Kiowa Chairman on tribal tag controversy: ‘We know what the reason is, they just want to harass the citizens’

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Kiowa Chairman, Lawrence Spottedbird, joined 7News anchor Tarra Bates to discuss important events and topics affecting Tribes across Oklahoma.

One of those topics was the recent tribal tag controversy. When asked if he agreed with the new enforcement policy, Chairman Spottedbird said he feels like the state is harassing tribal citizens for political reasons, and the policy simply doesn’t make sense.

Chairman Spottedbird went further and said he believes this is racial profiling and the reason for the policy is to simply harass the citizens.

When asked what he thought about the $3.3 million in taxpayer funds being used by the state for legal fees associated with ongoing tribal disputes, Spottedbird said he thinks it’s frivolous spending of taxpayer dollars that should actually go toward programs to help Oklahoma citizens.

The Chairman said throughout the interview that he and other tribal leaders want to meet with Governor Stitt to discuss the issues at play.

Watch the interview above to hear more of what Chairman Spottedbird had to say.

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