Who owns your land? Reaction after landmark Supreme Court decision

Who owns your land? Reaction after landmark Supreme Court decision

MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION'SRESERVATION NEVER WENT AWAY.2 WORKS FOR YOU'S TONYRUSSELL TOOK YOUR QUESTIONSTO THE TULSA COUNTY CLERK TOFIND OUT.AT THE ENTRANCE TO OWEN PARKON TULSA'S NORTHWEST SIDE.((NATS)) SITS THIS MONUMENTWHERE THE CREEK, CHEROKEEAND OSAGE NATIONS' TRIBALBOUNDARIES ALL COMETOGETHER.AND THAT MAP-SHOWING THEIRBOUNDARIES-IS PERCHED OVERTULSA COUNTY CLERK MICHAELWILLIS DESK.

WILLIS1RUNS=:10 MICHAEL WILLIS,TULSA COUNTY CLERK,"we havethe land records.

Some ofthese are dating back to1902, 1904 when the nationstarted to send some of itsland out to some of itsmembers," A RECENT SUPREMECOURT RULING UPHOLDING THEMUSCOGEE CREEK NATION'SORIGINAL TREATY-SAYING IT'SALWAYS BEEN A RESERVATIONHAS PEOPLE ASKING-DO I STILLOWN MY LAND?

WILLIS2RUNS=:00 MICHAEL WILLIS,TULSA COUNTY CLERK,"peoplemay not realize that.Nothing is truly changingabout their address, but theland that is entitled tothem, if you live in Tulsa,you live in Jenks, if youlive in Glenpool, Bixby, youland was originally part ofthe Creek Nation," THESELAND RECORDS TRACKED THESALEFROM THE TRIBES TO ITSENROLLED MEMBERS.

WILLIS6RUNS=:11 MICHAEL WILLIS,TULSA COUNTY CLERK,"theowner of this land was theCreek Nation and the CreekNation was selling this landto the Posey family here andthe Bailey family and theMontgomery Family." LEGALEXPERTS TELL ME THIS SUPREMECOURT RULING-AT THE HEART OFIT REALLY AFFECTS CRIMINALPROSECUTION OF NATIVES ONNATIVELAND.

BUT THERE'S ALSOCONFUSION NOW ON WHO OWNSYOUR PROPERTY.

WILLIS5RUNS=:00 MICHAEL WILLIS,TULSA COUNTY CLERK,"of allthe jurisdictional issuesthat are going on with this.I can't speak for the tribesclearly-certainly thecriminal justice element ofthis thing, which is reallywhat this case dealt with isa major shift.

They're goingto do a lot of work aroundthat to get things kindacleaned up, but as far asland ownership I want peoplein Tulsa County to know thatno one different owns yourland then they did 10 daysago," BECAUSE TECHNICALLYYOU'VE BEEN LIVING ANDOWNING PROPERTY ON A NATIVEAMERICAN RESERVATION.WILLIS7 RUNS=:09 MICHAELWILLIS, TULSA COUNTYCLERK,"at one point all thatstuff-where you live, whereI live where everybody inTulsa County lives-at onepoint it was either owned bythe Creek or the CherokeeNation," PROPERTY OWNERSFOLLOWING THE DEVELOPMENTSOF THIS SUPREME COURT RULINGTOO.

HALL1 RUNS=:16 EDDIEHALL, TULSA PROPERTYDEVELOPER & OWNER,"I wasfollowing the case because Iwanted to make sure thereweren't going to be issueswith our business-I didn'treally have that manyconcerns.

I was just keepingtrack of it to make sure,"EDDIE HALL SAYS HISDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS WILL GOON.

HALL2 RUNS=:11 EDDIEHALL, TULSA PROPERTYDEVELOPER & OWNER,"after theruling and reading into itas of right now I have zeroconcerns about owningproperties or my futuredevelopment, which we have alot on the horizon comingup," ((TONY ON-CAMERA TAGS))THE MUSCOGEE CREEK NATIONRELEASED A JOINT STATEMENTTODAY WITH THE OTHER TRIBESIN THE AREA SAYING INPART."With the court'sdecision in hand, theNations now announce theculmination of years ofcollaborative work among theFive Tribes and the OklahomaAttorney General to developa framework for clarifyingrespective jurisdictions andto ensure collaborationamong Tribal, State, andFederal authorities in theinterest of effective lawenforcement andadministration of justiceacross Tribal lands, as wehave done together forgenerations." IN TULSA TONYRUSSELL, 2 WORKS FOR YOU.EXPERT SEARCH TEAMS CONTINUETO LOOK FOR POSSIBLE MAS