A Good Man Needs Our Help

Dear Blogging Blue readers,

Last Wednesday, April 1st, a terrible tragedy befell a great friend of Wisconsin. Bad River tribal member David “Joe ” Bates lost his 22 year old son Parker, and his home, to a house fire in Odanah on the Bad River Reservation. Joe suffered severe lung damage from smoke inhalation when he tried to rescue his son from the blaze, and is currently in intensive care at a hospital in Duluth.

Joe is best known in the Northwoods for his steadfast and relentless opposition to Gogebic Taconite’s proposed open pit iron mine. I’ve been told by those who know him that over the course of several years he attended many dozens of meetings and video documented all the proceedings, making the footage available to various websites, blogs, facebook, etc, so that everyone in Wisconsin could see exactly what was taking place. He defended the Anishinabe’ way of life, the water, the wild rice, and ultimately Wisconsin itself, all without compensation and always with good humor and a good and generous spirit.

So please make every effort to help Joe in his time of need. You can make an online donation to the David Joe Bates Fire Relief Fund, or if you’re more comfortable sending a check:

Make check payable to: ICLRA David Bates Fund
Mail to:
Iron County Community Credit Union
5702 US Hwy 2
Hurley WI 54534

Joe stepped up when Wisconsin needed him. Now it’s our turn. Thanks.

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3 thoughts on “A Good Man Needs Our Help

  1. To support this good man, do it now: fund will accept donations ’til mid-April, I believe. Thanks for posting this.

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