FAULTY FOUNDATIONS: AN INVESTIGATION INTO TOXIC HOMES IN THE BLACKFEET NATION

Author

Kathleen Elyse ShannonFollow

Year of Award

2023

Document Type

Professional Paper

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism

Department or School/College

Journalism

Committee Chair

Jule Banville

Commitee Members

Lee Banville, Tony Ward

Keywords

Blackfeet Tribe, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Public Health, Tribal Sovereignty, Sovereign Immunity, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

Publisher

University of Montana

Subject Categories

Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law

Abstract

In 2002, a class action lawsuit came out of the Blackfeet Nation. The plaintiffs were residents of a federally-funded housing project called Glacier Homes, and they were suing Blackfeet Housing and the Department of Housing and Urban Development because their homes were making them sick. The case got some local media coverage for a couple years. But it was ultimately forgotten and the plaintiffs never got a remedy.

This long-form audio project revives this story and asks listeners to think about these plaintiffs’ arguments in a modern light. The Glacier Homes offer a lens through which to think about several social justice issues that are overlooked in Indian country: housing policy past and present, decades-old public health issues, poor construction practices and materials, Indian law at multiple levels of the court system, sovereign immunity, tribal sovereignty, and treaty responsibilities.

Recommended Citation

Shannon, Kathleen Elyse, "FAULTY FOUNDATIONS: AN INVESTIGATION INTO TOXIC HOMES IN THE BLACKFEET NATION" (2023). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12102.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12102