A sign on the Lower Brule Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Photo from Rolf Blauert / Wikipedia
Leaders of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota held their first council meeting since the passing of Chairman Michael Jandreau and the affair was far from peaceful. Vice chairman Kevin Brown declared himself to be acting chairman, a move contested by some within the tribe. The meeting soon devolved into a shouting match, the Associated Press reported. "I will assure the people that we will follow the constitution," Wright said at the meeting, the AP reported. "I will assure the people that we will provide services that they deserve and ... that we will continue as a government." The tribe's constitution, requires the tribal council to appoint someone to fill a seat that has become vacant due to death. The appointed person will serve out the remainder of the unexpired term, the document states. The constittuion, however, appears to be silent on Wright's decision to declare himself as acting chairman. Supporters of Jandreau, who led the tribe for 36 years, are disputing who exactly is in charge and the dispute could end up in tribal court. Jandreau was re-elected last September. Council terms run for two years so he was due to serve until 2016. Get the Story:
Lower Brule council meeting erupts when chairman declared (AP 4/16) Human Rights Watch Report:
Secret and Unaccountable: The Tribal Council at Brule and Its Impact on Human Rights (January 2015)
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