The Cayuga Nation has broke its silence since the Seneca County Board of Supervisors’ latest decision to send a letter, calling upon Attorney General Letitia James for a special prosecutor on behalf of Fayette’s Charles Bowman, during its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
A Thursday statement released by Maria Stagliano, a Nation spokesperson and an account executive at Levick, a Washington, D.C.-based crisis public relations firm, illuminated the leadership’s position, claiming how the Seneca County Board of Supervisors is “now siding with criminal Charles Bowman by requesting independent counsel for him” — even though Seneca County District Attorney Mark Sinkiewicz has yet to release any evidence or grand jury testimony to Bowman or his criminal defense attorney for more than 92 days and counting since his arraignment.
The Nation also believes that the county’s continued efforts to “unnecessarily undermine” its inherent sovereignty, a series of recent actions taken which have been considered to be “alarming” from their perspective.
With Sinkiewicz indicting Bowman on two misdemeanor charges stemming from a grand jury proceeding in early May, the Nation is still “confident” that others would also “condemn” Bowman’s conduct during a violent brawl on February 29, 2020.
“Under any scrutiny, we are confident that review of Bowman’s actions by any law enforcement agency will condemn his conduct for what it is: a violent crime, whether on Indian land or otherwise,” the statement reads.
The Nation even goes to lengths by linking Bowman with the traditional Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ’ Cayugas, a minority faction, suggesting the county is wasting time and spending taxpayer dollars just to “protect violent criminals from prosecution” like Sachem Chief Samuel George of the Bear Clan and simply “put them back on the street.”
“It is unconscionable that Seneca County continuously portrays violent criminals like Charles Bowman as victims and unnecessarily involves itself in Indian-related matters,” the statement later added. “Supporting Charles Bowman and requesting an investigation into the Cayuga Nation Police Department is yet another example of their disrespect for the Cayuga Nation’s right to self-govern as well as undermining the Nation’s legitimate police force.”
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“All residents of Seneca County and the region at large should be alarmed and outraged that their elected officials are putting them—and their families—at risk by attempting to release violent criminals back into the community,” it ended.
Gabe covered health and indigenous affairs in the Finger Lakes between 2019 and 2022. His award winning coverage was cited by the federal government and provided residents with an invaluable service during the coronavirus pandemic.