COUNTY OF ONEIDA

Office of the County Executive

ONEIDA COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING

800 PARK AVENUE, UTICA, NEW YORK  13501

To All Plaintiffs in the Oneida Indian Land Claims:

We urge you to immediately amend your recent petition to the Court in this lawsuit to remove the proposed "Landholder" class or claims for "possession" or "ejectment" from this suit. We also write to urge all parties to find a way, once the private citizens are removed from harm's way, to get this lawsuit resolved quickly and fairly.

The events of the last several weeks have stirred a long-awaited high level of activity toward settlement of the land claims. We have worked diligently for several years in support of reaching a settlement that would lead to long-lasting peace and prosperity for everyone in the region. We have never done this at the expense of any of the parties who do not live in the region. It is our sincere hope that a negotiated settlement can be reached in the near future. We know it should be.

However, we must condemn the actions of all of the plaintiffs that have included the private citizens as potential defendants and possession or ejectment as potential relief. Holding 20,000 residents of Central New York hostage is not justifiable under any circumstances as a means to solve a longstanding dispute. This has caused great anxiety and turmoil for present day people who have tried to be good neighbors and who deserve only protection.

If injustices occurred two centuries ago, and even if those injustices carried forward, visiting the exact same injustice on 20,000 more people can only be more evil and can in no way be considered good. Most of the plaintiff parties have agreed with that in recent written statements. That is why we are calling on all plaintiffs to withdraw their motion to amend as far as adding claims of residents and businesses for possession or ejectment.

The Indian claims that have been settled around the country have never included this harsh remedy. The Justice Department has written that it does not prefer this remedy. Our member of Congress believes that Congress would never support such a remedy. The Governor of the State of New York has indicated his strong opposition to this remedy and certainly Oneida County will fight any solution that smacks of such a remedy.

 On the other hand, we would fight as hard for a quick and fair resolution to this matter, including utilizing the best resources of a Special Master in finding a resolution that can last for generations to come, if possession claims and proposed nongovernmental defendants are immediately removed from this action.