Monday, August 3, 2009

Pechanga Casino Security Guards: Abusing Authority or Incompetent?

In November 2008 we wrote about Pechanga security guards beating a senior citizen customer HERE. Richard Swan is still recovering.

Here is another story about their abuse of authority and ineffective communication skills as described below:

A group of local news photographers got permission from a Pechanga Casino security supervisor to shoot the end of the action from the top of a parking garage. Several security guards didnt get the message that it was ok for us to be there and tried to get the photogs to leave. They flat-out refused to check with their supervisor via radio (but didnt hesitate to call for back-up), despite being told by several legitimate, credentialed news photographers that they were actually escorted to this location by their boss. What happens next is what you see here…




The officer could simply have checked with his supervisor and he wouldn't be on YOUTUBE

Remember, you LOSE MANY of your rights when you step on tribal property. KNOW before you GO.

10 comments:

'aamokat said...

I worked for about 10 years in the private security field so I know that the first thing security are supposed to do is to check with their supervisor in situations like the one shown here.

The officers would have saved themselves a lot of embarrasment and quite possibly their jobs or at the very least disciplinary actions against them if they had just taken a moment to ask their supervisor if the photographers had permission to be there.

What kind of "boneheads" does Pechanga have on their security staff?

OPechanga said...

They type that know they can get away with abuse of customers and the press.

Anonymous said...

i myself think that indian tribes are getting
way out of hand with there so called power govt needs to step in and restore peoples rights.

cideways said...

Well your not going to hire security guards that are smarter than you, so is it any surprise by the security guards mentality and competence?

Anonymous said...

So did they air this video on the local network? And if so, do you think people are talking about it? How much is Pechanga going to have to spend to overcome this bad press?

pechangaissmokie said...

Well you can tell by his vocabulary and speech that he is hardly literate....and when you rule by knowing that the general public cant fight back against "sovereign" mumbo-jumbo..they really dont have to worry about what is right or wrong...its time to take back the freedom of abuse of power that this tribe and Casino enjoys!!..

Anonymous said...

Beware if someone fingers you as a suspect. I was minding my own business playing slots about 4 yrs ago and a security guard told me to show her my id and to get up because I had to leave the casino. I asked why, and she said just show me your id. I said I want to know what I did. After arguing with her that I didn't do anything wrong, she said some lady had said that I had took her ticket. I told her I don't need to steal, I had plenty of my own money, and I don't steal. Well it seems that they don't check the video before accusing someone of theft. After they did, they knew it wasn't me. Also if you look like you don't belong in the high limits or in the platinum parking garage (we dress real casual), they will tell you.

'aamokat said...

That is true if you don't look like you belong in the high limits area, and I have always dressed casually (even more so when I had a lot of money), then someone will question you.

I remember when I was still a tribal member I was in the high limits area one time and a security guard asked me what I was doing there as I was standing behind a favorite machine of mine waiting for a customer to finish so I could play the machine.

Well I told the security man that I was waiting for that particular machine and he, without asking me anything further, called for back up and three other officers arrived.

Well, I then told them I was a tribal member and asked them to ask the other customer if I was bothering him as the customer and I had been having a conversation while I was waiting.

The customer told them that I wasn't bothering him.

Well their tune really changed when I showed them my tribal ID card and they were a lot more polite to me the next time I was in the high limits area.

So I agree with the last poster that sometimes casino security react instead of finding out the facts and then acting accordingly.

Ironic that they would have never let me into Silk when I was a tribal member as most of the time I was under dressed for the place but they would let a lot of goons in there who may have dressed better than me but who caused the place to be closed down for a long time by all of the trouble they caused.

Anonymous said...

VIETNAM VETS KICKED OUT OF PECHANGA HOTEL AND CASINO ON VETERANS DAY!!

