Dennis Banks speaks at Upper Senate Park where Congressman John Conyers agreed to meet entire walk.

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Dennis spoke here on police harassment in California, where vehickes were forbidden from Donner Pass-so walkers took to SNOWSHOES and hikes over the mountains with all the gear! Dennis pointed out that if you have a sick relative and no car, you will walk or even run for the meds to cure them if you must.
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THE 16 DEMANDS OF THE MANIFESTO PRESENTED TO CONGRESSMAN JOHN CONYERS

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dc.indymedia.org/usermedia/audio/11/16_demands_of_congress.mp3

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Congressman John Conyers responds to the Manifesto

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dc.indymedia.org/usermedia/audio/10/rep_john_conyers.mp3

Let's see if he DELIVERS on the promises in this speech-it is archived here, and people are watching...

If the American-drawn borders are illegitimate, why would Indian/Indigenous-drawn borders have any more credibility?

The idea is too get rid of borders completely not replace them but if they were too be replaced they should at least be replaced by those who are indigenous to the land, rather than european tourists

Yes, let's make sure the land goes to the first group of settlers:
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701193203.htm

“Thank you my brother Dennis Banks for delivering this Manifesto For Change. I want you to know that as a result of receiving it today, on July 11, 2008 the Committee on the Judiciary will hold hearings on each one of these items that you have outlined here. But before we do that we must have a conference of our own in which it is made certain that I and the other members of my committee and the other members of Congress fully understand what we’ll be holding public hearings on. So, we have two meetings one in which we get ready for the public hearing… So I thank you again for this very detailed Manifesto for Change. It took a long time, and many months and thousands of miles to get here and we’re all here together. And it’s to celebrate but it’s also to roll up our sleeves and begin the job of educating the Congress on what we want and how we want to improve the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which needs a lot of improving!

I stand next to my brother and your brother the great Harry Belafonte! The great Harry Belafonte, not just because he’s an artist, a filmmaker, a producer, a singer, a dancer, but because he was the adviser and confidante to the late Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr. that’s why we celebrate him. And we became friends at that moment and we are still friends and he is advising me in the same way he that he advised Dr, King and I am so proud to have his friendship across all these decades. Thank you my brother.

And now, I just want to tell you briefly, about how important the Longest Walk 2 was. As you know Dennis Banks was leading Walk #1 in 1978 and here he is young, powerful, handsome and intelligent and only, only this time there’s going to be something different. We want from Arizona, Mary Kemp Tentlar to be in the Congress too when we make these changes. Where is she? Step out here.

We’ve gone through all the questions, the reasons we need to come together to pass these very important resolutions. But I want you to know that as we put together my remarks, I began reflecting on this whole culture of our Native Americans. And then I started studying the history of what we’ve done to Native Americans and to this country, that was originally, the land of which was originally yours. I don’t want anybody in the Congress or in the United States of America to ever forget that:

This was your land. This still is your land!

Look at these men and women in our history Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Chad Corntassel Smith, Tom Cole, Charles Curtis, Johny Depp, Oscar Pederford, Charles Mingus, Will Rogers, Liev Tyler, Jim Thorpe, Johnny Bench, Jovah Chamberlain, Jacobi Ellisberry. Let’s give all of them a round of applause and the many others that aren’t on this list.

Now, like our struggle for justice in the African American community, we come together. Harry Belafonte, John Conyers, the entire Congressional Black Caucus of 43 men and women, it started with seven, the Progressive Caucus in the House of Representative, the Hispanic Caucus, the Asian Pacific Caucus, all of us come together to join hands for one simple obvious reason that we’ve learned, your cause is our cause! Your cause is our cause and our cause is your cause! So we come together as brothers and sisters to plan not only as we move into this new chapter in American history, exciting demanding that we determine a new direction for America. But there is a new dimension that has been added we are patriotic Americans to be sure, but we are something else. We are global citizens. We are all one of the 6.6 billion people on earth that are caught together in a web of destiny, trying to make sure that there is simple justice, economic prosperity. That human rights are observed and most of all that there be peace on earth. And that is why we’re here and that why I am so proud to be with you here. I thank you for your kind attention. My love from me and my family, my extended family all go out to every one of you here. Thank you so very much.“