Legal Threat Targets You’re No Indian; Filmmakers Affirm Commitment to Accuracy and Dialogue

 Here is the press release from the filmmakers of You're No Indian, an award winning documentary on the scourge of tribal disenrollment.  I HAVE ADDED LINKS to the release so that you may learn more.

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LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On November 24, 2025, the filmmakers of You’re No Indian received a cease-and-desist letter from attorneys representing the Pechanga Band of Indians and Chairman Mark Macarro. The letter demands that all screenings and distribution of the film be stopped, asserting concerns about research and representation.

The filmmakers stand by the extensive work that went into the project. “Our team spent years documenting these stories, speaking with families, reviewing records, and consulting experts,” said Ryan Flynn, Director of You’re No Indian. “We also reached out to Chairman Macarro multiple times during production — and documented those attempts — offering him the opportunity to share his perspective. That invitation remains open.”

The team is reviewing the letter with legal counsel, but they remain confident in the integrity of their process and the importance of the conversations the film has sparked.

“Our aim has always been to approach this subject with care, accuracy, and respect,” Flynn added. “If Chairman Macarro wishes to share his viewpoint now, we welcome that dialogue and will present it fully and without alteration.”

You’re No Indian has screened at Dances With Films LA, Montana International Film Festival, Shining Mountains Film Festival, the United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF), and the RNCI Red Nation International Film Festival, receiving the Joanelle Romero Impact Award and an Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Feature.

As the filmmakers evaluate the letter’s claims, they remain committed to transparency, open conversation, and to ensuring that the voices featured in the film are heard.

About You’re No Indian

You’re No Indian is a documentary that explores the experiences of people who have been removed from tribal citizenship, highlighting the personal, cultural, and community-level effects of disenrollment as told by those directly affected. Directed by Ryan Flynn and executive produced by Tantoo Cardinal and Wes Studi, the film is produced by Michael Sammaciccia and Santana Rabang.

Contacts

yourenoindian@gmail.com

Mark Macarro Sends CEASE AND DESIST Demand to Producers of 'You're No Indian" Struck a NERVE Mr. Chairman? Is Your Injustice Giving you HEARTBURN?

 This is RICH.... The Chairman of The Pechanga Band of Indians, MARK MACARRO must have seen the reviews of the documentary "You're No Indian"  with high impact producers Wes Studi and Tantoo Cardinal.   His team of attorneys have sent the director, RYAN FLYNN a cease and desist letter.   

The documentary on tribal disenrollment recently won an award at the RED NATION International Film Festival    This was exciting news, as you'll remember, the film was pulled from the Palm Springs International Film Festival.    Watch director Flynn's response here: 

Learn MUCH MORE about CHAIRMAN MACARRO HERE

The Injustice of Selective Tribal Disenrollment at Pechanga IS NOT Ancient History, it's 21st Century Bloodless Genocide

INJUSTSTICE for THEE, But NOT FOR..US

What happens when the people who have long harbored disdain for your family become not only your accusers but also your judge and jury? This is the heartbreaking reality faced by descendants of Paulina Hunter, a recognized member of the Temecula Indian tribe, who have been subjected to disenrollment under dubious circumstances.

Paulina Hunter was an Indian who lived in the original Temecula Indian village. Her membership in the tribe was acknowledged through documented and certified testimonies from her contemporaries from the 19th Century. When the tribe was evicted from their ancestral village, she moved to the area now known as Pechanga, living alongside her fellow tribal members. Even decades later, her standing as a tribal member was affirmed by one of the most revered and respected members of the tribe, who declared in a signed and witnessed document that he personally knew her as a member.

Historical accounts support her tribal membership. Individuals alive during the creation of the Pechanga Reservation provided signed, witnessed statements affirming their recognition of her as a tribal member. Tribal elders during the disenrollment hearings also confirmed that the Hunters had always been regarded as part of the tribe.

Yet, more than a century after her death, detractors now claim she was not a true tribal member but merely an Indian who coincidentally lived among them. These assertions challenge historical facts, suggesting that Paulina Hunter was mistakenly identified as a Pechanga Indian—despite being evicted with the tribe, receiving a government-allotted reservation plot, and being listed year after year in official records as a Temecula Pechanga Indian. They even dismiss the testimony of Dr. John Johnson, a curator of anthropology, who initially reported being 90% certain—and later 100% certain—that Paulina Hunter was a Pechanga Indian.

The disenrollment process itself has been deeply flawed and unjust. A small faction, known as the CPP, has claimed exclusive authority to determine who qualifies as a "real" tribal member, disregarding historical records and testimonies. One disenrollment committee member openly stated that the Hunters would be disenrolled regardless of the evidence presented. Another member reportedly slept through the hearings. Basic rights, such as the ability to take notes, have legal representation, or obtain transcripts of the proceedings, were denied.

For context, Pechanga is the name of a place, not originally a tribe. The Temecula Indians moved to Pechanga after their displacement and later established the Pechanga Reservation. According to Dr. Johnson’s findings, Paulina Hunter’s father, Mateo Quasicac, was born in Pechanga before the establishment of the reservation. He is the only Indian recorded in mission archives as being born there, making him—and by extension, his descendants—Pechanga Indians.

Attempts to halt this injustice were made. Years ago, in the largest tribal meeting in recorded history, the tribe overwhelmingly voted to stop all disenrollments and remove the disenrollment process from tribal law. However, this victory was short-lived. The ruling faction, shocked by the vote, suspended all tribal meetings and secretly overturned the decision, guarded by armed personnel. The Hunters were disenrolled anyway, further consolidating the faction’s control by eliminating a significant voting bloc.

This disenrollment is not merely a personal affront to the Hunters but an affront to justice, history, and the principles of tribal unity. It raises a troubling question: how can a tribe deny the very history and identity that bind its members together? By erasing the Hunters from their ranks, the Pechanga disenrollment committee has rewritten history to suit its agenda, undermining the integrity of the tribe as a whole.