Call to Action: Stop the Desecration of the Shinnecock Hills

After centuries of land theft under colonial encroachment, today Shinnecock sacred burial grounds are again under attack of desecration by private development. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges all friends of Palestine to stand with Shinnecock Grave Protection Warrior Society in upholding their sovereign rights. We are reprinting below the Call to Action from the Shinnecock Grave Protection Warrior Society: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hg-bl5eAhP4Vyb7iuuhqFDJavDuofduGz9XO4PZ_q4c/edit?usp=drivesdk

The Shinnecock Hills are the sacred burial grounds of the Shinnecock Nation.

STOP BUILDING–STOP THE DESECRATION–STOP CONSTRUCTION

STOP DIGGING UP OUR ANCESTORS–LET US REST IN PEACE

After postponing the vote numerous times, the Southampton Town Board plans to vote on theGraves Protection Act and the proposed moratorium on September 8 after seven days of accepting public comment. 

This means we have ONE WEEK to flood the Board with comments and calls as they end their acceptance of additional written submissions in preparation for the vote! And we’re going to do it all at once on Monday! But you don’t have to wait until then to take action. Use this toolkit to make calls now:

CALL TO ACTION—SOLIDARITY to Preserve Shinnecock Hills 

Background Information:

Patch, Conscience Point Film, Shinnecock Indians and Property Rights, Scores Join Rally to Save Shinnecock Ancestral Burial Grounds, Other Tribal nations join Shinnecock Graves Protection Act Protesters Demand Action on Burial Sites Shinnecock Indian protest development at unmarked graves and allege Southampton inaction Shinnecock Indian Nation Demands Burial Site Protections at Southampton Rally  

Immediate Support

SIGN THE PETITION

Letters and Calls to – 

*Southampton Town Supervisor*

Jay Schneiderman,  jschneiderman@southamptontownny.gov Phone: 631-283-6055

  • What to say
      • It’s so crazy how it took the Town and State probably less than 30 days to put a stop to the construction of the Billboards on the Shinnecock land, on the highway. Folks said that it “disturbed the natural scenic landscape.” Now the tables have turned. What about the disturbance of the sacred land? I guess scenic landscape trumps sacred land.”
      • “There needs to be a mortarium of any further building/clearing/land disturbance in the area known as the Shinnecock Hills, effective Immediately. You need to respect the sacred Shinnecock Hills. 
      •  The protection of burial sites and funerary objects is a universal tenet. This goes for Native American sites. It’s public knowledge that the Shinnecock Hills are ancient burial grounds for not only the Shinnecock Indian Nation and surrounding tribes. Why is the town dragging their feet to pass legislation to ensure this doesn’t happen again? 
      • Why is taking so long for a stop work order to be placed on the 513 Montauk Hwy Shinnecock Hills, NY property?

*Southampton Councilpersons*

John Bouvier, jbouvier@southamptontownny.gov 

Rick Martel, rmartel@southamptontownny.gov 

Julie Lofstad, jlofstad@southamptontownny.gov 

Tommy John Schiavoni, tjschiavoni@southamptontownny.gov Phone: 631-287-5745

  • Southampton Community Preservation Fund (CFP)
  • What to say
      • “Purchase the allotments and allow the Shinnecock Indian Nation to be. One of the parcels that was identified as a sacred site to the Shinnecock and agreed to be preserved by the CPF was cleared and a hole was dug for the development of a new home. This is unacceptable. Why is it taking to long to fix this problem”
      • Do the current residents and prospective buyers know that the Shinnecock Hills are ANCIENT BURIAL GROUNDS and that there have been remains found over the course of the most recent years? 
  • Southampton Town Democratic Committee
      • 631-709-5022
  • What to say
      • “Why hasn’t anyone held Jay Schneiderman (Southampton Town Supervisor) accountable for creating a Stewardship committee with the Shinnecock Indian Nation regarding Native American burial sites and not implementing anything that the committee agreed upon?
      • “Did you know that the Shinnecock Hills are Ancient Burial grounds, and that there have been continually desecration of these burial sites even after the Shinnecock Indian Nation has tried every avenue to make this a priority to protect?”
  • Letters to the Editor and opinion pieces in local papers

TALKING POINTS TO INCLUDE

GENERAL 

  • The Shinnecock Hills are the Shinnecock Nation’s most sacred land. The Shinnecock Hills were illegally stolen from the Shinnecock in 1859. Since then – and especially in the past 50 years – a development boom on the East End of Long Island has led to the rampant desecration of these sacred burial grounds. 
  • In 2018 the Shinnecock Nation and the Town of Southampton created a Joint Committee to identify and preserve all vacant parcels in the Shinnecock Hills using CPF funds. This week one of the parcels that was identified as a sacred site to the Shinnecock and agreed to be preserved by the CPF was cleared and a hole was dug for the development of a new home. This is unacceptable. 
  • We also learned that building permits have been issued by Southampton Town without consultation with the Shinnecock Nation. We demand that a moratorium on building and construction in the Shinnecock Hills be issued at this time. Furthermore, we ask that the CPF purchase and preserve this site. 
  • To learn more, please watch Conscience Point, available online through PBS and other streaming platforms.