My name is Kyle Missouri and I am from Winnemucca Nevada. I am trying to raise funds for My 88-year-old grandmother whose house is in danger of being take away from her. There has been a long going legal dispute over the leadership of the Winnemucca Indian Colony. As of right now we have a false tribal council sitting in position. I call it false because these people have never lived on the colony and fail to provide any indication to being native American, which is required to be a member and on the council. On December 2nd an order was put in place to evict elders and children from the Winnemucca Indian Colony. The order included eviction, banishment and a fine of around $35,000 per person evicted. The fight really intensified for my grandmother in 2020 when this false council put an order in to have her house destroyed which they had no legal right to do.
My grandmother was a participant in a program called, The Mutual Help and Occupancy Agreement. This program is to help low-income Indigenous people become homeowners. While on the program the participant is given certain stipulations to follow while paying the mortgage off for the house. Once all payments are made then the participant is given the deed to the house. My grandmother made all payments, and the deed was released to her. She has paid all her bills including the homeowner’s insurance for decades. This home is a big part of our family history. My brother and I were raised in that house and after the passing of our father our grandma got custody of us at a young age and raised us as her own children. All this on a single income from my grandmother who worked years as a nurse at the Humboldt General Hospital. She wanted the home as a safe haven for all of her family in case they needed a place to stay. All her grandkids were invited here. We would have Christmas and Thanksgiving and other holidays together. The house is full of good memories for all of us and we are doing all we can to keep it safe.
I have tried everything I can to help but I am not a lawyer, and I haven’t been able to work consistently for fear of her house being demolished. As of right now that is what seems might happen soon. Recently while attending my cousin’s graduation in Reno the council boarded up the windows and doors to the house and evicted me from the colony. This seems like the last option I have to try and protect our family house. We need legal support. Either through legal counsel or funds for legal counsel. All donations will go toward retaining counsel. It is hard to find counsel that practices native American law. Our family is forever grateful for any support, including prayers.
Thank you