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1:05

the Center for Investigative Reporting and

1:07

PRX, this is Reveal. I'm

1:09

Al Ledson. Blossom

1:12

Old Bull had a lot on her plate in the

1:14

fall of 2020. She

1:16

was looking for work as a nursing

1:18

assistant, and she was a single mom

1:20

raising the three youngest of her nine

1:22

kids, all of whom were teenagers.

1:25

Together, they lived with a few

1:27

other family members in a small

1:29

house on the Crow Indian Reservation

1:31

in Montana. It was

1:34

a cramped space for seven people, and

1:36

it felt even more cramped after the

1:38

pandemic hit, especially for her

1:41

youngest son, Braven Glenn. He

1:43

didn't want to be isolated from his friends. He

1:46

was always asking to go be with them. You

1:49

know, I told him it's a pandemic. People are getting

1:51

COVID and dying, and he just

1:53

insisted on being there with them.

2:00

The new normal of going to

2:02

school behind a screen. He also

2:04

just suffered a big loss. His

2:06

grandmother had died from complications with

2:08

code. One night

2:10

that november brave and wanted to go to

2:12

a house his cousins who was some of

2:14

his closest friends and who are also grieving

2:16

her desk. We're going to be there. Was

2:19

like no you're gonna say i'm now. I

2:22

got after him and. See.

2:26

Are upset. And

2:29

keeps his daughters still

2:31

somewhat.the door. So

2:33

as I am dogs are just figured you

2:35

know is going to cool off. We knew

2:37

where he would be at. I was gonna

2:39

go have another one of my sons go

2:41

look for him and bring him home. And

2:45

by that time I was too late. The

2:49

next day Blossom gets a phone

2:51

call from one of Briefings older

2:53

brothers. So crying. And

2:56

I want you know what's going on,

2:58

what's going on, and. Suicide:

3:01

He got into an accident.

3:04

For son doesn't have many details but

3:07

he tells her there was a car

3:09

accident. That breathing is dead.

3:12

And then I'm does. I

3:14

started screaming. I

3:18

just dropped my phone and and. I

3:21

since one crazy. A

3:24

half hour later, Blossom gets a

3:26

knock on the door. It's an

3:29

investigator from the Bureau of Indian

3:31

Affairs delivering the death notification. He.

3:34

Tells the families that briefing was in

3:36

a car chase with law enforcement that

3:38

he died in a head on collision

3:40

with the train. It

3:42

was all confusing to us, we don't know

3:45

what to think and the main reason he

3:47

gave us for them to be seen brave

3:49

and was he was clocked going ninety. Those.

3:52

Are his exact words. To.

3:54

Say why? Why did they to some I've

3:56

never heard of. People didn't stop for students.

4:01

The rural highways on the Crow

4:03

reservation don't have much traffic. Speed

4:06

limits are rarely enforced, and

4:08

Braven was known to be a cautious driver.

4:11

It seemed unlike him to speed. The

4:14

BIA investigator doesn't offer much more

4:17

information, not even which

4:19

police agency chased Braven. Like

4:22

on many other reservations, the Crow

4:24

nation has a complicated patchwork of

4:26

law enforcement policing the area. The

4:29

blossom finds out which agency was involved

4:31

from the local news. Tonight

4:33

we're learning about a fatal vehicle versus train

4:35

crash that took the life of a 17-year-old.

4:39

What we're learning is that it

4:41

happened last Tuesday evening as local

4:43

tribal officers were pursuing the teenager's

4:45

vehicle. Local tribal

4:48

officers could only mean one thing. The

4:51

cop who chased Braven worked for the

4:53

Crow Nation Tribal Police Department, a

4:55

brand new police force that was only

4:57

five months old. Within

4:59

days, Blossom hears rumors that

5:02

the department is disbanding. She

5:04

calls the headquarters, but it seems like the

5:07

phone line has been disconnected. So

5:09

she goes to the station. It's

5:11

normal business hours, but nobody is

5:13

there. The windows are covered

5:15

with paper so she can't see inside.

5:19

The doors were locked and look like

5:21

there wasn't an operation anymore. There

5:25

was a life taken

5:27

and you guys just closed everything down

5:30

without giving the family

5:36

any answers. What

5:40

happened to Braven? And how

5:42

can a police department shut down

5:44

without any explanation? Mother

5:46

Jones reporter Samantha Michaels has been looking

5:48

for those answers in court filings and

5:51

law enforcement reports following Braven's

5:53

case and Blossom's search for

5:55

accountability. Samantha starts the

5:57

story going back a few years to 27. when

6:01

the family moved to the reservation. Blossom

6:07

is a member of the Lakota tribe, originally from South Dakota, and

6:10

she'd been living with Braven and

6:12

some of his siblings in New Mexico. She

6:16

decided to move them to the Crow Nation in Montana, so Braven

6:18

could be closer to his Crow father and

6:21

learn more about his Crow roots. I

6:24

feel he was doing well here. He was

6:26

getting to embrace his culture, you know, and

6:30

he was finding out who he was and where he

6:32

was from. The

6:34

reservation had mountains, rivers, and

6:36

big open skies, and

6:38

most people there speak Crow as a first language.

6:41

It's also home to Crow Fair, a

6:44

week-long cultural celebration with a rodeo, horse

6:46

racing, and a powwow. But

6:48

the transition wasn't easy for Braven. Just

6:51

weeks after they arrived, his dad died

6:54

from pneumonia. Braven

6:56

was only 13. He

6:58

had a tough outer exterior, you

7:00

know, like, he had a tough exterior. Emilio

7:03

Old Bull is Braven's older brother.

