Wounded Knee, South Dakota 2007

We recently went out to Wounded Knee to attend a commemoration for the 1890 massacre. The dedication was organized by the visitor's center at the mass grave site. After reaching the site, we discovered the welcoming center had been chained up by the tribal counsel because the person running the site was busted for dealing drugs.

The Wounded Knee visitor's site had been promoting this event for months and people from around the world were showing up for the event only to find the site on lockdown. We talked to the locals who gave us the lowdown and I was lucky enough to meet 18 year old Dakota High Hawk, who is now the President of the Wounded Knee Lakota Youth Organization. I am working with him and the Tribal counsel to try to get a skatepark built at Wounded Knee with the help of the Tony Hawk Foundation and hopefully anyone else who would like to contribute. I gave Dakota 10 boards,and a ton of tshirts and stickers. Independent will hook the kids up with trucks and accessories.

The bottom line is that the youth at Wounded Knee and at all the reservations in South Dakota need our help. Drugs and alcohol are being abused which is lending itself to the highest rates of suicide in the country. This company is dedicated to helping them in any way and focusing their warrior spirit through skateboarding and giving them a ray of hope in a world that has stolen their ancestors' dreams.

I am dedicated to helping the native youth and educating the skateboarding youth around the country about the true history of Wounded Knee and Native American history. Anything that is bought from my company will go towards this goal.

The more boards, shirts and hats I sell the more I can give away to the at- risk youth on the reservations in need of quality skateboards and clothing they can't afford.

Thanks for your support!

Jim Murphy