Tribal Disenrollment is PAPER GENOCIDE. Bloodless Destruction of It's Tribal People Is Still Harmful

It has been discussed that tribal disenrollments in Indian Country is nothing short of genocide of families.  It's nothing compared to the horrors in Rwanda or Armenia of last century, however, tribes are eliminating large percentages of their people.   Just recently, The Pala Band of Mission Indians in N. San Diego County eliminated 154 people, taking a cue from their relatives and neighbors at Pechanga.

The Picayune Rancheria, near Fresno, eliminated almost 70% of their tribe, and STILL Fresno State University accepted money from the tribe for their linguistics program!  Pechanga at about 25%.   The Redding Rancheria even terminated the family of their FIRST Tribal Chairman, Robert Foreman.   Tribes are small, so when you phrase it as 400 people, it doesn't sound so bad, if you equate that to say, 8 MILLION Californians or 78 MILLION Americans, you'd get a truer picture.  The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma has done the same with their Freedmen population, and I'm sure many readers would be surprised to know the Cherokee took their SLAVES on the Trail of Tears, dragging them as property..  

We've taken an article from Genocide Watch that details the stages of genocide and used them to illustrate what went on at the Pechanga Reservation in Temecula California, the tribe is led by Mark Macarro.  There is an urgent need for the enforcement of the Indian Civil Rights Act.

Please check out the links as the provide additional information.

From GenocideWatch.org:  Genocide is a process that develops in eight stages that are predictable but not inexorable (unalterable). At each stage, preventive measures can stop it. The process is not linear. Logically, later stages must be preceded by earlier stages. But all stages continue to operate throughout the process.


1.Classification:   The Pechanga Enrollment committee claimed that Hunter Family was from a different set of Temecula Indians, not Pechanga.  Pechanga claimed the Manuela Miranda (Manuelas) descendents had broken ties to the reservation, even though they served on tribal government committees. They are not us, they are "them" or "those people".  They similary marked people in the moratorium. saying they "didn't belong" or there were too many of them.

2. Symbolization:   Rather than calling Hunters and Manuela’s Pechanga, they claimed Hunter’s were “San Luis Rey” because one relation put that on a census form, disregarding the fact that so many other families did the same thing. San Luis Rey and Luiseno meant the same thing.  The separatists claimed that Manuela Miranda wasn’t Pechanga anymore, as she cut her ties to the tribe as a FIVE YEAR OLD CHILD.   Her mother died and she had to move in with an older relative who just happened to be Candarlaria Nesecat Flores, whose descendants are still in the tribe. Flores was NEVER listed on ANY Census in the 1800’s, as Paulina Hunter was. This disenrollment was targeted because of the numbers of voters, and because their family stood up for what was right, namely the enrollment of rightful members.

3. Dehumanization:   The separatist group Concerned Pechanga People (CPP) issued flyers saying Manuelas and Hunters were trying to “take over the tribe”. Which means they didn’t like the way we voted or rather, couldn’t control the votes. Hunters and Manuelas were no longer “We”, but “THEM”. “THEY” don’t belong. Hunters had been living on the reservation DECADES before chairman Macarro was born and raised in San Bernardino, CA.

4. Organization:   The CPP, includes adopted member Butch Murphy and gadfly Ed Burbee, pushed for disenrollments. Murphy had previously tried to splinter the tribe. Burbee was concerned about increasing his income from the stolen per capita. Mark Macarro, stacked the enrollment committee with those pro-disenrollment families, even allowing families to be brought up out of turn, so that more enrollment committee members could vote for disenrollment. Families who were cleared from disenrollment out of the order the cases were taken were cleared by only three members of the enrollment committee, less than a legal quorum of the committee so they were never lawfully cleared. Mark Macarro also overruled the will of the people, claiming a lawful petition was invalid.  The BIA should suspend recognition of the tribe for violations of federally approved Tribal Constitution.

5. Polarization: The CPP pushed for disenrollment with numerous flyers, saying Hunters were trying to "take over" the tribe and with vocal shouts at meeting of “you don’t belong here” even though Hunters had an allotment from 1890’s when the reservation was created and vaunted elder Antonio Ashman’s sworn deposition stated he knew Paulina Hunter as a tribal member. The tribe believed Ashman about the eviction of 1875, but did NOT believe him about Paulina Hunter, whom he KNEW personally. The Macarro-led tribal council did nothing to stop the tactics, not using the “bully pulpit” to bring the tribe together. They preferred the separatist view, because it meant more money for them.

6. Preparation: The enrollment committee forced all Hunter paperwork to be certified, yet accepted handwritten notes, not notarized as evidence against the family. They refused to answer when questioned if there was anything missing or were there any other evidence against us. They paid the highly respected anthropologist John Johnson to trace Paulina Hunter’s ancestry and he proved Paulina Hunter was Pechanga. They did not use his report.  There was a quid pro quo with enrollment committee member Bobbi LeMere, enrolling members of her family, despite a moratorium on enrollment.   They built a case to fit a pre-determined outcome.