7:06

They were close. They shared a room

7:08

and a bunk bed. Emilio on the

7:10

top, Braven on the bottom. If you

7:12

see him, you probably thought he didn't want to get to

7:14

know anyone I do, wasn't it? He

7:17

kind of looked mean, but once he smiled,

7:20

that, like, changed everything. When

7:22

Braven first moved to the reservation, one

7:24

of his closest friends was his cousin,

7:26

Jaden Old Bull. He could

7:28

talk to anyone. In school, there'd

7:31

be, like, random kids, you know? Like, they'd

7:33

know who to talk to. And

7:35

you would just go up to him and, like, hey, what's your

7:37

name? And then he'd go up to other people, like, yeah, it's

7:39

my bro, this and that. He was friends

7:41

with everyone. He was just really social,

7:43

and just a great

7:45

person. By the

7:48

time Braven entered high school, things were falling

7:50

into place. He made a solid

7:52

group of friends, ran cross-country and track

7:54

and field, but his true

7:57

passion was the basketball team. He

8:04

was always in the gym or always working out or

8:06

always at our wellness center. Just

8:08

always wanting to get better and improve.

8:11

Jordan Jefferson was Braven's girlfriend.

8:14

They went to rival schools and met

8:16

playing basketball. A lot of people

8:19

adored him and he was a fun

8:21

person to be around. If you

8:23

got to know Braven, you were

8:26

just a lucky person because of how awesome he was.

8:29

In the months before his death, Braven

8:31

had gotten a new job at McDonald's.

8:33

He was planning to save up to buy his own car. Braven

8:37

talked a lot about getting off the

8:39

reservation and traveling the world. He

8:41

was thinking about joining the army. But

8:44

he also wanted to stay near family,

8:46

especially his mom Blossom. Braven

8:48

was a mama's boy. He

8:51

stuck around me a lot and none of

8:53

the other kids would say that, but he

8:56

would say he was going to live with me forever, even

8:58

after he grew up. After

9:03

his death, Blossom and Braven's siblings wonder

9:05

why Braven was chased by police in the

9:08

first place. Again, Braven's

9:10

older brother, Emilio. Well,

9:12

he just didn't seem right, whatever the cops just

9:14

did, didn't seem right at all. A

9:17

majority of people go 85 on that road.

9:19

I just don't understand why you

9:22

would chase somebody at that speed.

9:25

And when they go together to the scene of the

9:27

accident and the days after it happened, they're

9:29

even more confused. The

9:31

family have been told that Braven was speeding,

9:33

that he'd gone off the road at a curve,

9:36

and that maybe he was trying to cross over

9:38

the train tracks to lose the officer. They

9:40

said he was trying to beat the train and

9:44

that sticks with me because why would he go over

9:46

the train tracks and beat a train into the middle

9:49

of nowhere? On

9:52

the other side of the train tracks, there isn't

9:54

a road, just an open

9:56

field with cows grazing near a stream.

10:00

It seems strange that he would drive off into

10:02

nothing. Without

10:04

more information from authorities, the family

10:06

wrestles with theories about what might

10:08

have happened. They often

10:10

jump to the worst possible conclusions. For

10:13

example, when they see a second

10:15

set of tire marks alongside Bravens,

10:18

they wonder whether the police ran him into the

10:20

train. The family is

10:22

skeptical. They don't believe what

10:24

they were told about the crash is the full

10:27

story. I kept contacting the

10:29

BIA, and they

10:31

wouldn't give me no answer. Blossom

10:37

just wants some basic information about what happened to

10:39

her son the night of the crash and

10:41

which officer was involved in the chase. But

10:44

since the police department disappeared, she's not sure

10:46

where to turn. She tries

10:48

the BIA office asking for the police report,

10:51

but she's told she'll have to file a Freedom

10:53

of Information Act request. I also

10:56

went to the Indian Health Services

10:59

to see if there was an ambulance sent out. Any

11:03

little thing I could find out, you know,

11:05

I tried because nobody was

11:07

giving me any kind of answers. She

11:10

sets up a Facebook page asking anyone who

11:12

knows anything about the crash to talk to

11:14

her. And she goes to

11:16

the county court looking for Braven's death certificate. The

11:19

person working the desk there can't find it. Then

11:22

her FOIA request for the police

11:25

report is denied. The

11:27

BIA says it's because an investigation is

11:29

ongoing, but she doesn't even know which

11:31

agency is investigating the case. For

11:35

weeks, the only information she can

11:37

get is from Braven's toxicology report.

11:40

And that's only because the coroner personally

11:42

called to offer his condolences. And

11:46

then almost a full year after

11:48

Braven's death, Blossom gets a

11:51

big breakthrough. She

11:54

finally learned some details about her

11:56

son's final moments. Time

11:58

To stop there and help. Now.

12:02

I regret traffic. A

12:05

couple named Maryse and me this man she

12:07

of were there than a brave and died.

12:09

They. Have been driving down the road on their way

12:12

to get gas when they saw the rack and stop

12:14

their car. This. Is saved

12:16

some an interview that Maurice and Mavis gave

12:18

to Blossom about what they saw. They

12:21

recorded. It for her to use as

12:23

evidence and a lawsuit fulfilling than quip

12:25

from Help Me. With. Mr.

12:28

Third of. The. Tape is hard

12:30

to hear people are talking and the Tv

12:32

as on in the background. Mavis

12:34

a saying they could hear brave and when they

12:37

stopped. He was still alive and

12:39

calling for help. And.

12:41

There was a female officer. Standing over

12:43

him only officers did you see

12:46

over of you grow so too

12:48

will overcome that league cup. the

12:50

physics of were there movie come

12:52

from in my him. Maurice.

12:56

In May the say they were there for about a

12:58

half hour. They. Say they didn't see

13:00

anyone give medical aid to prevent. A

13:03

Me angry. Made

13:06

me. Really? Really

13:08

angry. My

13:11

son had to go through that. Months

13:14

go by and blossom keeps falling

13:16

threads. She. Gets a tip from

13:18

a stranger in Wyoming. The. Leads her

13:21

to the name of the officer who chased

13:23

spray. Then. Pamela. Kleier.

