BAILEYVILLE – Accusations of racism can be upsetting when leveled against an individual. But after five people were arrested last month in connection with an attack on two Indian Township youths, the integrity of an entire town came into question.

Is Baileyville a racist town?

Town officials say no.

Indian Township tribal members are split on the question.

Yes, says former governor and tribal elder John Stevens, 74.

No, says Indian Township tribal Chief Billy Nicholas, 37.

It’s a part of life Down East, says a 21-year-old tribal member.

Washington County is a “redneck county,” agrees Town Council Chairwoman Dorothy Johnson. But even so, she said, she does not believe Baileyville is full of racists. “We have some idiots just like everyone else, but basically our kids are not racist,” she said. “The adults are not, either.”

The issue of alleged racism smacked this town of nearly 1,600 residents squarely in its face earlier this month when four men and a juvenile were arrested in connection with an attack on two Indian Township youths.

Sean MacArthur, 20, Nicholas James, 18, David Townsend, 21, and Adam Casey, 24, all of Baileyville, were charged with assault, along with a 17-year-old who was not identified by police.

The Baileyville police notified the Attorney General’s Office, which confirmed last week the matter had been referred to it, but said it was waiting for the investigation to be completed. Once done, the Attorney General’s Office will determine whether the alleged attack was racially motivated; until then it is being labeled an assault.

Thomas Harnett, assistant attorney general for civil rights education and enforcement, said his office in general sees no more racial trouble in the Calais area than in other parts of the state.

“I don’t think that it’s necessarily more racially charged [Down East] than other places in the state,” he said Friday. “There are issues that arise just because of the dynamics of the community, but no more than anywhere else.”

It can happen anywhere

Indian Township tribal member Daschelle Newton, 21, believes she will always live in a world snared in racism.

“I don’t think there is a solution to this,” she said quietly.

Her mother, tribal clerk Denise Polches, said racism can happen anywhere, even at home. “It can happen in your own community,” the mother said.

“I experienced that with Daschelle going to school here [at Indian Township]. She was excluded from activities because she didn’t look like me.” Newton has very light skin.

Newton attended Calais High School because she wanted to be one of the Blue Devils, who are known for their basketball and sports programs. This year 20 Passamaquoddy students – 18 from Indian Township (which had a population of 676 people according to the 2000 census) and two from Pleasant Point (with a 2000 population of about 640) – are enrolled at Calais High School.

“I heard … the school itself was very racist,” she said of Woodland High School in Baileyville. “We had [Passamaquoddy] kids that went to school at Woodland when I was going to high school that changed either to Calais or Lee Academy later on.”

Some students from Indian Township do attend Woodland High School, said tribal member Wayne Newell, who is in charge of bilingual and cultural programming at Indian Township. This year 11 tribal students attend the high school.

He said he has not received any reports of racism there. “We always try to make sure that the [schools receiving students] are receptive to the needs of our children. … I think people should be held accountable,” he added. “But I don’t think you can label the high school or the entire town as having that problem.”

The tribal chief also doesn’t believe Baileyville is a community of racists. He said his daughter attends Woodland High School and she would tell him if there were a problem. “She speaks up, she’s very vocal … and she’s well-known. She’s well-known because of what she’s created for herself, not because of who she is,” the tribal chief said.

The chief knows what racism is – he has seen it while growing up. “Some of the things were pretty low, but you take it where it’s coming from,” he said. “You take [that] it’s the alcohol that is creating some of the incidents that motivated the racial slurs, but I have to tell you I haven’t heard it in a long time.”

Woodland High School Principal Patti Metta said Wednesday that students who attend school in Baileyville are treated with respect and dignity, and the school has zero tolerance for any kind of misconduct.

“We have no problems whatsoever between any groups of students, whether they be Princeton or Woodland or Township or Woodland; we have no problems whatsoever in the school system,” she said.

Union 107 Superintendent Barry McLaughlin noted that four of those arrested were no longer students. He said the school has policies in place to deal with race issues.

“I think there’s always the potential for tensions, but we always try to address those,” he said. The school also has an affirmative action officer who investigates allegations involving race, religion and sexual orientation.

August incidents

The arrests in Baileyville stem from an Aug. 19 incident on Broadway Street after two tribal members allegedly were attacked and beaten up. When police arrived, they found that one of the Passamaquoddy youths had bruises, cuts and swelling on his arm and injuries to his head.

Tensions spilled over to the next night, when around 50 people from Indian Township arrived in Baileyville. Police ordered them home and they left without incident.

Police believe the tensions started because of racial remarks – including name-calling – made on an Internet social networking site. According to police, the Internet chat turned into an actual incident when on Aug. 17 a Baileyville juvenile alleged that some American Indian boys had chased him.

The next night, two Baileyville boys told police they were jumped on Second Avenue by two American Indian boys and a girl. Baileyville Police Chief Phil Harriman said Tuesday that others may be charged, including tribal members, because police continue to investigate that incident. It happened the day before the beating.

Chief Nicholas said he has faith in the Baileyville Police Department and the judicial process and believes the matter will be resolved.

“From what I read in the newspaper it sounded like they were doing the right thing,” he said.

Unfinished issues

It has been eerily quiet in the town for the past few weeks.

Town Manager Scott Harriman said he does not believe his town is made up of racists. “We’re neighbors here in Washington County,” Harriman said. “We try to work together on things that will benefit both of us. The tribe has been a great neighbor, and we’ve tried to be great neighbors as well.”

Stevens doesn’t agree. The tribal elder, who faced racism growing up, including having rocks thrown at him when he crossed the bridge into Princeton, said he was not surprised at what happened in Baileyville.

“It’s bad there,” he said. “It’s even worse there than here [in Princeton] or in Calais.”

Stevens recalled an incident several years ago when a jurisdictional issue developed over a fishing derby and the tribe’s claims of jurisdiction over most of the bodies of water in eastern Washington County spilled over. It involved Baileyville residents, so the Town Council held a meeting.

“They never invited us,” Stevens said.

Officials feared that tensions might escalate into a “shooting” match between anglers and Indians.

“You got a lot of people going down to Wal-Mart stocking up on ammunition instead of fishing gear, and I’m serious,” one Baileyville angler told the Town Council at that time.

Cooler heads prevailed over that incident and the controversy was peacefully resolved, but Stevens said issues like that refuse to go away.