Noem Reverts to Nice Letters; Tribes Stand Firm on Wisdom of Coronavirus Checkpoints

[TexasTowelie]

140 hours ago, Governor Kristi Noem gave the Cheyenne River Sioux and Oglala Sioux tribes 48 hours to remove their coronavirus-control checkpoints from highways on their reservations or face legal action.

Evidently Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg is still looking for his crayons. Instead of a lawsuit, Governor Noem has now sent a nice letter to Oglala Sioux President Julian Bear Runner reiterating her call for closure of the contentious checkpoints but dropping all mention of legal action.

Noem has sent a similar gentle letter to Cheyenne River Sioux Chairman Harold Frazier, who apparently recognizes Noem’s letter as a sign that he holds the winning hand, says the checkpoints will remain in operation for as long as needed to protect his people:

“Thank you for your letter we received yesterday offering comments on consultation for a potential “pathway forward” regarding the CRST COVID-19 health safety checkpoints. We appreciate your concern about preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation and our taking action for the good of all people on the reservation. We will take your three-part plan into consideration. In the meantime, please forward any complains you have received regarding the operation of our healthy safety checkpoints to the CRST COVID-19 Command Center,” responded Chairman Frazier.

The tribal leader told West River Eagle today, “The checkpoints will continue until they are no longer a necessary part of our pandemic response team” [Alaina Beautiful Bald Eagle, “Frazier Responds to Noem, Update: The Checkpoints Will Continue,” West River Eagle, 2020.05.13].

Read more: http://dakotafreepress.com/2020/05/14/noem-reverts-to-nice-letters-tribes-stand-firm-on-wisdom-of-coronavirus-checkpoints/