Group Hopes to Block Alcohol on Pine Ridge

PINE RIDGE, S.D. (AP) — A group that opposes the legalization of alcohol on the Pine Ridge Reservation says it will file an injunction in tribal court.

Tribal members voted this week to end prohibition and legalize alcohol so the tribe can use the profits for education and treatment. The American Indian Movement Grassroots organization says it thinks the vote was illegal due to a lack of polling sites, improper notice for tribal members, inadequate training for election workers and other issues.

Organization President Thomas Cheyenne tells the Rapid City Journal (http://bit.ly/16TKaL5 ) he thinks a majority of tribal members would have voted against legalization if more had gotten to the polls.

Election Commission Chairman Francis Pumpkin Seed says the overall count of 3,550 valid votes was one of the highest in Oglala Sioux history.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.