OKMULGEE, Okla. — Over $200 million in coronavirus relief funds was approved earlier this month for existing programs and people in the Muscogee Nation Tribe who may have been affected by the coronavirus.
However, some citizens believe these funds aren't being put to good use.
Some tribal members have planned a peaceful protest at the Muscogee Creek Capitol, June 22 at 8am to protest concerns, dissatisfaction, and complaints about the misuse federal CARES Act funds.
The CARES Act was created to provide federal funding for tribal citizens recovering from the coronavirus.
The Muscogee Creek Nation alone received more than $200 million to assist their programs currently helping tribal citizens in need.
We spoke with one citizen, Sarah Sebring, who is a mom of four.
Sebring says she's attending today's protest because she has experienced a long list of issues as a Muscogee Creek Nation citizen.
She says money used for social programs or need based assistance could be distributed better. And it seems nearly impossible to find assistance or help within the tribe.
“It doesn’t seem fair to me that I can’t get help to get out of debt, to even help as getting help to get a job within the tribe to help alleviate that student loan debt,” Sebring said.
We reached out to elected officials within the Muscogee Creek Nation for their comment on the situation.
They sent us a statement:
"The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is aware of a demonstration scheduled for Monday morning, and fully supports its citizens’ rights to civic engagement.”
Sebring says she hopes that with some change in elected officials, the peoples best interest will be considered more often in the future.
For details on the Tribes distribution of the CARES Act Funds click here.
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