Halftown Continues Campaign of Violence against Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ Citizens
Emergency Action Needed Now
Information about Halftown’s latest attack is up top and will be updated as things progress; information about direct emergency action is at the bottom of this article.
Clint Halftown’s Latest Act of Violence
On the evening of August 3, 2022, around 5pm, Wanda John was dragged from her house by a group of men. The men make up a private security force — mercenaries — that Clint Halftown has been spending Cayuga Nation money on. This private security team is known as the Cayuga Nation Police, and they were the ones responsible for holding seven people at gunpoint and destroying buildings used for community purposes in February 2020.
But this day, Wanda John, 64, was in her house by herself when Halftown’s mercenaries began their assault. As she recounts it, they grabbed her and tackled her to the ground.
“Four men took me down right on the front steps there,” she said, “then stood me up and said, ‘Look at that dozer, and said ‘you know what’s happening next?”
Wanda said she was knocked down by the men, and when trying to fight them off, one put his foot on her head. You can see the bruises on her arms, as well as her head.
Clint Halftown’s mercenaries then proceeded to partially demolish Wanda John’s house, which is also a historic site.
This strategy of partially demolishing building and leaving them half-standing is a tactic that Clint Halftown seems to be fond of. Some, like Gayogo̱hó:nǫ citizen Leanna Young, believe this is on purpose. “[It’s] like they did every other building before, just to leave it for us to look at,” said Young. “It’s the same tactic that happened two-and-a-half years ago,” she said, referring to the 2020 attack.
Halftown’s mercenaries also used pepper spray on at least one unarmed bystander.
According to a press release from Halftown’s team, this was done because the house was structurally unsound — but there has been no evidence presented thus far indicating that was the case. In fact, an officer from Seneca Count Code Enforcement was present and both surprised and upset by the “demolitions.”
In addition to the main house, the bulldozer went to the back of the house and caused severe structural damage to two sheds. Notably, the bulldozer was also used on the big red barn that the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ had been hosting their ceremonies in. This seems to be on purpose, as Halftown’s 2020 attack targeted a building used for ceremonies as well.
It appears that this was an intentional attack on Gayogo̱hó:nǫ people and Gayogo̱hó:nǫ culture because of their opposition to Halftown.
In upcoming days, there will be a heightened state of alertness as we see what our Gayogo̱hó:nǫ allies may need from us. There may be further actions planned in the near future. We will update this document as things progress, so keep checking back for more information.
It should be noted that Clint Halftown released a set of lies as a press release to some local news stations, some of which published those lies without fact checking. You can read those falsities published by Lucas Day of the Finger Lakes Daily News here, if you’re curious about what terrible, lazy journalism looks like.
You can also get more involved by reaching out to our friends at HalftownMustGo, a group of non-Gayogo̱hó:nǫ allies pressuring the US Government to cease its erroneous recognition of Clint Halftown as Federal Representative, which is in direct contradiction with traditional Haudenosaunee practices.
A more comprehensive list of ways to dial in to this emergency effort is included below. See you soon.
Direct Action Needed Now:
Through the evening of Saturday the 6th and all through Sunday, organizers have requested this support (at the direct request of Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ citizens). We especially need people during the day and camping during the night. Here’s an updated list of needs:
If you are *unable* to come to Seneca Falls
- We could use funds for food, gas, and the ongoing mutual aid support that will be required over the next few days.
Donations for that can be sent via Venmo @solidarityithaca (Kim Knight)
or through this solidarity fund, to counteract the wage garnishments that Clint Halftown is using against those who oppose him: https://givebutter.com/ZgM2lT# - And please retweet and repost our updates and mutual aid requests:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/HalftownMustGo https://www.facebook.com/IthacaTU
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/halftownmustgo/
https://www.instagram.com/ithacatenantsunion/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ithacaTU
If you are able to come to Seneca Falls
If you can see this, we have an active need for more on-the-ground suppport. We want to make sure we can “staff” at least a couple people at multiple houses, and to do this continuously. We need people to serve as lookouts so that they can both document events and alert others if something starts to happen.
Whatever your skills or abilities may be, we can find a way to get you dialed into the efforts here. The more people we have, the better. Since we rotate shifts, including overnight ones, more people here means a more even distribution of sleep for many of us.
We are trying to get as many people as possible spread across all the homes where people feel Halftown may try to demolish buildings, but we also . You can come stand in solidarity. Support needed through the weekend of, August 6-7 through the day/night and likely through the weekend.
- See this contact sheet, where you can get in touch with people who can direct you to where you’re needed, see supplies or external support that you can help with, or find media contacts.
As long as this section of the article is visible, people are needed in the Seneca Falls area and your presence will be welcomed. - If you able, also please bring:
- power banks to charge phones and other devices
- water
-food
-tents (for camping)