13:26

Blossom learned Pamela is a white cop

13:28

who lives outside the cronies and but

13:30

that's about all she can find. That

13:33

this plant blossom also has the autopsy

13:35

and toxicology. Reports. They

13:38

show that had alcohol and Thc in

13:40

his system when he died. She

13:42

also as the death certificate which describes

13:44

brave and such as an accident. But

13:47

she still doesn't have a police report

13:49

or the-cam footage. Things that could show

13:52

how that is actually and folded and

13:54

ended with the train. And

13:56

she's still struggling with the most confusing

13:58

part. Police

14:00

departments shut down with no

14:02

explanation. Days after a fatal

14:04

and sooner. Wholesome

14:09

tries a new tactic. She

14:11

hangs a giant banner on the sad and her

14:13

front yard. It's one of

14:15

those science it's hard to miss if you're

14:18

driving by. and it's black and orange the

14:20

same colors as brave and high school basketball

14:22

team. On it or pictures

14:24

of fray then and at the top

14:26

of the words. Justice for brave In

14:28

glen he was seventeen years old. At

14:31

the bottom is the question. Why?

14:33

Is it hard for a mother of a

14:35

minor child to get answers? Then

14:40

one day she gets attacks. It's

14:43

from someone who used to work at

14:45

the Tribal Police Department. She told

14:47

me that. On

14:49

she said she wasn't working

14:51

for them at the time

14:54

that this happens. Brave and

14:56

good. The police force was

14:58

not trained world. The

15:03

Texans it says it can tell

15:05

you right now absolutely nothing was

15:07

in compliance. That place said

15:09

if not ever been opened it was

15:11

a show out. The. When

15:17

we come back, Samantha meets the author

15:20

of that text message. I

15:22

thought like what I was doing was

15:24

wrong and I felt like I was

15:26

going to cancel. We'll play the role

15:28

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17:00

Radiolab, we love nothing

17:02

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17:04

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17:07

But we do also like to get into other

17:09

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17:11

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17:13

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17:16

Regardless of whether we're looking at science

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PRX, this is Reveal. I'm

17:36

Al Ledson. And this is the Brave Army. The old laws.

17:43

The Crow Nation Tribal Police Department had

17:45

been around just five months when one

17:48

of its officers began a fatal pursuit

17:50

of braving Glenn. But

17:52

the idea for the department came years before

17:55

that, and you can trace it back

17:57

to one person. Alvin

18:10

A.J. Notafraid was elected

18:12

in November 2016 as

18:15

the Crow Nation's chairman and leader. He's

18:18

from a big political family on

18:20

the reservation and previously served as

18:22

the tribe secretary. His

18:24

inauguration was attended by more than 100

18:26

community members. So, for

18:28

your reservation, for

18:31

your honor, that means

18:33

so much more to me than my heart does. If

18:36

I cannot do this, I'll die

18:38

trying. I hope. I

18:41

hope. I hope. Notafraid

18:47

served as chairman for four years

18:49

and he made public safety one of his

18:51

priorities in office. In June 2020,

18:55

he launched the Crow Tribal Police Department

18:58

and in November of that year, the force

19:00

closed up overnight. Mother

19:03

Jones reporter Samantha Michaels has been

19:05

reporting on Braven's death and his

19:07

family search for answers and

19:09

asking the question, how could

19:11

this police department shut down without

19:14

any explanation? She

19:16

starts with how it was created. It

19:21

was politically savvy for Crow Chairman A.J. Notafraid

19:23

to focus on public safety while he was

19:25

in office. I spoke with

19:27

a number of Crow Nation residents who were

19:30

worried about crime and the lack of police

19:32

response. There's no public

19:34

safety here. There's people riding around

19:36

in cars, but they don't really

19:38

do anything. I just am living

19:40

on my own. I mean, if I need

19:42

help, I'm scared

19:44

nobody's going to help me. We need

19:48

policemen to be visible at

19:50

least so that people

19:52

don't break into our homes and

19:54

do horrible things to us. I

19:56

mean, everybody's unsafe

19:58

when you start... thinking about

20:00

it, you're like a sitting duck. And

20:03

many Crow Nation residents blame the federal

20:06

government. The

20:08

Crow tribes' homelands once spread across

20:10

what is now Montana, Wyoming, and

20:12

South Dakota. The Crow

20:14

were known for their skills with horses

20:17

and inter-tribal warfare. For

20:19

centuries before the Europeans arrived,

20:21

Crow warriors enforced tribal laws,

20:23

and they were responsible for protecting people

20:25

and settling disputes in the camp. In

20:29

the 1800s, the U.S. government colonized

20:31

tribes across the continent by confining

20:34

them to reservations, often

20:36

through violent force. White

20:38

settlers sometimes shot at those who tried to leave.

20:43

To formalize this forced relocation, the

20:46

federal government signed treaties that

20:48

justified taking native land and

20:51

took responsibility for law enforcement on

20:53

reservations. The Bureau of

20:55

Indian Affairs started policing on many

20:57

reservations. Today,

21:00

BIA cops still manage

21:02

policing in the Crow Nation, alongside

21:05

officers from other agencies like the

21:07

FBI and the local sheriff's department.

21:10

And they don't have a great reputation.

21:13

In Montana and around the country, BIA

21:16

officers have been sued repeatedly

21:18

for excessive force against native people.

21:22

Many tribal leaders also say the

21:24

BIA doesn't properly fund policing on

21:27

reservations. In recent years,

21:29

the BIA has told Congress that the

21:31

agency funded only about a fifth of

21:33

what tribal nations would need for law

21:36

enforcement officers. The

21:38

year before Braven died in 2019, the

21:41

Crow Nation had only four or

21:43

five BIA officers to patrol a

21:46

region roughly two-thirds the size of

21:48

Connecticut. Tribal leaders say they

21:50

will no longer accept lip service when it

21:52

comes to public safety concerns and want something

21:55

done about it now. Chairman

21:57

Notafraid Declared a state of

21:59

emergency. The over the shortage of police

22:01

recruiter of as a treaty and the

22:03

government did say that they would uphold

22:06

the trees and along those lines and

22:08

safety and welfare of a cool people.

