AG Drummond addresses major issues

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond visited Okmulgee County on a listening tour Monday to discuss issues facing the state. Drummond was in Henryetta Monday morning at the Civic Center, which was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce.

Later that day, he spoke at the OSUIT Student during the afternoon. In attendance were members of the Muscogee Nation, state, city and county government officials and various law agencies, including Henryetta Police Chief Steve Norman and Sheriff Eddy Rice.

Jeremy Roberts introduced the attorney general and gave a brief overview before turning the meeting over to Drummond.

“I truly appreciate this audience … The reputation that Okmulgee County has and the City of Henryetta has in relation to other communities of your size, you’re heads and shoulders above … The objective of these listening tours is … for two reasons. One, to kind of give you an insight into what is important in the state of Oklahoma from the Attorney General’s perspective. But equally of importance is for me to listen and hear from you the issues and complaints that you have…” Gentner spoke about important local issues which include Native American and Oklahoma relationships.

“We have a lot of issues that are going on that need to be addressed by an independently elected Attorney General puts a rule of law first. Not one day goes by where I don’t remind myself who my client is as your chief lawyer, and it’s the citizens of Oklahoma, not the politically elite, not the statewide elected officers not the legislature judiciary or administration, but the voters and that’s why I want to be here and I want to be heard by you and be responsive.”

--- On the McGirt Decision “In 2018, the Supreme Court decided that the five tribes - Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, Choctaw Cherokee - had certain treaty rights that had been ignored by the State of Oklahoma … About three weeks ago, the 10th Circuit ruled in the Hooper case, that even municipalities don’t have ticketed rights over Native Americans. And I share the frustration of our law enforcement because it is almost as though I’ve had several sheriffs and chiefs of police say, I mean, I just want to throw my hands up, I don’t know what to do. If we expend a lot of resources stopping people, and yet we can’t ticket them, and if we ticket them, then they get this and then are dismissed. That frustration isn’t lost on me. Unfortunately, here’s where we are.”

Drummond stated the U.S. Congress will not pass a law that solves the problem. And the United States Supreme Court will not undo McGirt.

“So I will tell this audience … in the next next three and a half years, I’m absolutely committed to finding a solution that acknowledges the sovereignty of the drums recognizes the need for law enforcement, such that we make sure lawbreakers regardless of your heritage, or your political affiliation are prosecuted and law abiding people are protected. And that just has to be the case.”

Drummond stated a very important issue for the attorney general’s office is the “fallout of passing the medical marijuana, and failing to properly oversee and organize and promulgate rules that contained the production of marijuana.”

“There are at least 3,000 honest Oklahomans with grow operations abiding by the rules, paying their taxes, legally doing it right. We have over 3,000 that are doing it wrong. They’re breaking the law. Some of those are Oklahomans, but the vast majority of them are Chinese syndicated crime organizations to Mexican cartels, one Cuban cartel and now a syndicated organized crime element from Eastern Europe that have come to Oklahoma. Why? Because we fail to enforce our laws on a statewide basis.

“So my objective of the next three and half years is to reverse that … and then working under Memorandums of Understanding with sheriffs and the police chiefs, so that as they participate with us that they get money back so they have more money to hire better equipment and more robust staff.”

The attorney general also spoke on openness and transparency and open records requirements.

Drummond spoke about the alleged misuse of G.E.E.R. and other federal funding; along with the Swadley’s investigation with the Tourism department, and EPIC Charter.

“We are more likely to not have to write a check to the federal government for $28 million. Because we got it, and we did not deploy it appropriately. Now, were there criminal actions or is this just malfeasance and poor leadership?”

The attorney general admitted that there is a hard fight ahead.

“I sometimes cross swords with other state elected officials. They are great individuals with whom I have a great relationship. But just because they might be in a position of power doesn’t mean they get a pass. We have to do the right thing, and we have to work together. We’re a small state. There’s four million of us. There’s that many people in Dallas/Fort Worth. So we have to pull together and be a team. Whether you’re Native or non native, whether you’re Republican or Democrat, whether you’re a farmer or a rancher or a businessman or a first responder, whether you’re a public school teacher, or private school student, we are one state.”

- Criminal Justice Reform “Appropriate criminal justice reform is always welcomed. Appropriate criminal justice reform, for example. You women, did you realize you are the most violent incarcerated of all 50 states? There is a higher risk of Oklahoma women in prison than there aren’t in Nicaragua. We - we are apparently a horrible lot of people. So I know our women, and they’re not that bad. But we do have an issue. (Oklahoma) has the highest incarceration rate in the United States. So we’ve got an issue and we need to work with it so that opens up this narrative of responsible criminal justice reform.”

Following the meeting, the attorney general visited with members of the audience before moving on Okmulgee for his next stop.