7. Extermination:    Macarro’s goal was to wipe the opposition votes out, to control his chairmanship. Extermination of families was no big deal to this man, who was a member of the Democratic Party’s platform committee. While the genocide against the Manuela’s and Hunters is "paper genocide" the reality is there. His goal was to make sure the Manuela’s and Hunters no longer exist as Pechanga. We lost all voting rights, right to attend and speak at meetings, health benefits, educational assistance, per capita distribution, elder assistance. Tribal members, who get a huge per capita check per month (As high as $30,500 at one point)that went up each time families were disenrolled still get benefits from the federal government that they don’t even need, but we who need those benefits cannot get them because we were disenrolled.

8. Denial:  Macarro had stated that there would be “no more disenrollments” after the Manuela Mirandas were terminated. He also said “what goes on in the tribe is no business of the white man”. He claimed it was “not about the money” yet the total lost to terminated members is over $250 Million. Lost to terminated members, means “found” by those remaining. He claimed that all parties had due process, when if fact, we were herded into groups, denied writing implements, denied attorneys, denied copies of charges and denied the right to question our accusers. We were given 30 minutes to appeal and again were forced into groups.   While not the ovens of Nazi Germany, the implications were clear, we were exterminated.

Disenrollment is PAPER GENOCIDE.

Adapted from a 2009 post...

President Obama Announces Endorsement of UN Declaration; Will POTUS address issues of Human Rights Abuses in INDIAN COUNTRY?

It's a good move for our President to lend his endorsement, but will it be wind through rotted sails? We have so many human rights issues here in Indian Country that many tribal leaders should be EMBARRASSED.

During the second annual Tribal Nations Summit in Washington, DC this morning, President Obama announced that the United States will lend its support to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Prior to this morning's announcement, the United States had been the lone holdout of the original four nations to vote against the adoption of the Declaration by the UN General Assembly in 2007; the other three (Australia, New Zealand, and Canada) have all since reversed their position.

AIRRO held listening sessions on the abuses in Indian Country, that we wrote about in April:


Indians from various parts of Indian Country recently participated in several listening sessions hosted by the American Indian Rights and Resources Organization ("AIRRO"), a Native American civil rights group.

The sessions were held to allow individuals, groups and tribes an opportunity to testify regarding violations of basic human and civil rights in Indian Country. The testimony and recommendations given at each of the sessions will be used by AIRRO to prepare a report which will submitted to the United Nations for use in the Universal Periodic Review of rights issues within the United States.

"The sessions were important for the simple fact that they allowed individuals and groups the opportunity to provide information regarding an issue, that up till now, had gone unreported," stated AIRRO President John Gomez, Jr. "Many people are unaware that tribal officials have committed gross human rights violations against their own citizens. And many more would be surprised to hear that the United States government is largely responsible for allowing the violations to occur and continue."

Please see:   Apartheid at Pechanga    Genocide in Indian Country       Pechanga's ICRA Violations    Temecula Massacres

The United States has created an environment for human and civil rights abuses in Indian Country. As long as tribal officials can invoke immunity to escape prosecution and individuals are denied redress for violations of their rights, the number of human rights victims in Indian Country will continue to grow," added Gomez.


The attendees at each of the sessions provided recommendations to address the rights abuses in Indian Country. Well some stated that federal courts should have the authority to review tribal actions that allegedly violate the rights of individuals, most said that the federal government must provide meaningful enforcement of existing laws enacted to protect individuals from abuses by tribal officials.

BOYCOTT OVER CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS! Arizona? NO, Tribal Casinos of Tribes that ACTUALLY HAVE VIOLATED the Civil Rights of Their People

BOYCOTT PECHANGA for CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

There has been so much in the news of a California politician-led boycott of Arizona that we must bring it to their attention that the real civil rights violations have already happened here in CA and in other gaming tribes out of state. The much maligned Arizona law is not even in effect and it has been fixed so that the potential for civil rights violations of illegal immigrants is greatly reduced.

A boycott is a form of consumer activism involving the act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons

California Indian Tribes like: Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians (Temecula), Redding Rancheria (Redding) Picayune Rancheria (Coarsegold, near Fresno) and the Snoqualmie Tribe in Washington state are just a few of the tribes that do not deserve your patronage.

<>

Here is what the gaming tribes mentioned, as well as others told within this blog or at tribalcorruption.com have done to members of their tribes:

•Stripped tribal members of their citizenship
•Denied voting rights to members
•Taken away rightful healthcare to seniors
•Blocked access to land on the reservation
•Denied members due process of law, including legal representation, even writing tools.
•Prohibition of practicing religion, including the right to pray at their ancestor's graves.
•Threatened others if they speak out
•Subjected some to ex post facto laws.

Many will say that "well, they are sovereign nations, they can do what they want". Of course they are, and Arizona is a sovereign state that passed its laws through the democratic process too. Remember, South Africa was a sovereign nation too, they had the right to pronounce Apartheid as a policy. But in the tribe's case, many or most have acted OUTSIDE their own constitutions. Just as the boycott of South Africa worked to eliminate apartheid, so can boycotts work to show these casino tribes that "violations of civil rights don't pay".

