are forced to live without power in sub-zero temperatures.
This must immediately be brought to the attention of the mainstream media and government officials and addressed as an emergency situation,' emphasized Klein.
Proof of these abuses and blatant violations, interviews with the community members, and the complete Crow Creek Project can be found at www.can-do.org/crowCreek.php
Join CAN-DO's call to action at www.can-do.org.
Help put an end to these abuses.
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