To the Editor,

I recently published on Facebook more than 100 salaries and names of employees of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.

Three of the salaries are higher than the governor of Missouri. Four of the salaries are higher than the average salary of White House employees in Washington, D.C.

Many of the salaries of tribal employees exceed those of school principals in Robeson County. Folks with only high school degrees are being paid almost $87,000. Telephone operators and receptionists are being paid $30,000. There is something very sick about the environment of The Turtle.

The Lumbee Tribe began in our churches. The tribe now needs healing. When healing is needed, the Lumbee go to church. If we as individuals are reborn in church, why can’t our tribe be reborn in church?

As we go to our churches, let’s converse with each other, with our spiritual leaders and with our Creator. Many of our assemblies have phenomenal mission ministries for faraway places. Why is it that our churches reach out across state and national borders to help the needy but won’t help fight the political corruption here in our Lumbee Land?

Our churches serve households after they are oppressed. Why not work and stop the oppression? There is evil and sickness in our Lumbee tribe that we need to pray and pull out. God expects our prayers to have arms and legs.

If we remove the evil in our Tribe, then our churches will be able to use all that money they give to buy food, shelter and clothing in Prospect and Saddletreee to countries like Peru and tribes like the Shoshone. We are not being wise keepers of the goods God has given us. We are allowing the greedy to stop us from serving the needy.

In the Bible, deacons came into being to serve orphans and widows. Mission work and charity begin at home. Salaries and other expenses of the tribe need realignment so that more funds will exist for direct services to needy community members.

I hope that the greater community and other funding agencies now see how misplaced priorities are in The Turtle. The next time a Turtle employee comes asking for money, tell them to look in their own wallet.

Eric R. Locklear

Fayetteville