Oklahoma City, Oklv. – A February 7, 2025 post on Governor Kevin Stitt’s official social media is causing confusion among some Oklahomans.
Stitt is again taking issue with the 2020 Supreme Court McGirt decision which affirmed the Mvskoke Nation Reservation and restored the sovereign jurisdiction that Oklahoma unconstitutionally held for over 100 years.
Another salvo in Stitt’s continued attack on Native sovereignty the heavily manipulated image, a “meme” created by the Governor’s Press Secretary Meyer Siegfried, has the text “Hooper v City of Tulsa” struck through and replaced with “Muscogee Creek v City of Tulsa” and shows a highway with 2 posted speed limits: a 75 mph Speed Limit and 100 mph Tribal Speed Limit.
No such signs exist in Oklahoma.
Stitt continues to muddy the waters with his caption.
“It’s happening again in Tulsa. The Muscogee Creek Nation is undermining the State and city’s authority to enforce our laws.
We cannot have two separate justice systems based on race. It won’t work.”
Muscogee (Creek) Nation v City of Tulsa is a federal lawsuit filed in 2023 that seeks a declaration that Tulsa lacks criminal jurisdiction over Natives within reservation boundaries based upon the 2020 SCOTUS McGirt decision and asks that the city be enjoined from prosecuting Natives on the reservation without congressional approval. The suit is supported by The United States Department of Justice.
It’s important to note that due to cross deputization agreements that have been in place since 1992 with the 39 Native Nations in Oklahoma cities, municipalities, and the state have successfully worked together to ensure the safety and equal rule of law based on jurisdiction until the advent of the Stitt Administration.
These agreements give authority to law enforcement from the Nations and cooperating agencies to enforce each other’s laws in their respective jurisdictions. A Non Native law enforcement officer may ticket, arrest, and detain a Native citizen on the reservation just as they would any other driver. The only difference is the case or citation would be referred to the Native Nation or federal government for prosecution.
The information Stitt shares in this speed limit example, that Oklahoma is somehow tougher on crime than the Native Nations, is not just an anti Native Sovereignty talking point, it’s demonstrably untrue.
An examination of fines for traffic violations on the Mvskoke Nation Reservation and the City of Tulsa shows that in a majority of cases Mvskoke Nations fines are stiffer than that of Tulsa.
For speeding in excess of the posted speed limit 1-10 mph the Tulsa fine is $150 versus $159 on the Reservation. If you fail to obey a police officer in Tulsa it will cost you $185 while on Mvskoke Rez the fine is $234. You can text while driving in Tulsa and the fine is $100. On the Mvskoke Reservation it’s called Unlawful Use of a Cellular Phone ($250) and Failure to Devote Full Time and Attention to Driving ($234) and it’s a total fine of $484. Tulsa will ticket you $50 for failure to use a Child Passenger Restraint System (a car seat) but Mvskoke Nation will hold you accountable for the safety of the child to the tune of $134.
It’s not just fines and accountability that Stitt calls into question with his spurious posts that are not grounded in fact. It distorts the general public’s understanding of who and what Natives are as Sovereign Nations and citizens.
Native Nations exist as political entities that predate the formation of the United States. Natives historically were not the roaming nomadic tribes dedicated to war and savagery as we are depicted in history books and pop culture. Pre contact the Mvskoke Confederacy had at least 50 Tribal Towns which were organized into the largest governmental confederacy on Turtle Island. These distinct moieties were separated into Red and White Towns, each led by a Mekko, or “town king”, as well as having a Matrilineal Clan system. Much as the people who live in the 50 states today are not defined by their race but by the state they reside in, which functions under the umbrella of the federal government, these towns were populated by a variety of Peoples who were linked via language, culture, and political alignment, not race. It was a highly sophisticated form of government which not only preceded colonization but exists in a modern governmental form today. As such the sovereign Mvskoke Nation has citizens with rights guaranteed by treaty with the federal government. That includes the jurisdiction Oklahoma is once again trying to illegally usurp.
The reaction on social media illustrates the negative impact Stitt’s rhetoric has on State and Tribal relations, with the majority of sentiment grounded in a fundamental misunderstanding of Native sovereignty and the status as political, rather than racial, groups. An alarming sampling of replies to Stitt’s post on X, formerly Twitter, shows his divisive and fabricated rhetoric is stoking anti Native sentiment.
“Why are they given free car tags based on their race?? It should be the same rules for everybody….”
“Take away Indian Nations privileged status, the Casinos and their commodities.”
“This is DEADLY!!! It absolutely must be stopped! In the meantime, anybody injured by a tribal person going 100mph should sue the tribe for millions!”
“This is concerning considering a large percentage of Native Americans have substance abuse issues. Mostly alcoholism.”
“One justice system no race favors for Native Americans.”
“I am a white woman who lives in a tribal town in Oklahoma. And I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that there are double standards! Two different justice systems! I can be ticketed by tribal police, but someone from the tribe cannot be ticketed by the white man’s police?”
“They need to quit getting privileged due to their race. Not fair to the real Americans and Oklahomans”
“I think the governor of Oklahoma should declare any speed limit other than that posted by the state of Oklahoma is invalid. Have the Oklahoma state highway department remove signs that are not approved.”
In a Facebook post Mvskoke Nation Principal Chief David Hill addressed Stitt’s post.
“We cannot allow elected officials to share “memes” that misinform and confuse the public. Who’s creating risk here?”
Despite the clear confusion the post is causing in a statement to KFOR Governor Press Secretary Siegfried doubled down on the prevarication, stating, “The meme is a reminder and a warning of the dystopian and unAmerican justice system to come if tribal governments get their way here. The image begs the question, are there two sets of rules for Oklahomans based on their race?”
Siegfried then confirmed the speed limit sign does not exist. The posts are still visible on the governor’s social media.
