A delegation of local Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal leaders, led by Vice President Cyndi Weddell, along with tribal law enforcement, plan to attend an upcoming Tribal Public Safety Crisis Summit in Pierre.
Governor Kristi Noem announced the June 24th summit late last month amidst growing tension between her administration and the state’s nine tribal nations.
Noem has said that she hopes the upcoming Summit will help her administration and the tribes communicate and work together to find solutions to growing violence on tribal lands across the state.
“Drug addiction, violent crime, and the trafficking of women and children have all risen on tribal reservations throughout the country, including in South Dakota. Drug cartels and their affiliates are causing many of these challenges. We all want what’s best for our tribal communities, and I hope this conversation can get the ball rolling towards real solutions,” Noem stated in a video, as she announced initial plans for the event.

Among those invited to attend; Tribal leaders, including the presidents and chairmen of all nine of South Dakota’s Native American tribes; The heads of the law enforcement agencies for each of the nine tribes; Sheriffs from counties that include reservation land; state and federal elected leaders for the State of South Dakota; Representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Department of Justice; U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota Alison J. Ramsdell; and Secretary of Tribal Relations David Flute.
All nine South Dakota Nations, including FSST, continue their ban of Governor Noem on any tribal lands over blanket statements she made earlier this year about tribal leaders, supporting and benefiting from Mexican drug cartels and exploiting the reservations to move drugs across the Midwest.
None are denying there are issues that need to be addressed throughout Indian country but tribal leaders note that they are not universal.
“It’s our hope that this summit will shed light not only on the challenges facing tribal nations but also on the state side as well, Sioux Falls and Rapid City being the ‘hubs’ of drug and criminal activity,” said FSST Spokesman Francis Wakeman.
FSST Tribal Police Chief Brian Arnold will be among the delegation on the 24th.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to meet with Gov. Noem to address the ongoing issues in Native country. I look forward to helping find solutions through our collective resources to provide a safe and healthy environment for everyone,” said Arnold.
After a recent private meeting with Governor Noem and ahead of the vote to ban her from local tribal lands, FSST leadership called on the Governor to reconsider the liaisons she has appointed, specifically Secretary Flute, and, “whether or not they truly have an understanding of the issues affecting Tribal nations as well as their ability to foster cooperative relationships between the Tribes and the State of South Dakota.”