Senate Candidate Jett Comments on Lawsuit Against Chairman of Citizen Potawatomi Nation:
Lawsuit was filed in response to Jett’s firing due to his opposition to COVID19 mask mandate.
On August 10, Shane Jett, candidate for state senate district 17, filed an emergency injunction in the District Court of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation against John “Rocky” Barrett in his official capacity as Chairman of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation for illegally trying to fire Jett for exercising his constitutional rights of free speech.
In response to the filing Jett said,
“Last month, I attended a meeting of the Shawnee City Commission to express my opposition to a proposed mask ordinance for the City of Shawnee [you can watch Jett's comments at this link, starting at the 16:00 mark]. This massive government overreach was opposed by most citizens and I wanted to be sure that their voice was heard at the meeting. Therefore, as a private citizen on my private time, I exercised my Constitutional right to free speech and spoke in opposition to the mask mandate.
The Chairman of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation who also serves on the board of my employer, the Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation (CPCDC), took offense to my comments. Even though, I had not willfully violated the mask mandate at my job or on CPN land. I have been respectful of the municipal and posted mask ordinances and have been very conscientious about both the health risk and anxieties of others.
After numerous attempts to reason with Chairman Barrett and other elected CPN officials, it became clear a lawsuit was the only way to protect me and my family. The Chairman is a well-known partisan Democrat and attacked me for speaking out. He attempted to fire me without proper protocol. Therefore, I filed an action in tribal court seeking to stop his unlawful actions.
Whether as a Navy reserve officer, private citizen, or elected official I will always stand for our Constitutional rights and our freedom to express our opinions freely. I believe in the democratic process, and freedom of speech is essential if we are to have an effective republic.
Chairman Barrett was determined to silence and punish me for my views which do not align with his liberal, democrat positions. This behavior is something everyone of all political stripes should stand against.”
Jett said further, “My fight is not with the Citizen Potawatomi Nation nor their 2,500 employees. My conflict is with the dishonest, punitive, and illegal actions of Chairman Barrett.
Chairman Barrett has a reputation for punitive and unjust terminations. Due to his incredibly hostile partisan text messages to me, I felt it prudent that there be a record of our encounter. The Chairman violated my right to free speech guaranteed by both the Constitution of the United States AND the Potawatomi Nation. He not only berated me for speaking at the Shawnee City Commission, but also railed against attendees at President Trump’s Rally in Tulsa. Further he threatened to spread lies to the public to try to injure my campaign for Oklahoma State Senate.
Chairman Barrett behaved as a bully unbecoming to his position as Chairman of the Potawatomi Nation. I will not be intimidated into silence in the face of petty tyranny.
Whether it’s federal, municipal or tribal, I will stand up for freedom and dignity of those who are made to feel powerless by others who abuse their power or public trust. While the Chairman’s action violated his own constitution, I believe in the rule of law and holding accountable those who would abuse their power to trample on the rights of others.
In this month’s CPN Newspaper, Chairman Barrett misrepresented my position on the mandate and then said I am not telling the truth. The truth is, you can see for yourself in his own recorded words his dishonesty and willingness to lie to the public for political vengeance.
We will continue to focus on our positive campaign for freedom for the families who live in Senate District 17.”
I was wrongfully terminated from them as well!
ReplyDeleteI was wrongfully terminated from that tribe as well!
ReplyDeleteJett is right. Masks lower oxygen before OSHA standards of safety no matter what your "fact checkers frauds" say. Truth beats made up facts. Just like in 1919-1920, 💯 years ago with Spanish flu. He is a real man.
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