OGLALA SIOUX TRIBAL TREASURER SUSPENDED WITHOUT PAY!! At approximately 4:00 p.m. MST, the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council did vote to suspend the Oglala Sioux Tribal Treasurer, Wesley "Chuck" Jacobs for 20 days without pay. Furthermore, the Tribal Council voted to begin impeachment hearings against Jacobs.

Today marked the first day of the Oglala Sioux Tribe's general session of the Tribal Council. After several hours of bickering, the Council finally voted on the peoples' issues. A few members of the council did publicly denounce the actions of the Grass Roots Oglala Lakota Oyate. The session is scheduled to last until February 4^th.

The Grass Roots Oglala Lakota Oyate have declared their sovereign immunity under the guidelines of the 1868 Treaty at Fort Laramie. It is their contention that the current governmental system is an oppressive one that has plagued the members of the Oglala Sioux Nation for 65 years. For years, the tribe has been overrun with corrupt politicians who have been in the business of serving themselves, not the members of the Tribe. Time and time again, the people have attempted to follow "due process" to remove these corrupt officials. They are repeatedly denied their privileges.

The Grass Roots Oyate took peaceful control of the Red Cloud Building on January 16, 2000. The building remains on lockdown, with no tribal council members or the tribal treasurer being allowed in the building. Their sole purpose is to protect and maintain financial files, pending a full forensic audit of the indirect and general fund accounts that directly implicate the tribal officials. They are demanding the immediate, permanent removal of Wesley "Chuck" Jacobs as treasurer and several Tribal Council members for long-term corruption.

There was a collective sigh of relief in the Red Cloud Building upon hearing the vote to suspend Jacobs. The elders of the Grass Roots Oyate are being commended for their strength and commitment to seeing a positive end to this situation. One grandmother that has been in the building since January 16^th stated, "We came this far on our own, with no lawyers. We exercised our rights as grass roots people and proved that, united, we do have a voice!"

The Grass Roots Oyate have stated that they will continue to monitor the building until:

1. Immediate, permanent removal of Wesley "Chuck" Jacobs as tribal treasurer. Furthermore, we are demanding that he will never be employed within the Oglala Sioux Tribe again.
2. Immediate, full forensic audit of all governmental fund types conducted by an independent auditing firm.
3. Confiscation of all records, computer disks, computer equipment, office keys, safety deposit keys, etc. from Mr. Jacobs' office in the Red Cloud Building, as well as any tribal property from his home(s), pending a federal grand jury investigation.