Latest news with #RosebudSiouxTribe
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local legislators back tribe's declaration of emergency
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Two of South Dakota's lawmakers who represent the area have written a formal letter of support for the state of public safety emergency declared by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe president. Mitchell residents against Davison County prison site Democratic Rep. Eric Emery and Republican Rep. Rebecca Reimer signed the letter sent June 2 to RST President Kathleen Wooden Knife. Letter-to-Pres.-Wooden-Knife-for-State-of-Emergency-1Download President Wooden Knife's May 27 proclamation follows previous emergency declarations in August 2019 and August 2024. The current proclamation is featured on the Rosebud Sioux Tribe government website and cites 'pervasive law and order and public health issues related to the epidemic of meth and illicit drug use, drug trafficking, and gun related violence and other violent and unlawful activity creating severe and extreme threats to public safety, the health and welfare of the general public.' In her proclamation, President Wooden Knife calls on the U.S. government, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs 'to honor their legal, statutory, trust and treaty obligations to provide sufficient resources for competent law enforcement patrol, reporting and investigations (of) criminal activity.' The letter from Emery and Reimer thanks Wooden Knife and says they are honored to stand beside her effort. Emery, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, represents the southern portion of the legislative district that includes the Rosebud Indian Reservation, while Reimer represents the district's northern part. 'We commend your decisive leadership in addressing this crisis and your administration'swillingness to take action in a time of immense difficulty. It takes courage to confront suchchallenges head-on, and your focus on protecting your people is both necessary anddeeply respected,' their letter states. 'As representatives of our communities, made up of families, elders, first responders,educators, and caregivers, we understand that this crisis reaches far beyond public impacts the well-being of the people in every way and calls for a unified, sustainedresponse rooted in compassion, cultural respect, and community-focused action,' the letter continues. U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, a former governor of South Dakota, has been pushing the federal government for a second tribal law enforcement training center to be placed somewhere in the Great Plains region. Then-Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, provided funding last year for some tribal law officers to receive training through a state course conducted under the state Office of Attorney General. She later held a summit on tribal law enforcement and urged then-U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, a Democrat, to take action on tribal public safety. Noem had been temporarily banned from all nine reservations in South Dakota after a speech to the Legislature last year in which she said drug cartels were using reservations as protection and for other remarks that tribal leaders said were offensive. Noem in turn called for law enforcement agreements between tribal and state governments. The Oglala Sioux Tribe, which neighbors the Rosebud reservation, has twice sued the federal government over inadequate law enforcement on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Rounds also recently called for creation of a federal commission on violent crimes committed on tribal reservations. Republican U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, who holds South Dakota's lone U.S. House seat, in March urged that 'waste, fraud, and abuse of funds for Indian country' be examined by the federal government. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Wanted man arrested in Rapid City for shooting death
SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — An 18-year-old man was arrested for the shooting death of another man. Michael Barrera, 18, was arrested in Rapid City by the U.S. Marshal Service on Wednesday, according to a Facebook post from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe's law enforcement. GFP wants more river otters trapped in eastern counties Barrera is being held at the Pennington County Jail. The investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement is asking the public to share any information they might know related to the death. Authorities say Barrera is accused of shooting and killing a 23-year-old Grass Mountain man. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact law enforcement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
29-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
South Dakota tribe declares state of emergency over crime
The Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota has declared a public safety state of emergency on its reservation, asking for more law enforcement resources from the federal government. It's the tribe's third emergency declaration in six years as members contend with methamphetamine and other illicit drug use, trafficking and gun violence on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. The tribe previously declared states of emergency in 2019 and 2024. Kathleen Wooden Knife, president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, wrote in the declaration on Tuesday that the emergency is due to "pervasive law and order and public health issues ... creating threats to public safety, the health and welfare of the general public." The declaration asked for increased patrol and investigative support from federal agencies, cooperation from the 12 communities on the reservation and coordination between the tribe and federal government. Law enforcement is stretched thin on many reservations in the U.S., leading some tribes to sue the federal government. In a lawsuit the Oglala Sioux tribe filed against the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. government is obligated by treaty to support law enforcement on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The Rosebud Indian Reservation has a dozen law enforcement officers for an area that stretches nearly 1 million acres (404,686 hectares) across five counties, said Lewis Good Voice Eagle, chief of staff to Wooden Knife. Low staffing is partially due to 2016 budget cuts, as well as difficulty retaining officers who don't receive the same benefits as they would working elsewhere. After previous emergency declarations, the reservation received help from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Interior, though it was not enough to solve the problems, Good Voice Eagle said. "With the shortage of law enforcement and the shortage of juris doctorate barred attorneys, it has really created another nightmare on the Rosebud Indian Reservation," he said. Crime on South Dakota's nine Native American reservations has been a longstanding issue and the subject of tense relations with former South Dakota governor and current Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The nine tribes in the state banned her from tribal lands last year for saying publicly that tribal leaders were catering to drug cartels on the reservations.
