As an alternative 13000 Navajos have been relocated to the outskirts of the small town Flagstaff at the edge of the reservation. They don't get some support by the government to cope with the new situation. Since the people had to give up their traditonal life as sheepherders because of the forced relocation it came to a cultural uprooting with negative consequences like unemployment, a high rate of child mortality, crime and also a high suicide rate.
The measures taken to make life harder for the remaining people at Black Mesa are:
Dear [decision maker],
I am writing to you to expose my deep opposition about the situation on Black Mesa, Arizona. Black Mesa belongs to the Navajo Nation in Arizona. For thousands of years this is the land of their ancestors where people still lead a traditional live as sheepherders. But when in the 50%u2019s coal was found on that land the things changed.
Since then coal mining is increasing and destroying the livelihood of humans and animals.
The price for the extention of coal mining is the forced relocation of the people at Black Mesa partly to a nuclear contaminated area. It became harder for the Navajo who have to spend their life on that place to trade their products.
The Navajos who have been relocated to cities don%u2019t get some support by the government to manage their life there. Since the people had to give up their traditional life as sheepherders because of the forced relocation it came to a cultural uprooting with negative consequences like unemployment, a high rate of child mortality, crime and also a high suicide rate.
There are many measures taken to make life harder for the remaining people at Black Mesa like filling up wells, killing and expropriating their sheepherds and it is also prohibitet to repair houses as well as to build new ones. And people are also prevented to hold religious ceremonies.
As already mentioned Black Mesa is a sacred land to the Navajos. That place is known for important deposits of sacred and medical herbal which partly already have been destroyed by now, and if coal mining continues like that there won%u2019t be many left.
But what the happening on Black Mesa does not only concern the people who live there %u2013 no it also concerns you and me, because we all share the same planet and we all will feel the consequences from what we do to our earth.
I kindly request you to think about that and to act owing to your conscience.
Thank you!
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