RAMAPO ‒ The Ramapo Lenape Tribal Council released a statement on Friday, June 13, saying longtime Chief Dwaine Perry has been banned as tribal leader after a review of potential financial improprieties and violations of other tribal regulations.
Perry, 77, the chief for more than three decades and a renowned civil rights activist, has denied the accusations and accused the council members of targeting him again.
The updated release describes a more stringent action taken against Perry. An earlier statement from the council said Perry had been temporarily suspended pending a review of the accusations..
The statement released Friday said, “Following formal deliberations in the presence of outside legal counsel, the Council voted unanimously to permanently remove, ban, and disqualify former Chief Dwaine C. Perry from holding any current or future office.
“This decision was not made lightly. Mr. Perry’s removal is the result of longstanding concerns raised by elders, council members, donors, and Tribal citizens,” the statement said.
The council’s statement said charges, brought forward by a Financial Oversight and Integrity Committee, established at Perry’s request, were substantiated through verified documentation, witness testimony, third-party records, and independent review.
These include:
• Obstruction of lawful elections since 2014.• Diversion of funds intended for the Tribe.• Unauthorized decision-making and intimidation.• Use of tribal identity and letterhead for private benefit.
Perry, the chief for 33 years, countered that he’s a victim of an attempted coup by members of the council’s executive committee.
Perry said the accusations came after he suggested a nationwide “pow-wow” in New York City’s Central Park to honor the Lenape tribe and provide $100,000 in proceeds to the tribal council and $10,000 each to two churches, one in Hillburn and the other in Mahwah, New Jersey. The two communities are the core of the tribe in the Ramapough Mountains.
Perry said he also suggested that he and the council members reveal their finances.
Chief Dwaine Perry calls accusations a ‘coup’ attempt by council members
“Some of the people want to get me out,” Perry told The Journal News/lohud on June 11, calling the accusations part of an attempted “coup.”
“They told me I was threatening people,” Perry said. “How, when I offered a plan to give them money? I am the baddest guy on Earth.”
Perry said the pow-wow has been canceled. Instead, he’s looking for an attorney.
He said an election for principal chief is scheduled for Sept. 27, adding that he has not been contested at the ballot box in decades. The council responded that members will schedule the tribe’s first lawful public election in more than a decade.
The council statement rejected Perry’s characterization of their action against him as a “coup.”
“The decision followed clear procedural requirements and reflected both quorum and consensus,” the council said. “The use of inflammatory language only serves to sow confusion and further damage the reputation of the Nation.”
The statement said that the council has also received statements of support from members of the Ramapough community, including individuals who have worked closely with Perry in nonprofit andgovernance roles.
These individuals have described patterns of obstruction and intimidation consistent with the council’s findings and view the June 1 action as a necessary response to long-standing harm, the council’s statement said.
Ramapough Lenape Nation Tribal Council outlines its accusations
After several months of investigation, the report found that donations intended for the tribe were redirected without council approval to Sweetwater Cultural Center, a nonprofit controlled by Perry, using unauthorized and misleading representations.
Perry called the tribal council’s accusatory notice “ludicrous.” He said he doesn’t want to get involved in a “he said, she said” with the council through the media.
“I was trying to keep this in-house,” he said, adding he will fight for his name and position.
The council’s first statement describes the procedures and states that Perry had been temporarily suspended pending a formal investigation and disciplinary hearing.
The statement said the temporary “suspension is not a removal. It is a lawful, temporary measure permitted under our bylaws when serious violations are alleged. The action was based on properly documented charges, deliberated by the full Council, and passed by quorum vote. Any claim that this process was unlawful is factually and legally incorrect.”
The council’s first statement contends the charges are supported by documentation, third-party confirmations, witness testimony, and financial disclosures.
The Lenape Nation has a long history in NY and NJ
The Ramapough Nation boasts 3,500 members in New York and New Jersey. Perry said no one has challenged him in elections for chief for decades. He said he has looked for a successor, but no one stepped forward.
The nation has fought for Native American status, taking on the federal government and Donald Trump, then a casino owner in Atlantic City, who fought against the Native American tribe getting casino and tribal status.
Perry is a college-educated Vietnam War veteran and an environmental and human rights activist. He mentored under the renowned civil rights attorney Conrad Lynn of Pomona.
Perry has fought for zoning and fire code enforcement in Hillburn, taking part in legal actions.
Article has been updated with a new statement Friday, June 13, from the tribal council.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal. Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Lenape Native American council bans Chief Dwaine Perry, who says he’s victim of ‘coup’
Reporting by Steve Lieberman, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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