Wisconsin State Sen. Mary Felzkowski - Photo by Sen. Felzkowski
LAC DU FLAMBEAU, WI (WSAU) – The ongoing dispute over travel on roads that run through tribal lands in northern Wisconsin has resulted in a resolution that would ban a Wisconsin state representative from being able to access the land.
According to a Friday post on Facebook from the Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Wisconsin State Senator Mary Felzkowski, who is the co-chair of the Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations, has been banned from tribal lands after she allegedly referred to the tribal leaders as “terrorists” during an August 23rd Woodruff town hall meeting for refusing to allow residents to access the roads that run through their reservation.
“Senator Felzkowski’s comments, made during an already tense discussion about the town’s trespass on our lands, have only escalated tensions and further show how uninformed she is concerning tribal communities and respect for the law,” tribal president John Johnson Sr. said in the release.
Back in August, the tribe stated that the roads would only stay open through September 12th unless an agreement with the town could be reached. The town of Woodruff has said they are unable to afford the tribe’s financial requests, and U.S. Congressman Tom Tiffany has repeatedly stated in recent months that the roadblocks are illegal due to federal funds being used to maintain the roads.
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