Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Eric Holder Investigates Civil Rights Claim for Trayvon Martin, Yet Ignores the Abuses of Indian Tribes Against THOUSANDS of Native Americans

Attorney General Eric Holder is jumping through hoops this week to initiate a civil rights investigation into the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin.  The teen was killed in self defense by George Zimmerman, a tragic event for all involved.

It's easy to understand why an African American Attorney General would stand in front of the NAACP and proclaim his division will look into an issue that was settled by the FBI.   It's harder to understand why AG HOLDER would turn his back on THOUSAND of aggrieved Native Americans with out so much as a look-see.

We AGAIN ask ERIC HOLDER to task his Civil Rights Division to investigate gross civil and human rights abuses.

In 2009, we sent hundreds of letters to Attorney General Holder:

Dear Attorney General Holder:

I respectfully submit this letter urging the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to commence a full-scale investigation into the gross civil and human rights violations which have infected California Indian Country

Throughout California Indian Country, tribal officials have taken actions which have denied and/or stripped thousands of California Indians of their membership status and denied them access to federal benefits and programs in the areas of housing, education, health, voting and public works assistance. In some instances, the illegal actions occurred decades ago, however, there has been a marked increase since Indian Gaming was approved and later expanded in California.

Tribal leaders justify their right to systematically deny civil rights and expel their citizens under the guise of tribal sovereignty. Tribal leaders have routinely committed acts to deny Indian individuals due process; equal protection of tribal, state, and federal laws; property interest rights; and voting rights. Theses actions have been carried out in gross violation of laws enacted to guarantee and protect the rights of the individual Indian.

We can no longer allow those who oppose upholding the civil and voting rights of thousands of California Indians to claim that this is a sovereignty issue that rests solely within the domain of tribal courts and tribal law. Few California Tribes actually have tribal courts. Therefore, in most cases, the tribal government officials responsible for the violations of law are the very same people who pass judgment as to whether or not laws have been violated - they are the judge and jury all rolled into one. 

The United States has a trust responsibility to the thousands of California Indians whose civil and voting rights have been infringed upon. And, in recognition of the special status of California Indians, Congress passed California Enrollment Act of 1928 in which certain rights were guaranteed to California Indians and their lineal descendents. 25 U.S.C. § 651.

Unfortunately, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has failed to exercise this responsibility and has allowed tribal leaders to continue to commit violations unabated. Therefore, I believe that the DOJ has the legal and moral responsibility to investigate and prosecute such violations of basic rights. 


Civil rights abuse at Pechanga

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's get on it, Mr. Attorney General.

Anonymous said...

Right, haha Ask his San Diego office for help ,hahahahaha.

Anonymous said...

Maybe we should act crazy and go postal on the EC like that Martin kid and then we might draw some attention from Holder.

Anonymous said...

NEWS ALERT!!!
Tribal insider (sorry cant say who) speaks out about Pala's finances or lack of. They basically said Pala's BROKE! Chairman Smith and Treasurer Nieto will not show tribal funds or other accounts besides the casino profits which are provided at monthly meetings. This is because they cannot allow the tribe to see how much is in these accounts because the tribes reserve account is empty and they take money from these interest bearing accounts. Also the rumor about the EC taking out a loan for Christmas bonuses last year is true. The tribe didn't have the money to give the minimum bonus that's why they didn't let the people vote on the bonus like they have been. My response the current EC is running Pala into the ground soon there will be nothing left we'll end up like Chukchansi. We as the general membership need to stand up and ask more questions, demand answers, the EC works for us.

Anonymous said...

A former chairman of the tribe that owns Connecticut's Foxwoods Resort Casino admitted to investigators that he used a tribe-issued credit card for personal expenses and knew that was prohibited, an FBI agent testified at his trial on theft charges.

Michael Thomas is accused of improperly charging about $100,000 in personal expenses on a credit card issued by his Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Prosecutors say the charges included rides by a limousine service to doctor's appointments for his mother and television and satellite radio for himself.

Anonymous said...

John Macarro did the same with a Pechanga credit card the only difference was he was not issued one. He is not on the council he is Pechanga’s legal advisor even though he doesn’t have a license to practice in California.

Anonymous said...

"John Macarro did the same with a Pechanga credit card the only difference was he was not issued one"

Only difference is that no one really cares what they do... It is an internal matter, and no one cares. So POOF... it all go's away.

jossyrascon said...

It's disheartening to see the priorities of our government officials so misplaced. While the death of Trayvon Martin was undoubtedly tragic, it's concerning that the Attorney General is prioritizing this case over the thousands of grievances of Native Americans that have been ignored for far too long. It's important that all individuals are afforded equal protection under the law, regardless of their race or ethnicity. Perhaps the Attorney General could benefit from some education in sociology, or even consider seeking out sociology dissertation writing services to gain a deeper understanding of the systemic issues at play.