22:11

Less than a week later, Not. Afraid

22:13

was invited to the White House. We

22:16

have a man whose name I

22:18

wanted us cyber baby has to

22:20

change my name's as I love

22:22

the same salvage Aj not afraid

22:24

Chairman of the Croatia I love

22:26

this name's. Not Afraid and other tribal

22:28

leaders from around the country are gathered

22:30

in the Oval office. There

22:32

were there to watch them. President Donald

22:34

Trump signed an executive order creating a

22:36

Task force on missing and murdered indigenous

22:39

people. So knowing that in

22:41

support in the realm of this

22:43

executive order to crew trivers on

22:45

such as precise as much as

22:47

a junior not afraid i you're

22:49

not afraid of it is I

22:51

guess I'll suggest serve. About

22:54

a month after his White House says it. The

22:57

lack of policing on the reservation

22:59

became even more person for not

23:01

afraid to night more information surrounding

23:03

the tragic deaths a sixteen year

23:05

old Selena. Not Afraid Saint Fourteen

23:08

days after she went missing her

23:10

body to for New Years Day.

23:12

Not afraid. Sixteen year old niece

23:14

Selena went missing and a search

23:17

party was launched. Raven joined the

23:19

others looking for Selena. With eighty

23:21

these helicopters, horses, dogs and drones.

23:24

Three. Weeks later, a team from

23:26

the Interior Department discovered her body

23:28

narrow rest stop off the highway.

23:30

The official cause of death was

23:33

hypothermia, But. Some local suspected.

23:35

Salt. Seventy

23:40

four people had disappeared on Occur as

23:42

Are They Send and the neighboring Northern

23:44

Cheyenne Reservation in the year before Selena

23:46

went missing. Many of them are women

23:48

and girls. That's more than

23:51

any other area Montana which has

23:53

one of the highest rates of

23:55

missing indigenous women nationally. These.

23:57

Deaths and disappearances added.

24:00

The communities greece and frustration

24:02

over federal policing. And.

24:04

The solution as not afraid saw

24:06

it was to create a tribal

24:08

police department to put law enforcement

24:10

into the hands of the crow

24:12

people. So to start

24:15

his department. He. Hired a police.

24:17

She's. A. Man named Tara

24:19

Brock and. I believe that

24:21

German not afraid had very

24:24

admirable goals in mind, his

24:26

heart was definitely in the

24:28

right place he had a

24:30

passion. Improving law

24:32

enforcement on the reservation and making it

24:34

safe. Terrell isn't a member of

24:36

the Crow. Tried. He's. A white

24:38

guy who lives off the reservation. He.

24:41

Was previously a patrol sergeant at the

24:43

nearby Big Horn County Sheriff's Office. And

24:46

he also used to teach martial arts. He

24:49

and Not Afraid Match or a mutual

24:51

friend around Twenty Team and they've been

24:53

talking for years about how to build

24:55

a police. Department. Apartment. We started

24:57

from scratch with everything from a

25:00

policy and procedure manuals for both

25:02

full time officers and for a

25:04

reserve officer program, new hiring procedures,

25:06

hiring standards as a lot of

25:09

work with him to build the

25:11

foundation of the travels least for.

25:14

Not afraid. Still had a major hurdle. To

25:16

overcome. He. Needed money.

25:19

Like. Many tribal leaders trying to create

25:21

new police agencies not afraid was

25:23

applying to the Be A for

25:26

federal funding. That. His applications

25:28

are denied. Then

25:30

in the spring of twenty twenty

25:33

pounds old are becoming those towns

25:35

and cities across Montana today. Bars,

25:37

restaurants in casinos close their doors

25:40

Trying to prevent the spread of

25:42

Corona virus The move inland Twenty

25:44

Twenty. The Crow Tribe received about

25:47

twenty seven million dollars and Kroner

25:49

virus really funding through the care

25:51

that suddenly. Not. Afraid

25:53

had enough money to launch the police

25:55

department on his own. When

25:58

from think it's good. Cu.

26:02

Lao would just got. The green light

26:04

is happening in one month from today.

26:06

From the time the Chairman said we're

26:09

doing this, I was given one month

26:11

to get all the ordered and tell

26:13

the officers you're hired from the work

26:16

we were literally building an airplane is

26:18

were flying it soon. Not afraid,

26:20

the administration hired about sistine

26:22

officers tripling the number police

26:24

on the reservation. Upset over

26:27

the Federal government's handling of criminal activity,

26:29

the crowd thrive is starting his own

26:31

police department which the tribes term and

26:33

says well make for a better justice

26:35

system on the reservations that apartment by.

26:37

Some people wondered if not afraid was

26:39

moving. Too quickly. I

26:42

spoke with tribal legal experts who

26:44

said he didn't get approval from

26:47

tribal lawmakers to launch the departmental

26:49

cozad many some community members percent

26:51

whether the new cards had the

26:53

authority to do things like arrest

26:56

people. Knocked on my arsenal. What

26:58

if they stop? You need all the central

27:00

London and New. Alden Big

27:02

Man Senior grew up on the reservation.

27:05

He's. A historian who studied the evolution

27:07

of policing and the cronies and. He

27:10

understood the goal was to put law enforcement

27:12

back in the hands of the crow

27:14

people, but he knew from personal experience that

27:16

it would be difficult. To recruit Cro

27:19

Cop. Decades. Ago his

27:21

uncle had encourage them to go to

27:23

a police academy. I looked at him

27:25

I said no way That is are not been a top

27:27

issue I'm under arrest My own brothers. My.

27:29

Uncle's My as a Motorola

27:31

Arrest My Roses! Are

27:33

not gonna put him in and tell from legit.

27:36

Addition to that. A. Lot across

27:39

will not do. Not.

27:41

Afraid did not respond to my request

27:43

for comment. The former officials

27:45

who helped him launched the department, including

27:47

Terrell, told me they believed said he

27:50

had the power to control spending and

27:52

a se law enforcement during an emergency

27:54

like the Pandemic. And. As

27:56

her finding local officers and dispatchers.

