Peter Owen, Member of the Carrizo Tribe

Antioch College

 

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00:00:00 - Introduction of Interviewer, Kat Christen, and Interviewee, Peter Owen. 00:00:19 - Peter talks about history and culture of life near and across Texas-Mexican border.

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Partial Transcript: "There is a long history culminating in the government trying to put a wall down here. Border security is of importance to not only people along the border people, but people in the midwest, northeast... "

00:01:20 - Kat: What is happening in South Texas? Peter discusses impact of border wall to local communities- local homes in path of wall.

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Partial Transcript: "It's kinda quiet and a lot people are surprised....there are people having their houses surveyed for removal but they are not aware of it....they have been here for generations...."

00:02:06 - Peter talks about homes and farms between levy, miles from river, and winding river border. Peter talks wall impacts including ceding land to Mexico, flooding, and wildlife.

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Partial Transcript: "the river grows and changes, need to for engineering purposes, put the wall as straight as possible, levy is 2-3 miles away from border itself...."

00:04:05 - Peter discusses activity across border, integration of Mexican-American people, bilingual culture, and Democratic and Republican views on wall.

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Partial Transcript: "A good example of if you tell a lie enough, it becomes true... activity along border is all time low...nobody wants their land taken from them... doesn't matter what political party you are...designated holy ground..."

00:05:18 - Peter discusses supporting local people, cemeteries and holy ground. Peter talks about the river's history, villages that will be erased, and part of ongoing genocide of Native Peoples of Texas.

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Partial Transcript: "...not the only graves along this river...people made their living off river for 15-1600 years....part of ongoing genocide of Native Peoples of Texas"

00:06:23 - Peter discusses history and genocide of native communities of south Texas, San Antonio and other Texas city's native populations, and lack of reservations of Texas.

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Partial Transcript: "A lot of people in the Midwest...don't regard the people of color in Texas as Native American, but in reality, because of the geopolitical situation in the mid and late 1800s, the Native People were driven underground..."

00:08:04 - Peter talks more about family cemeteries and sacred ground.

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Partial Transcript: "Right now there are two cemeteries... some of graves from early 1800s and run up through the 2000s...you see the mix of cultures here, you see names like...Ramirez and Garca and see names like Jackson and Lee....families have merged..."

00:10:10 - Peter talks about another threat to Native Peoples: the LNG (liquefied natural gas) pipeline associated with wall construction.

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Partial Transcript: "...we're facing the environment, the animals that live here, the LNG pipelines are being put into protected areas...there is nothing scared..."

00:10:54 - Peter talks about protected wildlife areas that will be destroyed, federal law violation, and one man's misguided legacy.

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Partial Transcript: "...at least 30 laws that would protect these sites and they are all being ignored... for a few corporate companies and for the sake of one man's legacy..."

00:11:56 - Peter talks about false national rhetoric and Trump's visit to Texas.

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Partial Transcript: "... there was a massive demonstration against him. I was there, I saw it. Then when I saw it on television next day, totally turned around....He said those people were there to support him...None of that was true..."

00:12:56 - Kat: Is the wall needed? Peter: No, you don't bring drugs across desert. Peter compares wall to East Germany and states no need to turn wall into militarized zone.

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Partial Transcript: "I think the border is fine the way it is...border wall itself is horrible, you see what happened in East Germany, eventually they caved into the pressure of people...won't allow walls to stay..."

00:14:22 - Peter discusses US policies that have created refugees, need to cooperate with and help stabilize Central American counties.

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Partial Transcript: "... if you look back you see our involvement and meddling in their governments for corporate reasons- for oil, for sugarcane, even drugs....its US policies that have created a lot of these refugees..."

00:15:21 - Peter closing words- come and stand against tyranny, visit websites, donate money. Peter suggests googling "Carrizo-Comecrudo Tribe of Texas." Peter talks about origin of Carrizo-Comecrudo name.

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Partial Transcript: "...help us stand against this tyranny, step up, visit websites, donate funds that go directly to our efforts to stop the wall...."