AUDIO/VIDEO: Joe Sestak at Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum

Thursday, August 22, 2019  

The Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum concluded after two days in Sioux City, Iowa, in the homelands of the Omaha, Ponca and Winnebago tribes.

Joe Sestak, a veteran and former U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania, was among the record number of participants in the historic event. He was the first to speak on Tuesday morning at the Orpheum Theatre in the city, a crossroads for Indian nations throughout the region.

Kevin Abourezk of Indianz.Com and Leo Yankton, co-host of our "Indian Times" podcast, broadcast from the event. They shared their thoughts on Sestak and his presentation in a Facebook live video.

You can also listen to Sestak at the Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum on the Indianz.Com SoundCloud. He was introduced by Julian Bear Runner, a fellow veteran who serves as president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

Sestak spoke about his 2020 presidential aspirations for about 11 minutes. He then participated in a discussion with tribal leaders and tribal citizens for another 42 minutes.

Joe Sestak criticized inability of tribal courts to prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes: “If I walk onto Pine Ridge, commit a crime, the chances are that because of jurisdictional conflict, I won’t be prosecuted for it. Why? It’s wrong and it should be changed.”

— KevinAbourezk (@Kevin_Abourezk) August 20, 2019

Now Speaking: Former U.S. Representative Joe Sestak, Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum 2019 #NativeVote20 #NativeForum #NativeVote #WeVoteWeCount https://t.co/f48wlXavqu pic.twitter.com/IO9cXKdUTd

— NCAI (@NCAI1944) August 20, 2019

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