Cherokees lead rally against Tulsa’s attack on McGirt | News

TULSA – Cherokees and other tribesmen were “blinded” by the Tulsa Mayor’s support for overturning the historic McGirt v Oklahoma ruling by the US Supreme Court on October 27th at City Hall.

The crowd first met at a downtown hotel to organize, then marched several blocks to City Hall shouting “honor the treaty” and other calls to arms while holding signs reflecting the group’s anger.

“I’m here to say that going against us won’t be productive at all,” said Joe Deere, Cherokee Nation tribal councilor who represents Owasso and parts of Tulsa, both of which support McGirt’s demise. “Tulsa and Owasso have proven to be opponents of tribal sovereignty. Cherokee Nation is ready to move forward together. The question is, are Tulsa and Owasso. “

The Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission met at City Hall for an emergency meeting at which they voted to urge Tulsa to withdraw its amicus assignment against McGirt. The rally organizer, Tulsa CN resident Sarah Gray, said the march was “a show of support and respect to let the commissioners, who are our people, know we have their backs.”

“We know you are in a difficult situation,” said Gray. “You have had a good relationship with the mayor for so long. You were blind. The chiefs were blind. But this topic is just too important. It won’t go away. People like me and many other tribal leaders and activists will fucking make sure it doesn’t go away. “

The rally, sponsored by the North Tulsa Cherokee Community Organization, came in response to the office of Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum filing an appeal asking the Supreme Court to overthrow McGirt. Tulsa joins the city of Owasso and the states of Texas, Kansas, Louisiana, and Nebraska in support of Oklahoma’s demand that the Supreme Court overturn its McGirt ruling that certain tribal reservations were never dissolved and that Oklahoma has no jurisdiction for crimes that by or against natives were committed by Americans in tribal reservations.

“The McGirt decision is the most important decision in Indian law for generations,” Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. told the crowd before marching. “When it comes to implementation, there are challenges and opportunities. But basically the McGirt decision is about whether the United States should keep its promise to the Indian tribes. In 2021, in the 21st century, the United States should keep its promise to the Indian tribes. “

Hoskin described Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt as “the most anti-tribal governor in the history of the state,” adding that Oklahoma’s opposition to McGirt “is to destroy reservations.”

Stitt has cited the McGirt decision as the biggest problem the state is facing, praising recent filings from cities of Oklahoma and others.

“Each of these pleadings effectively shows the chaos McGirt created and the dire consequences for all Oklahomans if the verdict is not overturned,” said Stitt.

The pleadings in support of McGirt’s reversal claim that crimes such as domestic violence have not been prosecuted because of the decision.

The day after the rally, CN Attorney General Sara Hill described to the Tribal Council what she called “a deluge of misinformation and half-truths” about the legal briefs filed against McGirt. Those filings, she said, “use information removed from their context to create a story they hope will appeal” to the US Supreme Court.

“Opponents of tribal sovereignty want Oklahomans to fear tribal justice,” Hill said. “They want them to feel like tribal attorneys, tribal victim attorneys, and tribal police who do not care about crime victims and that our courts cannot or will not protect the public. To make these arguments, they often refer to the Tait case. “

Tyler Tait, 34, a non-native doctor in the CN health system, was taken into custody earlier this month in connection with the murder of Moria Kinsey, 37, a former CN nurse. Tait was charged with domestic violence / assault and assault by the state in January. This case, dismissed by the state in April, has been referred to the tribe and reviewed, according to the CN.

“The letter says that in the absence of McGirt, this serial abuser may have been behind bars and his victim may not have died,” Hill said. “But the state itself never had the perpetrator behind bars when he was responsible, nor did it pursue any of the previous cases that were brought in when he was responsible. Instead, they fired them all, even without McGirt. “