CROW AGENCY- A Crow tribal judge has ordered the tribe’s vice chairman, Carlson “Duke” Goes Ahead, to stop publicly claiming he’s the tribe’s chair.
In a Wednesday ruling, Crow Tribal Judge Eldena Bear Don’t Walk granted an injunction sought by Chairman Alvin “A.J.” Not Afraid, who was elected to the position in 2016.
Last year, Goes Ahead and the tribe’s secretary, Shawn Back Bone, say they successfully recalled Not Afraid, leading to a power struggle with the tribe’s leadership over the past few months.
Bear Don’t Walk wrote in a three-page ruling that the dueling claims to the chairmanship created an “irreparable harm” for the tribe, and public interest demands one leader be identified to conduct tribal business.
The ruling came after 11 hours of argument in tribal court on Feb. 12. It was released to Q2 by a Not Afraid spokesman.
Not Afraid said in a Thursday statement the judge’s reinforces tribal members’ vote in the 2016 election. He added that the tribe must move to fight other problems, including decreased revenue, unemployment and a lack of economic opportunities.
“I invite the Legislature to work with me so that we can move forward together on these big issues, such as addressing debt, improving services to our tribal members, and creating a better atmosphere for economic opportunity,” Not Afraid said in a statement.
“With this in mind, I am asking for all Members of the Legislature to join me in a series of community forums on economic opportunity that will be open to the public. Let’s be transparent, let’s roll up our sleeves and together we can make real progress for the Crow People,” Not Afraid added.
Q2 News has reached out to Goes Ahead and will update this story with any comments.
