Tag Archives: Shinnecock Indian Nation
Judge Drops Shinnecock Fishermen’s Federal Lawsuit
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by three Shinnecock Indian Nation fishermen who have fought to protect their indigenous fishing rights in eastern Long Island. David Taobi Silva, Jonathan Smith and Gerrod Smith were seeking $102 million in punitive damages, as well as temporary and permanent injunctions to end what they call racial discriminatory practices by state and local law enforcement. “[The men had] not put forward sufficient evidence to establish that the state proceeding is motivated by a desire to harass or is conducted in bad faith,” U.S. District Court Judge Sandra Feurestein said in her ruling. >click to read< 15:02
Judge finds Shinnecock tribe member guilty of illegal fishing
A Southampton Town judge on Wednesday found a Shinnecock Indian Nation member guilty of a single count of failing to have the proper state license to fish for baby eels but found him not guilty on two other counts. In acquitting former tribal trustee David Taobi Silva of the primary charges of possessing 247 baby eels beyond allowable limits, Town Court Justice Gary Weber found the search and seizure of Silva’s catch by state Department of Environmental officers “was not proven to be constitutional.” He was found guilty of failing to have a marine commercial food fishing license and the use of a fyke fishing net in the harvest of eels. >click to read<16:36
