
On Monday, at a Martin Luther King Day event, Oklahoma GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) invoked the name of Dr. King to trash the Supreme Court's decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma, a 2019 ruling that held Oklahoma must honor a treaty granting large swathes of Eastern Oklahoma to Native American tribes with respect to law enforcement jurisdiction.
"I believe that freedom fighters like Dr. King would be astounded, maybe even disgusted, by the McGirt ruling," said Stitt. "The ruling created two sets of rules for Oklahomans based on their race. In Eastern Oklahoma right now there is not equal protection under the law."
Here is the video of Gov. Stitt's comments on McGirt during MLK event:pic.twitter.com/3mw3kD58Yl— Zach Rael (@Zach Rael) 1642447394
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Stitt's comments drew immediate outrage, with House Minority Leader Emily Virgin and Cherokee Nation Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. weighing in.
Tell me you haven\u2019t studied MLK without telling me you haven\u2019t studied MLK\u2026\n\nTo equate the Civil Rights Movement with a wrongheaded fight against the McGirt decision and recognizing tribal sovereignty is really something.https://twitter.com/kocozach/status/1483139095979347978\u00a0\u2026— Emily Virgin (@Emily Virgin) 1642444404
You can\u2019t make this stuff up. I\u2019m certain Dr. King would not join Governor Stitt in his effort to destroy the reservations of Indian nations. In any case, this day should be about unity and joining together to shine a light on darkness.https://twitter.com/kocozach/status/1483139097858297858\u00a0\u2026— Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. (@Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr.) 1642446613
Dr. King, ironically, was a supporter of Native American rights and spoke forcefully against the U.S. atrocities against them.
Stitt, who is himself a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has made his opposition to McGirt a pet issue, although often his attacks on the ruling have fallen on critical ears; one forum last year saw his attacks on the ruling shouted down by Native Americans in the audience.