The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) announced on Monday that it was temporarily closing “all tribal public offices” in response to “an imminent threat to a few key staff members.” The majority of the tribe’s government offices remain closed today (Tuesday), “with the exception of the Medicine Lodge Building and Regulatory Personnel,” with staff of other departments working remotely. Specific details about the threat have not been publicly shared at this time.

The tribe shared the news about the threat at 5:19pm on Monday afternoon, via a Facebook post on the official GTB page. According to that post, law enforcement and tribal officials were in the process of “actively assessing the situation,” with promises to share updates “as more information becomes available.” Essential tribal services – including the the GTB Clinic, Tribal Police, and ETM services – have continued to operate “at their physical locations,” with other GTB governmental services pivoting to remote operations “where possible.”

“We respect the necessity of confidentiality in the tribal police investigatory process, and we will inform you as soon as the investigatory process permits,” the post added.

An earlier post, published on Sunday evening, had notified tribal members that GTB governmental offices would be operating remotely on Monday, but did not provide a reason and didn’t specifically mention a safety threat. That post also made reference to COVID-19 protocols being in effect at the Medicine Lodge, though the tribe later clarified that the situation has nothing to do with “the threat of COVID as a medical condition,” but rather that tribal members must “call the clinic for admission into the facility,” as was the case during the pandemic.

An update posted Tuesday morning did not give further details about the investigation itself, but did note that most tribal offices will remain closed on Tuesday, with operations continuing remotely rather than in person.

Tribal members with urgent needs are being referred to GTB’s emergency contact phone list “for immediate assistance.” That list can be found here.

GTB-owned hospitality properties, including the Leelanau Sands Casino, Turtle Creek Casino, and Grand Traverse Resort, are not a part of these closures.