American Indians in Jackson Take Law Into Own Hands
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According to a letter hand delivered to Jackson and Madison County officials from members of the Chakchiuma Sektchi Clan, they will not observe some state and local laws while living in the area. The clan says it has been fighting for the right to be respectfully heard for quite some time. A home on Hollywood Drive is where some members of the tribe call home, that is only because they said they were forced out of Memphis. “By videotaping me and or my house it’s endangering me. I have a $44 million lawsuit against the State of Tennessee and others,” said one of the tribe members who would not give her name. Members claim they were harassed in Memphis because they used what they call tribal tags on their cars instead of the ones issued by the state. They said the tags are a way to show their native pride and raise money but according to them Memphis police thought otherwise. “When they were arrested for not having tags, they got into a dispute with the police in Memphis and they got arrested and filed lawsuits in federal court. I’m glad somebody else other than me are having to deal with them,” said Jackson City Attorney Lewis Cobb. He said the tribe appears to feel they are above the law in some cases. “Here they are saying we’re free to go where ever we want in this state and you cant stop us to check our license plates,” added Cobb. Cobb also believes there could be an even bigger message in the letter. “I would be interested to hear what they have to say. What I take it as, in Memphis they tried to arrest us and we sued them. If you tried to arrest us we’ll sue you too,” added Cobb. Members of the tribe would not talk on the record with us, despite several requests.