On Thursday, November 11, Veterans Day, eight Veterans, seven Vietnam Vets and one active duty Marine, as well as two of their wives, were threatened with arrest and told to leave the Casino.
After leaving the Menifee Veterans Memorial Dedication ceremony in Menifee we headed to Pechanga for the complementary buffet offered to honor Veterans. While in line for about 20 minutes we were approached by Pechanga Security and told we would have to leave because we were wearing our vests with a mc on the back. MC stands for Motorcycle Club. Also on the back of the vest was a patch that said VIETNAM VET, and USA , THE COUNTRY WE FOUGHT AND MANY DIED FOR. Lt Jim, of their Security, said he would have us arrested for trespassing if we did not leave. As Vietnam Vets, this was the same treatment we received in 60’s and 70’s. This is the year 2010, you would think that Veterans deserve more, not this. It was embarrassing and humiliating to be treated with such disrespect in front at least 40 patrons, who could not believe what was happening. I, Robert Ingersoll, a former Marine and retired school teacher of 35 years, had called the Casino a week earlier to make sure that wearing our vests would not be a problem. I was assured that it would not be a problem by SGT Moreno (spelling may not be right). He said he would tell everyone in the days briefing that Veteran Motorcycle Clubs may be attending. We have been in many other Casinos in the area, without a problem. In fact the Vietnam/Legacy Vets, along with the Rez Riders, an Indian Motorcycle Club, have sponsored Toy runs for Years at other Casinos.

There are many Veteran Motorcycle Clubs in the area, Vietnam Vets, Legacy Vets, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion Riders, Brotherhood of Marine Corps Riders, Leathernecks, Rough Riders, and many more.

There have been court cases that state: DESCRIMINATION AGAINST BIKERS ON THE BASIS OF CLOTHING OR MOTORCYCLE CLUB MEMBERSHIP IS ILLEGAL IN CALIFORNIA. Unruh Civil Rights, Act CC 51et seq and Cohen V California, a Supreme Court ruling, that stated that individuals have the right under the First Amendment to wear clothing which displays writing or designs.

The last time I looked, Pechanga Hotel and Casino is in California and part of the United States.

PECHANGA’S CONDUCT TOWARD THESE VETERANS WAS UNACCEPTABLE AND DISGRACEFUL.
After leaving Pechanga we headed to Applebee’s on highway 79 in Temecula. There we ate, were treated with respect and dignity, and the manager ask to take a picture of us for their wall. Pechanga should send its staff to Applebee’s for training on how to truly honor and respect Veterans.

Robert Ingersoll
Murrieta , California

Anonymous said...

VIETNAM VETS KICKED OUT OF PECHANGA HOTEL AND CASINO ON VETERANS DAY!!

On Thursday, November 11, Veterans Day, eight Veterans, seven Vietnam Vets and one active duty Marine, as well as two of their wives, were threatened with arrest and told to leave the Casino.
After leaving the Menifee Veterans Memorial Dedication ceremony in Menifee we headed to Pechanga for the complementary buffet offered to honor Veterans. While in line for about 20 minutes we were approached by Pechanga Security and told we would have to leave because we were wearing our vests with a mc on the back. MC stands for Motorcycle Club. Also on the back of the vest was a patch that said VIETNAM VET, and USA , THE COUNTRY WE FOUGHT AND MANY DIED FOR. Lt Jim, of their Security, said he would have us arrested for trespassing if we did not leave. As Vietnam Vets, this was the same treatment we received in 60’s and 70’s. This is the year 2010, you would think that Veterans deserve more, not this. It was embarrassing and humiliating to be treated with such disrespect in front at least 40 patrons, who could not believe what was happening. I, Robert Ingersoll, a former Marine and retired school teacher of 35 years, had called the Casino a week earlier to make sure that wearing our vests would not be a problem. I was assured that it would not be a problem by SGT Moreno (spelling may not be right). He said he would tell everyone in the days briefing that Veteran Motorcycle Clubs may be attending. We have been in many other Casinos in the area, without a problem. In fact the Vietnam/Legacy Vets, along with the Rez Riders, an Indian Motorcycle Club, have sponsored Toy runs for Years at other Casinos.