Kevin Abourezk: Oglala Sioux Tribe approves vote on alcohol

The Oglala Sioux tribal council voted Tuesday night to allow the tribe’s members to decide whether to legalize alcohol on the tribe’s South Dakota reservation.

“Let’s hear the voice of the people,” said council member Robin Tapio during the council’s meeting in Oglala, S.D.

Tribal President Bryan Brewer said he doesn’t support legalizing alcohol on the reservation, at least until the tribe develops a plan to address the likely increase in crime that would occur after legalization.

“That alcohol that’s coming on the reservation is killing our children, killing our people,” he said.

The vote to allow the tribe’s members to decide whether to legalize alcohol is closely intertwined with efforts to stop the flow of beer from the Nebraska village of Whiteclay, which is about a mile south of Pine Ridge, the tribe’s largest village.