A woman is held down by a State Trooper in the 2003 Narragansett tribe smoke shop raid. Image from http://www.progressive-charlestown.com.

WPRO Newsroom

Narragansett Tribal Council member Randy Noka said the memories of the smoke shop raid still haunt him ten years later.

“It’s certainly a day we’ll never forget,” said Noka, who was arrested the day of the raid.

July 13 marks the anniversary of the raid of a site the Narragansett tribe used to sell untaxed cigarettes. Noka said the relationship between the state and the Narragansetts hasn’t improved over the past ten years.

“It’s been suspect since Roger Williams shook hands with some of my ancestors,” he said.

Noka pointed to the failed proposal for a Narragansett casino in 2006, comparing it to the approval of expanded gaming at Twin River Casino this year.

“It’s not a coincidence that these things happen, there’s a mindset, there’s a prejudice,” he said.

Noka said when he passes the site of the smoke shop, the events of the day – including his and others’ violent arrests – come back in living color.