Delaying Indian Suit is ShamefulBy Patrick Springer, IN-FORUM, August 10, 2003 American Indian farmers and ranchers are still waiting for their day in court, almost four years after filing a discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Although a crowded court docket might be one of the reasons for the delay, the underlying reason appears to be delaying procedural tactics utilized by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Justice. An identical suit filed by black farmers settled in 1999 for more than $641 million with debts of $18.5 million forgiven. Black farmers involved in the suit have already received $50,000 each while American Indian farmers continue to wait. Excerpt The American Indian case alleges discrimination in access to loans and opportunities to restructure debt -- opportunities denied American Indian ranchers but routinely made available to their non-Indian neighbors. Thousands of American Indian farmers and ranchers struggle to hang on. A few, like Basil Alkire of Fort Yates, N.D., have received notice they face foreclosure if they don't make accelerated repayments on overdue loans. Alkire faces financial ruin if forced to quickly pay off loans that escalated to more than $644,600 in the late 1980s following severe droughts and USDA's refusal to provide loan servicing. So, at the same time USDA is miring the case in delays, it is threatening the livelihoods of some plaintiffs in the case by trying to speed up payments while the case is pending.
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