Tribe to mark anniversary of violent raid

CHARLESTOWN, R.I. (AP) -- The Narragansett Indian tribe plans a ceremony on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of a violent confrontation with state police during a raid on a tribal smoke shop.

"We're not going to forget and certainly don't want others to forget," said Randy Noka, a tribal councilman. "That was a very ugly moment in the history of Rhode Island."

The impoverished tribe opened the shop on its land in Charlestown in 2003 after proposal to build a casino failed. It sold cigarettes without collecting state taxes, and then-Gov. Don Carcieri ordered state police to raid it.

The raid spiraled into a brawl, with people injured on both sides and several tribe members, including the chief sachem and other leaders, arrested.

A federal appeals court later ruled that the shop was operating illegally.

Carcieri said later that he told police to withdraw if they met resistance, but tribe members have said state police shouldn't have been sent onto tribal lands in the first place.

Noka said they mark the raid annually as a reminder of what happened, much as they mark other significant events in the tribe's history, such as the Great Swamp Massacre of 1675. He said the ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday in Charlestown, at the former site of the shop. Members of the public are invited.

"Hopefully, the people who allow themselves to participate will come to realize, 'Hey, this wasn't right,'" Noka said.

Narragansett Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas will be on Newsmakers this weekend to discuss the event.