Digging into the Amicus Brief

PICK APART EACH CLAIM HTE CITYOF TULSA IS MAKING.JEANETTE -- THANK YOU.NOW -- WE )RE TURNING TO THATAMICUS BRIEF...SOME LEADERS CLAIM IT SHINES ASTARK LIGHT ON LIFE AFTER THEMICGRT RULING.THE 22 PAGE DOCUMENT SAYS --PEOPLE, BOTH NATIVE ANDNON-NATIVE -- ARE BEARING THEBRUNT OF CITY )S SHRINKING POWERTO GOVERN.TONIGHT --2 NEWS SENIOR REPORTER, SHARONPHILLIPS, GOES IN DEPTH ORF USTONIGHT.SHARON INTRO:THE 4 BRIEFS WERE FILED BY THECITIES OF TULSA AND OWASSO, ASWELL AS OKLAHOMA LAWENFORCEMENT, OKLAHOMA BUSINESSGROUPS,AND THE STATES OF TEXAS, KANSAS,LOUISIANA AND NEBRASKA.PKG:THE BRIEFS TAKE A HARD LOOK ATWHAT THEY SAY ARE THECONSEQUENCES OF THE MCGIRTDECISION.THE briefs ALSO LAY OUTTH ECONSEQUENCES FOR SPECIFICOKLAHOMANS IF THE RULING ISN )TOVERTURNED.THE MAJORITY OF TULSA )S LANDMASSITS WITHIN THE FORMER TERRITORYOF THE MUSCOGEE AND CHEROKEENATIONS,AND OWASSO SITS WITHIN THEFORMER TERRITORY OF THE CHEROKEENATION.UNDER THE MCGIRT RULING THESTATE CAN NOO LNGER PROSECUTECASES INVOLVING TRIBAL MEMBERSIN THOSE AREAS.(PAGE 2 UNERDLINED PORTION)THE AMICUS BRIEF lays out anargument that says the RULINGRENDERS CITIES PRACTICALLYPOWERLESS O TPROTECT CRIMEVICTIMS WHO ARE both native andnon-NATIVE.It says "BOTH CITIES POLICEDEPARTMENTS HA VEREFERREDTHOUSANDS OF CASES TO FEDERALPROSECUTORS AND TRIBALAUTHORITIES, BUT ONLY A FRACTIONOF THESE CASE ASRE PROSECUTED.(PAGE 9 UNDERLINE PORTION)According to the document:THE TULSA POLICE DEPARTMENT HASREFERRED 1,156 CASES TO THEMUSCOGEE AND CHEROKEE NATIONSEITHER BECAUSE THEY INVOLVE ANINDIAN PERPETRATOR OR BECAUSETHEY INVOLVE AN INDIAN VICTIM.YET THESE TRIBES HAVE NOT ISSUEDONE SINGLE SUBPOENA ASKING ATULSA POLICE OFFICER TO TESTIFYIN A SINGLE CRIMINAL CASE.(PAGE 2 UNDERLINED PORTION)THE BRIEF cites a couple ofexamples of domestic violencecases that haven )t beenprosecuted including one where atribal member was accused ofpunching his girlfriend in theface.the brief says:"... the manw as evidentlypromptly released, because eightdays later... he allegedlyassaulted the same woman asecond time in front of herchildren."(PAGE 8 UNDERLINE PORTION)THE BRIEF also DISCUSSESPROPERTY RELATED CRIMES SUCH ASBURGLARIES.

In one instance,they say a non-indian enteredthe apartment of two tribalcitizens and took some of theirbelongings.

When tulsa policecontacted the F-B-I theydeclined to prosecute because itwasn )t a violent crime involvina gun.

The report says "Justover two weeks later.... thesame suspect broke into a lockedapartment and tried to forec hisway into the bedroom... whilearmed with a knife."To read the f