27:59

Terrible. He tried his best. But.

28:01

Ultimately, the department had your

28:03

crude outsiders. Cops. Who had

28:06

prior experience with other agencies but weren't

28:08

crow and had never lived on the

28:10

reservation? Some. Of them didn't even

28:13

live in Montana. The. Officer who

28:15

chased spray, then. Was. One of

28:17

them. Have. A neurologist police that to

28:19

for.said the British are the people in they'll

28:21

do a better job. But. Is to

28:24

It just doesn't work. That wish. Even

28:26

with the influx of close it funding

28:28

resources were tight. And there weren't

28:31

many options for a police headquarters. Not.

28:33

Afraid to administration bought a building that

28:36

housed in museum's memory, eating the eighteen

28:38

seventy six battle of the little. It.

28:41

Also had a post office and

28:43

a close down subway restaurant. That's

28:46

where they possibly. Side

28:49

Service. Has

28:51

lost. For

28:54

this was an old subway building

28:56

a it was forcing police department

28:58

but we still had the subways

29:00

finance. We saw that many people

29:02

come in and knocking and trying

29:04

to buy a son. winters. Silo

29:07

Bad Bear joined the Tribal Police

29:09

Department as a dispatcher during it's

29:11

major recruitment drive right before opening

29:13

day is still have years subway

29:15

sandwiches display or area right years

29:17

and they would also be of

29:20

the assault rifles displaying around anywhere.

29:22

It's Zola exactly like a subway

29:24

building because you still have the

29:26

rak to sit Silvers or he

29:28

still had the plot over here.

29:30

A relative's suggested see apply to

29:32

joined the force and when she

29:34

got the job Silo had been.

29:37

Looking forward to serving her community.

29:39

And the beginning It was exciting I was

29:41

like for for a. New place to park there

29:43

and they want me to work or you know, And

29:46

I'll turn us to help them. As much

29:48

as I said was what I knew. By.

29:51

In the department's first month, Silo

29:53

said she didn't have the essential

29:55

tools. To do our jobs, there was

29:57

really no point for them to even

29:59

have. Roger. Because.

30:01

We just we weren't allowed to use

30:04

the telephone we weren't allowed to take.

30:06

I saw calls like it was supposed

30:08

to be sent over from be A

30:10

and so when we weren't allowed to

30:12

speak on the radios. Dispatchers

30:14

got access to radios after several

30:17

weeks. The child says there was

30:19

very little training for her and

30:21

her colleagues. She only had ten

30:23

months of prior experience as a

30:25

dispatcher, but the new police force.

30:27

Made her a supervisor and that

30:29

live like a big. Red flag with

30:31

me. I was like. I started trying

30:33

to panic. Yeah, let's. I. Don't

30:35

have one with France. I still consider

30:38

myself a new to this, but so

30:40

they were expecting me to do the

30:42

same. His eyes, I know, Like I

30:44

had to get auditors. I was a sudden looking

30:46

for a. Reason to bees I spoke

30:49

with other former police and plays

30:51

Confirmed there was no on the

30:53

job training after they were hired.

30:55

On top of that, many of the

30:58

records were not digitized. This

31:00

was the police department in Twenty twenty

31:02

that was still mostly working on paper.

31:04

I thought like what I was doing

31:06

was wrong. And I felt like I

31:08

was burnt danceable with like the real law for.

31:11

Does that's in here? And being

31:13

back in here is. A

31:15

Turner's. And I'm like

31:18

it. Springboks Bad Light. Because

31:20

I remember a lot of screaming and year long

31:22

to spend a lot of solace. Silo.

31:25

Only lasted about a month before she

31:27

quit. She left the forest a

31:29

few months before Ravens does. She.

31:31

Heard about the Accent on the news

31:33

and from people she knew on the

31:35

reservation and everyday on her way to

31:37

work she would pass by Brave and

31:40

some were his mom Blossom Old Bull

31:42

had hung a banner asking anyone who

31:44

passed for information about what happened to

31:46

her son. Silo. So bad

31:48

that nobody from the police department had

31:50

talked with Blossom and wanted to share

31:52

the information that she had. After driving

31:54

by the house for a year and

31:56

a half, she finally reached out. To

31:58

just sit still low. Prime minister gather

32:01

up the courage to sign is a

32:03

stop see. As I saw somebody outside Monday

32:05

and so I stopped. In. The summer

32:07

of Twenty Twenty Three Silo and Blossom

32:09

match for the very first time at

32:12

the old Police headquarters. Came.

32:14

As thank you for that because my

32:16

good spin on was going on for

32:19

years now. since he's been gone in

32:21

and stuff like it's been hard you

32:23

know I appreciate that you came and

32:25

talked to. Us because we

32:27

couldn't. We weren't. We're

32:30

reaching. Are everywhere we could and

32:32

like a said would seem here and

32:34

everything was shut down. There was like

32:36

a slap in the face to them.

32:38

Why? Why why would they do that

32:41

as a silo says Blossom around the

32:43

department I am. You know they made

32:45

it sound like Disciplines was such a

32:47

professional theatre and nonsense to put distance

32:49

was a joke. It was. There was

32:51

a joke. It was just a big

32:54

joke and life's taken And boom. You

32:56

sit down. Blossom

32:59

filed a wrongful death lawsuit against

33:02

the Federal government. Not long after

33:04

Shiloh first texted her. And twenty twenty

33:06

two. And that's around

33:08

the same time I started looking. Into

33:10

Ravens case. Trying to

33:12

figure out what really happened

33:14

to him and widest Police

33:16

Department Disbanded without any explanation.

