Mohawk Journalist’s Arrest in Akwesasne Raises Constitutional Alarms

December 21, 2024 – USA –

Isaac White—a Mohawk journalist for Indian Time based in Akwesasne—was arrested while covering a land claim demonstration on Barnhart Island, northern New York, ancestral Mohawk territory now controlled by the New York Power Authority. According to White’s account, as published by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, he introduced himself as a reporter when police detained him, but was nonetheless handcuffed and taken in, despite doing nothing illegal beyond documenting the protest.

White described the incident starkly: “You’re under arrest.” “I’m a reporter.” “I don’t care.” He found the confrontation both shocking and emblematic of a broader pattern wherein Indigenous-led resistance and press freedoms are treated as threats. The demonstration highlighted ongoing tensions: Barnhart Island and other lands that the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe claims under the 2022 Nonintercourse Act ruling have long been disputed. The state’s disregard for ancestral rights continues to fuel both protest and journalistic scrutiny.

Freedom of the Press Foundation and the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker emphasized that White’s arrest ran counter to First Amendment protections, which safeguard journalists who document public protest. Dozens of press freedom and civil liberties organizations subsequently urged St. Lawrence County prosecutors to drop all charges. Indeed, the charges were later dismissed in late 2024, following mounting pressure.

Beyond a single arrest, White’s experience reflects decades of Indigenous struggle for media representation and territorial sovereignty. He noted that colonial boundaries have long bisected Mohawk territory, drawing painful parallels between ancestral dispossession and modern-day suppression of Indigenous voices. His arrest echoes landmark cases like the 1990 Oka Crisis, where journalists covering Indigenous resistance were also monitored and controlled.

This incident underscores critical issues at the intersection of press freedom and Indigenous rights. When journalists documenting claims on ancestral land are criminalized, it signals a broader intolerance for dissent. As Akwesasne continues its land claims against state and federal entities, protecting journalists like White

Reference –

https://www.indiantime.net/story/2024/12/19/news/mohawk-journalists-arrest-violates-constitution-his-ancestors-inspired/45855.html

https://freedom.press/issues/mohawk-journalists-arrest-violates-constitution-his-ancestors-inspired/