Five Tribes come out against Oklahoma governor's state, tribal police task force

A group of Oklahoma's largest tribal nations told Gov. Kevin Stitt this week that its members would not join his new public safety task force, saying it was “designed to divide rather than unify.”

The Five Tribes — Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee and Seminole nations — sent a letter to Stitt formally opposing the new task force and calling on the state to engage in good faith talks instead. The group of tribal governments criticized the mission and design of the task force, citing the same criticisms that many of the tribes’ elected leaders had already voiced.

Stitt ordered the task force to study the “havoc” caused by tribes gaining additional police powers on tribal reservations. Tribal leaders contend the purported chaos doesn’t exist.

“We are eager to work with our friends and neighbors to improve coordination in public safety efforts,” the Five Tribes said in their letter emailed to Stitt Tuesday. “What we cannot do is participate in an effort that spreads falsehoods about the law, attempts to minimize tribal voices and engages in political attacks instead of constructive government-to-government dialogue.”

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Why tribal leaders have refused to join Gov. Kevin Stitt's task force

In a statement, the governor’s office said Stitt was making a good faith effort by including tribes in discussions about solutions.

“The tribes wanted a seat at the table and to influence the state’s response to the issue,” his spokesperson, Abegail Cave, said. “Governor Stitt gave them a seat at the table, and they’ve chosen not to participate.”

She declined to say who Stitt might appoint instead to the Five Tribes' seat on the 13-member task force. A second seat was reserved for a representative of one of the 33 other federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma. Cave said the task force would also allow “additional groups to present upon request.“

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The Five Tribes’ letter chided the lack of tribal representation on the task force and noted the state had no power to “mandate any tribe to defer to another tribe to speak on its behalf.“

The letter was signed by the top elected leaders of each of the Five Tribes, including Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Chickasaw Gov. Bill Anoatubby, Choctaw Chief Gary Batton, Muscogee Principal Chief David Hill and Seminole Chief Lewis Johnson.

Hoskin, Anoatubby, Batton and Hill had all previously expressed individual objections to the task force.

The split between Stitt and tribal leaders is not unexpected. They have disagreed for years about the legal standing of tribal reservations in the state, affirmed by a 2020 Supreme Court decision.

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Stitt created the task force Dec. 22, ordering it to come up with ways to fix “broken” criminal justice systems on the reservations. He cited a dispute between Muscogee Nation Lighthorse police and Okmulgee County jail employees as one example.

The first meeting date of the task force has not been announced. It will likely be later in January or early February, the governor's office said.

Molly Young covers Indigenous affairs. Reach her at mollyyoung@gannett.com or 405-347-3534.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Largest Oklahoma tribal nations oppose Gov. Kevin Stitt task force