Policy Matters: Bringing everyone to the table By: Ahniwake Rose Guest Columnist July 21, 2021
Ahniwake Rose
Managing groups – whether in private business or the public sector – is never an easy task, especially as we work with people who have an array of beliefs and life experiences. Successful leadership focuses on bringing people together toward a common vision; this requires leaders to emphasize inclusion, not division. Unfortunately, this lesson is being ignored by too many Oklahoma leaders recently.
The question of inclusion was very much on my mind following last week’s “community impact event” that Gov. Stitt and Tulsa District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler organized to discuss the landmark Supreme Court
New Courthouse Display Honors Court Dogs, Handlers
The Tulsa County Courthouse is honoring some special courtroom dogs and their handlers.
For more than a decade, the dogs have been providing emotional support for children testifying in abuse cases. Sometimes they just don t feel like they have a friend in the world. But they know that this dog loves them unconditionally, said the retired prosecutor and volunteer court dog handler Allen Pease.
Court dog Miss Chance was rescued by Pease, and together, they ve been helping children in court for six years. Pease remembers a 10-year-old boy at a hearing for a sexual abuse case.
topical featured popular top story Choctaw Nation responds after Stitt ends McGirt forum early
By Adrian O Hanlon III | Editor Jul 14, 2021
DERRICK JAMES | Staff photoChoctaw Nation headquarters
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt ended a forum explaining implications from the McGirt decision early amid jeers from the audience.
Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler and Stitt s office designed the âMcGirt v Oklahoma Community Forumâ to inform the public about the implications of the Supreme Court decision â but it spiraled out of control Tuesday with activists clamoring for Native American representation on the panel and jeers from the audience.
Choctaw Nation officials said Wednesday the McGirt decision was the correct decision and communication can help all sides finds solutions to some stemming questions.
Tulsa DA describes interrupted McGirt forum as successful , hopes to have another
and last updated 2021-07-14 20:31:29-04
TULSA, Okla. â A forum dedicated to answering questions for crime victims about the McGirt ruling sparked a protest and ended early.
The Tuesday evening event was organized by Tulsa s District Attorney, Steve Kunzweiler, with the goal of helping Oklahomans understand the McGirt ruling and its impacts.
The ruling means much of northeast Oklahoma is considered an Indian reservation. Thus, tribes or the federal government now prosecute crimes involving Native Americans.
âA lot of Native Americans donât realize the tribes can only get involved in criminal justice cases if one of the members is the suspect in committing the crime, unless itâs domestic violence,â Kunzweiler said the day after the forum.
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By Grant D. Crawford and Keri Thornton gcrawford@tahlequahdailypress.com Jul 14, 2021
District 27 District Attorney Jack Thorp called Tuesday s McGirt forum a waste of time.
District Attorney Jack Thorp said a forum with Gov. Kevin Stitt and a group of prosecutors to discuss the impact of the U.S. Supreme Courtâs McGirt ruling was a waste of time, although conceptually, the idea was solid.
The forum, held Tuesday evening in the Cox Business Convention Center in Tulsa, drew criticism before it began. Participants said the event was designed to help victims of criminal cases affected by McGirt, and to discuss the ruling s impact on how criminals are prosecuted in the state. But tribal leaders were skeptical about the forumâs actual intent, with Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. reportedly calling it âan anti-McGirt rally for political reasons.â