33:20

Over months I interviewed employees from

33:22

the former police department and I

33:25

filed public records requests with the

33:27

Be i hate the Treasury Department,

33:29

the F B I, the Veteran

33:31

Affairs Department, the Montana Highway Patrol,

33:34

and the Big Horn County Attorney's

33:36

Offices trying to learn what happened

33:38

to brave and. And

33:41

then. The documents came

33:43

back with information Blossom had

33:45

been wanting to see for

33:47

nearly three years. And

33:52

we come back. Samantha finds out what

33:54

happened to brief. And.

33:57

shares her feelings, So

34:00

this was the FOIA request that I

34:03

filed to the BIA and

34:06

here was the response. That's

34:09

next on Reveal. From

34:23

the Center for Investigative Reporting in

34:26

PRX, this is Reveal. I'm

34:28

Al Letzen. After

34:31

nearly three years, Blossom Old Bull

34:34

still had very few details about what

34:36

happened the night her son died in

34:38

a car chase with a police officer.

34:41

And last August, Mother Jones reporter

34:43

Samantha Michaels finally had some answers

34:45

for her. So there are

34:48

a lot of reports about the

34:50

chase that I wanted to show

34:52

you. After months

34:54

of reporting, Samantha finally received documents

34:57

from the Bureau of Indian Affairs

34:59

that showed what happened the night

35:01

Braven Glenn died, what happened after

35:04

the police chase, and

35:06

what went wrong with the investigation into

35:08

Braven's death. So this was the

35:10

FOIA request and

35:14

here was the response. Samantha

35:18

picks up the story in Blossom's living room,

35:21

showing her what she's found. One

35:29

of the first things I show Blossom is

35:31

an investigative report from the Bureau of Indian

35:33

Affairs. It included a written

35:36

description of the dash cam footage from

35:38

the tribal police officer involved in the

35:40

crash, Pamela Clier. I

35:43

wouldn't get the actual video footage until months

35:45

later. The

35:49

report said that Braven made a

35:52

quote, legal pass of Officer Clier's

35:54

car on a two lane highway. Officer

35:57

Clier Claimed that Braven was going 90

35:59

miles per hour. our the once you

36:01

pass your car he slowed down to

36:03

the speed limit. When

36:07

the officer turned on her lights to

36:09

pull him over britain slow down even

36:11

more. Under the speed limit that

36:13

he didn't stop. And she

36:15

turned on her siren and he started to speed

36:17

up. Ravens

36:21

family says he was afraid of the

36:23

police. he'd had a bad experience with

36:25

them. Earlier that year he was arrested

36:28

for underage drinking and told his mom

36:30

and siblings that an officer had choked

36:32

him. When.

36:36

Blaming speeds up, the situation becomes

36:38

a high. Speed Chase Both cars get

36:40

up more than one hundred mph brave

36:42

and turns off his lights and he

36:45

drives off the road heading toward the

36:47

train tracks. We.

36:56

Finish reading the report together. But.

36:59

It shows is different from my blossom

37:01

thought might have happened during the chase

37:03

for blossom. Also feel validated and away.

37:06

From the beginning she'd suspected that there was

37:08

more to the story than she'd been. Told

37:11

what I was told. That

37:13

he was clock. For ninety miles

37:15

per hour. And. On.

37:18

Hair doesn't look like. She.

37:20

Was going ninety miles per hour. Or

37:26

at the very least, the report showed

37:28

that he wasn't still going ninety. When

37:30

the officer tried to pull him over

37:32

independent police experts, I spoke to question

37:34

whether the chase was even necessary considering

37:37

that brave and seem to pose little

37:39

danger. To the public. The

37:41

documents also show mistakes law. Enforcement made

37:43

after the crash. Britain

37:45

was alive and crying for help.

37:48

Paramedics were called. Then

37:50

cancelled. And. Then called again.

37:52

By the time they arrived,

37:54

raven had passed. The

38:00

police department shut down within three

38:02

days of Ravens that. And.

38:05

Records went missing after a series

38:07

of break ins at the headquarters

38:09

including reports related Ravens case. Blossom.

38:14

Had tried to get some of this

38:16

information by filing a foil request herself

38:18

as Ravens mother. But. She

38:21

was denied. It's painful. Because

38:23

how do you as a stranger to

38:25

to know what happens My son. And

38:27

the details of his said. I.

38:30

Was up possible that you get that from

38:32

a smaller dogs? Are

38:34

so hard. To.

38:37

Get information. Which. Is

38:39

Sippy my right in the first place?

38:41

he was mind. That.

38:44

Just makes me angry. I

38:47

read so to ha Not afraid. The

38:49

Tribal Chairman who created this police department.

38:51

He never responded. I

38:54

also called Officer Kleier. She wouldn't talk

38:56

with me either. The. Only

38:58

person and police leadership who would talk with

39:00

me on the record was Terrell Brock in.

39:03

Carroll wasn't with the police department anymore

39:05

when brave and died. But. He

39:08

was it's first police she's. He.

39:10

Was also the only person in a position

39:12

of authority with the force that agreed to

39:15

speak with blossom. God. Brings

39:17

people into our lives for a

39:19

reason and if this is a

39:21

time that I can help somebody

39:23

to feel better, ease their wrists

39:25

their suffering, I'll do anything that

39:27

I can't do that. The.

39:29

To me at the Air Bnb I'm saying

39:32

at during this reporting trip as a neutral

39:34

place to talk. Blossom. Arrives first,

39:36

she just came off a twelve hour shift

39:38

in a nursing home, so she's already had

39:41

a long day. If she had

39:43

her way today. She. Be meeting with

39:45

Aids or not afraid, or officer

39:47

choir analysts are going to happen

39:49

all some, I guess Pearl's the

39:51

next best thing. Some kind

39:54

of. Answers? I guess?

39:56

When. terrell arrives he seems com but

39:58

he also He tells me he's nervous. He

40:01

doesn't want to say the wrong thing. Hi,

40:04

I'm Terrell. I'm awesome. It's really nice

40:06

to meet you. In the beginning, it feels

40:09

a little awkward. What do I say here?

40:11

We'll just get comfortable. Well, or

40:13

as comfortable as we can. So

40:20

if I seem kind of goofy, I've been up since 3.45 this morning. Sorry.

