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Navajo leader calls on Arizona mayor to be more respectful

Jonathan Nez Navajo President.JPG
Posted at 2:04 PM, May 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-04 17:04:07-04

PAGE, Ariz. (AP) — The president of the Navajo Nation is calling on elected officials in towns that border the reservation to work with the tribe to combat the coronavirus.

Jonathan Nez made the comments in response to an online post by the mayor of Page, Arizona. Mayor Levi Tappan wrote online that he wished the tribe would put more resources into battling alcoholism.

Tappan has since apologized. While he understands alcoholism is a problem, Nez says Tappan’s comments have far-reaching implications and urged him to be more respectful of the relationship between Navajos and the city of Page.