- Details
- By Levi Rickert
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick released a YouTube video on Friday addressing concerns that surfaced after the announcement that KPB Services — a subsidiary of Prairie Band, LLC, the Nation’s economic arm — had received a $29.9 million Homeland Security contract.
Questions emerged because the contract calls for KPB Services to conduct early-phase planning, research, technical assessments, and concept designs for secure structures that meet U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operating requirements.
Below is the statement Chairman Rupnick read in the video:
"Hello relatives. I want to speak to you directly about the recent contract that has caused concern, frustration and confusion within our community. I waited to speak publicly until I understood the situation as clearly as possible, because you deserve the truth and full transparency. I am sick to my stomach and frankly heartbroken that members of our Nation put economic development–though it is sorely needed–above our moral obligations to other persecuted people.
"Right now, we are working on canceling this contract and fully disassociating the Nation from it. We met with legal counsel immediately, and the process is still underway. Federal contracts are complex, and I still don’t know all the future ramifications, but we are pushing forward as swiftly and responsibly as possible.
"We are also taking a hard look at how future contracts are reviewed and approved.
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"We know our Indian reservations were the government’s first attempts at detention centers. We were placed here because we were treated as prisoners of war. So we must ask ourselves why we would ever participate in something that mirrors the harm and trauma once done to our people.”
"Prairie Band LLC was established to secure government contracts and provide economic opportunity for the Nation. Why? Because we all know the long history of the U.S. government pushing us out and closing doors to opportunity. We, like the folks being detained by ICE, have been at the government’s mercy.
"That is why the LLC exists in the first place–to create work and prosperity–but it is also why we cannot compromise our values and seek to profit off the backs of our brothers and sisters in struggle.
"Those who are veterans, like myself, understand that working with the government sometimes puts you in positions that go against your values. In the military, you have no choice—you complete the job and then you live with it. Our LLC works with the government too, but unlike the military, we can say no. Saying no comes with consequences, including the potential for fewer future contracts, but our values must guide us first.
"As we move forward, I ask that we do so with integrity and the intent to heal. Scorn and ridicule online helps no one. Speculation is the enemy of the truth. What I can promise you as Chairman is that Tribal Council and myself will keep you informed every step of the way. This is not the end of this conversation–it is only the beginning. Thank you"
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