28-05-2025
- Politics
South Dakota tribe declares state of emergency over crime
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota has declared a public safety state of emergency on its reservation, asking for more law enforcement resources from the federal government. It's the tribe's third emergency declaration in six years as members contend with methamphetamine and other illicit drug use, trafficking and gun violence on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. The tribe previously declared states of emergency in 2019 and 2024. Kathleen Wooden Knife, president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, wrote in the declaration on Tuesday that the emergency is due to 'pervasive law and order and public health issues ... creating threats to public safety, the health and welfare of the general public.' The declaration asked for increased patrol and investigative support from federal agencies, cooperation from the 12 communities on the reservation and coordination between the tribe and federal government. Law enforcement is stretched thin on many reservations in the U.S., leading some tribes to sue the federal government. In a lawsuit the Oglala Sioux tribe filed against the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. government is obligated by treaty to support law enforcement on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The Rosebud Indian Reservation has a dozen law enforcement officers for an area that stretches nearly 1 million acres (404,686 hectares) across five counties, said Lewis Good Voice Eagle, chief of staff to Wooden Knife. Low staffing is partially due to 2016 budget cuts, as well as difficulty retaining officers who don't receive the same benefits as they would working elsewhere. After previous emergency declarations, the reservation received help from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Interior, though it was not enough to solve the problems, Good Voice Eagle said. 'With the shortage of law enforcement and the shortage of juris doctorate barred attorneys, it has really created another nightmare on the Rosebud Indian Reservation,' he said. Crime on South Dakota's nine Native American reservations has been a longstanding issue and the subject of tense relations with former South Dakota governor and current Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The nine tribes in the state banned her from tribal lands last year for saying publicly that tribal leaders were catering to drug cartels on the reservations.
San Francisco Chronicle
28-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
South Dakota tribe declares state of emergency over crime
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota has declared a public safety state of emergency on its reservation, asking for more law enforcement resources from the federal government. It's the tribe's third emergency declaration in six years as members contend with methamphetamine and other illicit drug use, trafficking and gun violence on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. The tribe previously declared states of emergency in 2019 and 2024. Kathleen Wooden Knife, president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, wrote in the declaration on Tuesday that the emergency is due to 'pervasive law and order and public health issues ... creating threats to public safety, the health and welfare of the general public.' The declaration asked for increased patrol and investigative support from federal agencies, cooperation from the 12 communities on the reservation and coordination between the tribe and federal government. Law enforcement is stretched thin on many reservations in the U.S., leading some tribes to sue the federal government. In a lawsuit the Oglala Sioux tribe filed against the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. government is obligated by treaty to support law enforcement on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The Rosebud Indian Reservation has a dozen law enforcement officers for an area that stretches nearly 1 million acres (404,686 hectares) across five counties, said Lewis Good Voice Eagle, chief of staff to Wooden Knife. Low staffing is partially due to 2016 budget cuts, as well as difficulty retaining officers who don't receive the same benefits as they would working elsewhere. After previous emergency declarations, the reservation received help from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Interior, though it was not enough to solve the problems, Good Voice Eagle said. 'With the shortage of law enforcement and the shortage of juris doctorate barred attorneys, it has really created another nightmare on the Rosebud Indian Reservation,' he said. Crime on South Dakota's nine Native American reservations has been a longstanding issue and the subject of tense relations with former South Dakota governor and current Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The nine tribes in the state banned her from tribal lands last year for saying publicly that tribal leaders were catering to drug cartels on the reservations.
