Impeached chief vows force if needed in standoffff
Two factions claim to lead Rhode Island’s Narragansett tribe.
CHARLESTOWN, R.I. — The takeover of the headquarters of a Rhode Island Indian tribe turned into a tense standoffff Thursday as the tribe’s impeached leader pledged to regain the building by force if its occupiers didn’t leave peacefully.
Narragansett Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas, who was impeached in October by tribal members who say he spends too much time in Florida, said the elected tribal council that took over the building Tuesday was not legitimate and will have to vacate it.
Two competing factions, each calling themselves the Narragansett Tribal Council, claim to be the leaders of Rhode Island’s only federally recognized tribe.
One f a c t i o n t o o k ove r the administration building in Charlestown on Tuesday morning and changed i t s l o c k s . I t s m e m b e r s slept on couches Tuesday and Wednesday nights, as well-wishers came bearing pots of food and Christmas trees. But the scene grew tense Thursday afternoon after Thomas supporters gathered outside the building, and local and state police offifficers arrived to monitor the dispute. Misty Delgado, a lawyer for the faction inside the building, said she was concerned the situation could become physical.
Both sides had been hoping for a resolution late Thursday morning when a federal judge held a conference call to consider a request for a temporary restraining order against the occupying tribal members. Thomas and his supporters fifiled the request Wednesday, saying the building occupation is unlawful.
But U. S. Di s t r i c t Judge John McConnell ruled that his court lacked jurisdiction because it’s a question of tribal sovereignt y. He dismissed the restraining order request and another one fifiled by the competing group several weeks ago.
Thomas then received a tribal court ruling that he said allows his supporters to regain the building. Speaking by phone on his way to the building, he compared it to someone taking over the White House or the U.S. Capitol Building.
Those who took over the building said they had no alternative because Thomas has refused to relinquish power after they impeached him in October.