Sauk-Suiattle members urge feds to step in against leaders 'abusing' power

SAUK-SUIATTLE RESERVATION —On a hot June afternoon, tribal elder Norma Joseph pushed her walker up the ramp of her sister’s home on the reservation’s circular street, Chief Brown Lane.

She might have walked to her own home, but the tribal council has delayed building a ramp to her front door for more than a year, and she struggles to climb the steps.

In April, Joseph was one of eight members from the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe who signed a letter begging for “swift action” against “a Tribal Council who are grossly abusing the power of their office.”

The letter outlines 19 issues ranging from denying services and misappropriation of funds to shrouding the sovereign government in secrecy. They sent it to 12 state and federal agencies, requesting immediate intervention.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/sauk-suiattle-members-urge-feds-to-step-in-against-leaders-abusing-power/