(CONCHO, OK) First and foremost, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes will use all our legal resources to fight for our Tribes’ sovereign right to issue motor vehicle tags, and to fight for all of our tribal citizens to ensure they are not being racially profiled and targeted.
There appears to be a lot of misinformation regarding this issue, and we are still in the fact gathering stages of exactly what the State of Oklahoma’s directive is to their Department of Public Safety and Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
This week at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), myself and other tribal leaders from Oklahoma have held several meetings to discuss this issue and are working to come up with a unified approach in dealing with this issue. Just like the Gaming and Tobacco Compact issues tribes have dealt with during Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s administration, it is proven the tribes are stronger when we all work together to find a common solution.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond released a statement yesterday assuring everyone the Oklahoma Highway Patrol will not detain someone unless there is first a traffic violation. AG Drummond also stated he will issue guidance to tribal citizens to address and remove the anxiety and fear.
However, in the interim, we will continue to fight for all of our tribal citizens. If any of our tribal citizens are pulled over, we are asking you to politely ask the officer why you were stopped, and then contact my Office of Tribal Attorney to make arrangements to have your ticket sent to the office. My administration wants to make it clear; we are going to handle anything that may impact our tribal citizens regarding the motor vehicle tag issue.
For interviews or more information contact the Office of the Governor Communications Officer Chris Roman Nose at 405-397-0395.
Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune 