Wisconsin Open Season — Always a Good Time to Shoot at the Lac du Flambeau

Madison, Wisconsin — "We know Flambo [Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe] men who are shot at every year gathering food for their families," writes Nick Vander Puy, citizen of Earth in far-northern Wisconsin.

That's up north from the standpoint of Madison — Ashland, Iron and Vilas counties, for example, (see map at right).

Vander Puy is writing about conduct in the region inhabited by descendants of the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe [LDF] tribe and residents on the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe reservation in Vilas and Iron counties.

The Ojibwe's right to fish and gather food is protected by federal treaty, and the sight of brown-skinned people fishing, for example, has long provoked rage from local racists. The sight of an Ojibwe breathing isn't such a gratifying scene either.

Can you, the reader, imagine a dark-skinned Native boating or walking around like he's a human being? No wonder whites want to kill them.

James Alan Kelsey didn't like the sight of a Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe tribal member fishing last May, so naturally Kelsey fired his shot-gun at Greg Johnson (Biskakone).

After initially filing hate crime and other charges, the corrupt Vilas County District Attorney Martha Milanowski and Kelsey agreed to a plea deal that includes a minor fine and other community service action performed by Kelsey, (Wisconsin Circuit Court Access).

Reports Frank Vaisvilas in the Green Bay Press-Gazette (USA Today Network) in an important piece of reporting:

Vilas County District Attorney Martha Milanowski said hate crime and use of a dangerous weapon charge modifiers were dropped because Kelsey pleaded no contest to possessing a firearm while intoxicated and interfering with Ojibwe fishing rights, which is a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ordinance violation.

Kelsey's sentence also bans him from entering Lac du Flambeau tribal lands.

Kelsey can have the charge of possessing a firearm while intoxicated removed from his record if he accomplishes certain criteria over the next year, which include 80 hours of community service, no drinking or possession of alcohol and no possession of firearms.

He also must write a letter of apology to the victims, which must include an acknowledgement of the right of Indigenous people to exercise their treaty rights. The letter must be published in local newspapers.

Vilas County Sheriff Joseph Fath previously said Kelsey had not meant to frighten tribal harvesters and Kelsey claimed he was shooting at a squirrel.

A squirrel. 

The Ojibwe face a corrupt and racist Sheriff Joseph Fath, a corrupt District Attorney Martha Milanowski, and a good chuck of white racists. 

Kelsey's plea to Interfering with Hunting/Fishing/Trapping (29.083(2)(a)) should rightfully be attempted murder.

A reader can imagine what would happen if a black man fired a shotgun at a white person whom he didn't like, in Kenosha, for example.

But in Wisconsin, and not just Wisconsin, there is one set of laws for whites, and one set of laws for black and brown.

We don't hear about these outrages from up north in Madison except for a few good reporters like Frank Vaisvilas and amazing human beings on Facebook, which is a good argument for the social utility and the multiplicity of voices on social media.

Protesters outside the Vilas County Courthouse called for stiffer criminal charges
against a racist for firing his weapon at tribal spearfishers exercised their treaty
rights to fish near his home. Photo by Zachary Allen.