Police Escort Red Cliff Tribal Member From Capitol

Image of Lincoln "Sam" Morris courtesy of Ros Nelson.

[UPDATED] Police escorted a Red Cliff tribal member from the Capitol on Thursday for playing a drum as part of a demonstration against the proposed Assembly mining bill, according to a Capital Times report and video posted to YouTube.

Lincoln Morris, referred to as Sam Morris in a YouTube video, was cited for disorderly conduct, The Capitol Times reported.

Several police officers approached Morris after he started playing a drum at the center of a circle of protesters, who had gathered inside the Capitol, the video shows.

“Shame, shame, shame,” chant the protesters as the officers confront Morris.

Drums are not allowed in the Capitol, according to The Capital Times.

State Assembly members debated the proposed mining bill Thursday afternoon. Protests were planned for both Wednesday and Thursday to coincide with the Assembly taking up the bill.

Updated to include photo of Morris.

About the Author

Ashland Current

General Posting

View the discussion thread.

get to work?

Ros (not verified) | January 29, 2012 - 1:32pm

An ugly comment, without knowing anything, unsigned. Surely you can do better!

Maybe instead of beating on a

guest (not verified) | January 28, 2012 - 12:10pm

Maybe instead of beating on a drum, he should beat feet and get to work

What do you know ... people

Unique (not verified) | January 28, 2012 - 5:40am

What do you know ... people are still afraid of Indians.

"...in an effort to disrupt

Guest (not verified) | January 27, 2012 - 2:23pm

"...in an effort to disrupt the efforts of responsible lawmakers..." ??? Responsible lawmakers actually LISTEN to the people's testimony at a public hearing and then amend a bill to REFLECT that testimony. Responsible lawmakers DO NOT spend taxpayer money to take a trip up north, spend 2 nights in a hotel, then go back to Madison and pass a bill that doesn't reflect the hours upon hours of testimony they went up north to listen to.

Make no mistake, the drumming was NOT about disruption. If it were, it would have happened in the room where our representatives were supposed to be working for the voters, NOT the mining company. Instead, the drumming was part of a protest against the misbehavior of certain elected officials. Open your eyes and pay attention.

FYI....Mr. Morris was not

Red Cliff Tribal Member (not verified) | January 27, 2012 - 1:30pm

FYI....Mr. Morris was not just "pounding" on a drum in an effort to distract lawmakers. He was making a statement of who he is as an Anishinabe man and what he believes in. Making statements as you did, just shows the ignorance that still exists in the world today. What you see as "pounding on a drum" is actually a part of our traditions. But you know, who would want to follow what "Native Americans" say? We've only SURVIVED many hardships throughout our history that have attempted to make our people extinct.

Thank You Sam! For standing up for what you believe in!!!

Yes, pounding on drums in an

Guest (not verified) | January 27, 2012 - 3:48am

Yes, pounding on drums in an effort to disrupt the efforts of responsible lawmakers who are in the process of facilitating prosperity for our area while protecting the environment is not acceptable.

The US Constitution Amendment

Nick Vander Puy (not verified) | January 27, 2012 - 1:38am

The US Constitution Amendment One Freedom of Speech is our permit to drum in the Capital. And that may well be tested by this incident.

There is a learning curve to

Presidents 3 | January 26, 2012 - 8:32pm

There is a learning curve to protesting at the capitol. It would be in our interests to find the written procedures for learning what we can and cannot do as a form of protest. If we cannot drum inside, can we drum outside the building? Is a permit necessary ? Let's do things right !

This seems like a violation

Guest (not verified) | January 26, 2012 - 7:21pm

This seems like a violation of the right to peaceful protest to me...