40:24

I have not been sleeping well either, so

40:27

that makes both of us. Terrell

40:30

takes the lead. He asks

40:32

Lapham to tell him about herself, her

40:34

family, her life on the reservation. And

40:37

she does. It's a kind

40:39

of small talk that she tries her best to

40:41

navigate. Then she starts talking

40:43

about Braven, and what a good kid he

40:45

was. He was bright.

40:49

He was a great kid. And

40:54

he was gonna be somebody. And,

40:58

you know, it's hard because

41:01

I feel like I wasn't there to

41:03

protect my son. So

41:06

it's very hard. Truly,

41:09

sincerely, I want to tell you that

41:11

I am so sorry for your loss.

41:13

I have two children,

41:15

and I can't imagine the pain

41:18

and the grief that you must be

41:20

experiencing. I don't think I could handle

41:22

losing one of mine. So

41:25

I am truly, truly sorry that you've

41:27

had to go through this, and that your families had

41:29

to go through this. I appreciate

41:31

that. I honestly

41:33

do, because I haven't heard

41:37

anybody, even so

41:39

much as have any kind of compassion

41:42

or empathy. They

41:46

didn't know him or who he was. So it was like,

41:49

it's just another dead ending kid. You know what I

41:51

mean? Soon Blossom

41:54

starts asking the questions she came here

41:56

for. I know you

41:58

didn't have anything to do with... what

42:00

happened to Braven and I'm

42:02

not blaming you at all. But

42:07

bringing these outside entities to

42:10

police us from

42:12

surrounding areas, I

42:14

just felt like that was a bad mix from

42:17

the beginning. What

42:19

made you think that bringing

42:22

these outside entities to the

42:24

reservation was gonna do any good? The

42:26

outside entities Blossom is talking about are

42:29

the police officers who were hired by

42:31

the tribe from off the reservation. The

42:33

officers who weren't Crow and came from

42:35

Wyoming. Pamela Klier, the

42:37

officer who chased Braven, was one of

42:40

them. We didn't have a

42:42

lot of trained officers, certified officers. We

42:44

had some people that were tribal members.

42:47

So my goal was to bring

42:49

in people that had either state

42:51

training or federal training to

42:55

ride alongside of a

42:58

person who was a tribal member who knew the

43:00

area, knew the language, knew the

43:02

people. It was trying

43:04

to have the best of both worlds in

43:06

one patrol car. They came

43:09

over because obviously there's

43:11

a problem on the Crow

43:13

Indian reservation with crime and

43:16

they were invested, emotionally,

43:19

mentally invested. They wanted to make a

43:21

difference. Blossom

43:23

also brings up the community concern

43:26

that maybe the new tribal police

43:28

department wasn't legitimate. I don't think

43:30

you guys were there like legally yet. We

43:32

were, we were

43:35

there legally and we were signed off by the

43:37

judges and it was all covered under the Crow

43:39

Constitution. I wouldn't have been there if they couldn't

43:41

have shown me proof of how we were able

43:43

to be there. There

43:46

are moments when the attention eases, when they

43:48

see things the same way. Blossom

43:50

tells Terrell that meeting him has helped her.

43:53

It took me a lot of

43:55

praying to

43:58

forgive because because it's like,

44:01

oh, he's the one that started

44:03

this. He brought these

44:05

people in and I'm

44:09

glad I got to talk to you. It

44:12

has helped me speaking to me. I'm

44:14

glad too, because I didn't have any

44:16

idea. I knew you had questions about

44:18

the department, but I didn't realize that

44:20

you had these feelings about it. And

44:23

so I'm glad that we get to address it. And

44:26

I said, I appreciate you taking the time.

44:30

To talk to me and help

44:32

me to understand a little bit better. You

44:35

know, it's like it was not

44:37

only losing my child, but that's

44:40

our right to know what

44:43

happened to our child. And

44:45

it should be given freely and

44:47

transparently. And

44:49

I never got that. I had

44:51

to fight and fight

44:53

and fight. And it should not have to

44:55

be that way. Blossom

44:58

explains that she's had all these resentments and she

45:00

doesn't want to hold on to them anymore. I

45:03

didn't want to be driven by hate, even

45:06

for this lady that did this to my son.

