From the Ludington Daily News:
Tribal office picketed
Some members voice displeasure with tribal council
Thursday, January 17, 2008
MANISTEE — Several members of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians carried signs and spoke against the tribal council outside the tribe’s offices Wednesday morning.
“The tribal council is overstepping (its) boundaries on everything,” said Levi Stone, one of the protesters.
Stone said the issue is about separation of powers among the tribe’s three branches of government — legislative/tribal council, executive/ogema and judicial/tribal court.
He has a commercial fish-netting operation licensed by the tribe and one of his complaints about the council is that it launched an investigation into the tribal fishing operations.
“That’s an ogema responsibility,” Stone said about the investigation.
Levi Stone also said the tribal council launched an investigation into two publications operated by tribal members.
Former tribal council member Israel Stone was also out with the demonstrators Wednesday.
“The investigations aren’t the biggest issue,” he said. “Several things (council members) have done are trying to usurp power from the ogema. At some point the council has to realize its power stops when legislation is adopted.”
Israel Stone said there are plans to try to recall several tribal council members, whom he did not name. He said tribal members have recall packets ready for the campaign.
He also said three of the council members — also not named — are good at their jobs and know the system, the others, he said, should be recalled.
“We have to remove them,” Israel Stone said.
“There is just a lot of frustration at the way things have been going and continue to go,” he said. “I’m just trying to inform and educate the people that this is a democratic process.”
Members of the group planned to raise questions during Wednesday morning’s tribal council meeting. The Daily News was kept from the meeting and the tribal offices Wednesday.
“As a democracy, we take our governing process very seriously,” Glenn Zaring, public information director for the tribe, stated. “What you see here today is an exercise of our tribal constitutional rights to freedom of speech. We applaud the fact that our tribal citizens are passionate and involved in their governance.”
The council also had the following statements about other tribal issues.
“Fishing: Cannot comment on ongoing litigation.
“Fraud: Cannot comment on ongoing investigation.
“Criminal sexual conduct: Cannot comment on ongoing court activity.”
Turtle Talk 