45:10

Like I would sit there

45:12

and I would wish the worst things on

45:14

her, but you

45:16

know, it's like. So

45:20

let's talk about that a little bit. With

45:22

the mention of Pamela Clier, there's

45:24

a shift in the conversation. Carol

45:27

helped hire Officer Clier and

45:30

he thinks she was a good cop. He

45:32

says he doesn't have all the details about

45:34

the night Braven died, but based on

45:36

what he knows, he doesn't fault

45:38

Officer Clier. In this

45:40

case with where the chase took place,

45:42

because it wasn't a residential zone, there

45:44

was not a lot of traffic, I

45:48

would have done the same thing. And it

45:52

would have wrecked me. It's

45:56

one of those things where, you know, you finally

45:58

get the person. And

46:00

you get them pulled over and you find out

46:02

that there's a kidnapping victim in the car you

46:05

feel like a hero or Something

46:08

like this happens and you don't feel

46:10

like you can ever drive a car again And

46:16

None of us unfortunately know what Pam Claire is going

46:18

through right now because none of us have been able

46:20

to talk to her You know for

46:22

all we know she's not doing very well right now And

46:25

that's one thing. I don't care about though. It's

46:28

like she's not the one Yeah,

46:31

it's us. She's the

46:33

one shouldering responsibility that her actions

46:36

Resulted in a life being lost but how

46:38

she's going on with her life. She has

46:40

her life my son doesn't My

46:45

family is suffering I'm

46:47

not saying who's suffering more I'm

46:51

not saying I'm not it's not a

46:53

contest of who's suffering more It's just

46:55

unfortunately a lot of lives got changed

46:57

in this situation After

47:00

that exchange blossom seems ready to

47:02

leave I Gotta

47:05

work in the morning I

47:09

have to get up that not to be a work at six The

47:14

next morning around 4 30 a.m. I

47:17

start getting text messages from blossom dozens

47:20

of them She's really upset with

47:22

some of the things Terrell said so

47:24

I meet with her a few days later to talk about it

47:27

He stuck up for this woman Like

47:31

made her out to be such a great great

47:33

person in life her being such a

47:36

great officer and and never

47:38

asking about my son Never

47:41

asking how great of a kid he

47:43

was or I had to I

47:45

had to tell him and just He

47:48

acknowledged our pain But

47:51

that was like a slap in my face to

47:53

sit there and oh poor her No,

47:57

there's no poor her this is

47:59

about my son's life being

48:02

taken and these

48:04

were the choices she made. Blossom

48:10

and the rest of the community still

48:12

haven't gotten a clear answer about why

48:14

the police department shut down so abruptly

48:16

and she still wonders if they were

48:18

hiding something about the accident. Some

48:21

people I spoke with speculated that the

48:23

department shut down because of the investigation

48:25

into Braven's death. Here's Josie

48:27

Passes who was a BIA officer at the

48:29

time. I heard that it was

48:32

directly because of the pursuit

48:34

and the fatality. From my understanding

48:36

it was common knowledge that that's why they

48:38

shut it down because of the investigation that

48:40

was going on. Former tribal

48:42

police employees who spoke to me on

48:45

background said that it closed because it

48:47

was running out of money and others

48:49

pointed to politics. Remember

48:51

AJ not afraid? He lost

48:53

his bid for re-election. They're officially new

48:56

leaders on the Crowed tribe as the

48:58

inauguration ceremony was held today. Frank White

49:00

Clay will serve as the new chair.

49:03

Frank White Clay said he didn't think

49:05

it was right that Not Afraid's administration

49:07

propped up the police force with COVID

49:09

funding. Everyone expected that he'd

49:11

shut it down when he came into office so

49:14

the theory is that Not Afraid closed it

49:16

himself before White Clay had the chance. Today

49:22

policing on the reservation is back to

49:24

what it used to be before mostly

49:26

in the hands of the BIA and

49:29

residents are still unhappy about it.

49:32

Going forward blossom says that

49:35

no matter who controls policing families

49:37

need more transparency from their law

49:39

enforcement and in 2023

49:42

a federal commission agreed

49:44

with her. Secretary

49:46

of the Interior Deb Holland held

49:48

a national listening tour inviting native

49:50

families to share their thoughts. When

49:53

the Commission stopped in Montana blossom

49:55

testified. Secretary of Interior Deb

49:57

Holland in delivering the Commission's

50:00

recommendations said crimes against indigenous

50:02

peoples have long been underfunded

50:04

and ignored. And last

50:06

December, President Biden signed an executive

50:08

order to make it easier for

50:10

tribes to access federal funding for

50:12

projects like locally run law enforcement.

50:15

Today there's still too many hoops to

50:17

jump through, too many

50:20

strings attached, and too many inefficiencies

50:22

in the process. But none

50:24

of what the federal government does or doesn't do,

50:26

at this point, will

50:29

bring Braven Gwen back. Braven

50:34

is buried at the foot of the

50:37

prior mountains, an hour drive from where

50:39

Blossom lives. The

50:41

family gathers there multiple times a year. Everyone

50:44

will sit and visit with him, and

50:46

swap stories about the way he used to make

50:49

them laugh. Remember when

50:51

he was dinosaur blonde? He's like, Jolie, do you think

50:53

it's going to look all right? Do you think it'll

50:55

look good? He was going to ask me,

50:57

and I was like, I'm going to

51:00

look good, let's try it, come on, hear

51:02

me. But is it going to look good, though? Do

51:06

you know how to do it? And I was like, yes, I know how

51:08

to do it. He's lying.

51:12

Blossom hasn't given up on seeking

51:14

accountability for those involved in her

51:16

son's death. Her lawsuit

51:18

is still moving forward, and she filed

51:20

a motion that she hopes will lead

51:22

to a ruling by this summer. This

51:31

story was reported by Samantha Michaels from Mother

51:33

Jones. You'll find a link to her written

51:36

story on our website. Our

51:38

lead producer for this week's show is

51:40

Najeeb Amini, with help from filmmaker Mark

51:42

Helenevsky. Mark produced a short

51:45

film about Braven's story that you'll also

51:47

find on our website. Jenny

51:49

Kosses edited the show with help from

51:51

Maddie Oatman. Thanks to our

51:53

partners at Mother Jones, James West, and

51:55

Ruth Mariah, Jordan Paws did the cultural

51:57

competency week for this episode. This

52:00

reporting was supported by a grant from

52:02

Columbia University's Ira A. Lippmann Center for

52:04

Journalism and Civil and Human Rights, as

52:07

well as Arnold Ventures. Nikki

52:09

Frick is our fact checker. She had help

52:11

from Henry Carnell and Nina Wong. Legal

52:14

Review by James Chadwick. Victoria Baranetsky

52:16

is our general counsel. Our

52:19

production managers are the Wonder Twins,

52:21

Steven Raskon and Zulema Cobb, score

52:23

and sound design by the dynamic

52:25

duo, Jay Breezy, Mr. Jim Briggs

52:27

and Fernando Mamayo Arruda. Our

52:29

interim executive producers are Taki Telenides

52:31

and Brett Myers. Our theme

52:34

music is by Kamarato, Lightning. Support

52:36

for Reveals provided by the Riva

52:38

and David Logan Foundation, The Ford

52:41

Foundation, The John D. and Catherine

52:43

T. MacArthur Foundation, The Johnson-Logan Family

52:45

Foundation, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,

52:47

The Park Foundation and The Hellman

52:49

Foundation. Reveal is a

52:51

co-production of the Center for Investigative Reporting

52:53

and PRX. I'm Al Ledson. And

52:56

remember, there is always more to the

52:58

story. From

53:12

PRX.