Important in a boycott is to let the tribes know you will no longer patronized their business, until they do the right thing and restore rightful membership to those they took it from and to halt all moratoriums. They only understand the loss of income and you should make it clear that you would come if they we no longer in violation, but until then, you won't. There are many things to do, including : Telling your friends and family to join you, No anniversary dinners, No Class reunions at the offending locations. Quite a few letters saying you "went to Vegas instead' would have an effect.

Many have said, "why should we care? It's just a small tribe". These money making tribes are using money stolen from tribal members to influence politicians. And tribes like Pechanga tried to keep Californians from exercising their RIGHT TO VOTE on their expanded gaming propositions, with the Feds help. And to put it in perspective, the sovereign nation of the Picayune Rancheria eliminated almost 50% of the tribe. That's equal to eliminating 16 MILLION in California's population. Pechanga eliminated the equivalent of 8 million citizens in order to increase per capita payments and to control votes.

They deserve your scorn, they don't deserve your patronage and a boycott might just open their eyes, especially if you keep their wallets from fattening.

BOYCOTT: Pechanga, Picayune Rancheria, Redding Rancheria, Snoqualmie, Table Mountain Rancheria, San Pascual Reservation, Cherokee Nations Casino, Mooretown Rancheria, Guidiville Rancheria, Oneida Nation, Robinson Rancheria, Enterprise Rancheria

San Pasqual Tribe Could LOSE Casino if Agreement NOT Reached

Indians at war with their brothers. Sending their families into the streets. This is NOT what Californians expected when we voted for gaming. Tribes told us we would be helping ALL Indians. They LIED, we are now helping FEWER Indians than we were 5 years ago. Picayune eliminated 500 of their tribe, Pechanga 300 (plus keeping 400 OUT that belong), Redding eliminated a large family, NOW, San Pascual is trying to remove another 50.

HOW MANY DOES IT HAVE TO BE BEFORE IT'S WRONG?


Talks between warring factions of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians are at a stalemate, which has led to a crucial meeting this weekend between tribal leaders and federal officials at the North County reservation.

A dispute on whether 80 people belong in the tribe has split the tribe's governing council, putting the tribe's Valley View Casino at risk of closing its doors, a Bureau of Indian Affairs official said Thursday."The elected council needs to come together, not two on that side and three on that side, but as five members," said Jim Fletcher, the bureau's Southern California superintendent.

Fletcher is scheduled to meet with San Pasqual tribal leaders Sunday to discuss the ongoing dispute.It is the latest in a bitter feud among factions of the 300-member tribe that calls into question what it means to be American Indian and who gets to benefit from the spoils of casino wealth. San Pasqual Chairman Allen Lawson has declined to discuss the matter and did not return a call for comment Thursday.

In July, members of the tribe conducted two separate meetings on the disenrollment matter, each side claiming leadership of the tribe. One was at the reservation and the other in Escondido.The group that met at San Pasqual voted to accept a consultant's report that concluded the 80 people whose tribal affiliations are in question do not belong and should not be listed as members of San Pasqual.

Last year, Ron Mast, a member of the San Pasqual tribe, filed a challenge saying that the group does not belong in the tribe. He says the group is made up of descendants of Marcus R. Alto Sr., whom he contends was adopted by his aunt and uncle, Maria Duro Alto and Jose Alto, as a child, but was not their biological son."This is the meeting where it all gets decided," Mast said about Sunday's gathering.

About 50 tribal members lost their jobs at the casino and their share of casino revenues earlier this year after some members of the tribe voted to accept the report's findings. Tribal leaders said the casino payments are being held in special accounts until the membership dispute is resolved. Fletcher said that the tribe could not legally take away tribal member's benefits before the bureau has made a final ruling on the question of whether the group belongs in the tribe.

North County Times does a good job on the story as usual.

In July, Fletcher sent a letter to tribal officials saying his agency no longer recognizes a functioning tribal government because of the split and the tribe's apparent inability to convene a quorum of tribal leaders. So then, aren't ALL per capita payments ILLEGAL without a revenue sharing plan?

The letter stressed that federal law forbids tribes from operating businesses or programs in the absence of a functioning government. In August, Lawson asked Fletcher to arrange a meeting with a Justice Department mediator.

Those talks hit an impasse, Fletcher said Thursday. He declined to discuss the matter in detail, but he confirmed that the tribe could lose its right to operate the casino if an agreement is not reached."It's a possible outcome, yes," Fletcher said.

Rumsey, Pechanga, Redding, Picayune, San Pasqual Suffer from POVERTY OF SOUL

OP: This sad story of the POVERTY of SOUL told on the Rumsey Band in the Sacramento Bee can be told on reservations throughout California. My regular readers are well aware of what Pechanga has become, once the greed, bred by wealth infusion or "affluenza" as my nephew calls it. It's a disease brought on by welfare, this IS welfare to some, an incentive NOT to work. The Picayune Rancheria has many sad story beginning with the EXTERMINATION of their people, BY their people.

I remember when the money started coming in, some of the Pechanga members were excited about getting a TARGET charge card. Then, things got bad, the greedy ones wanted no more people to share in the good fortune and they instituted an illegal moratorium (against the Pechanga Constitution and Bylaws). They no longer contributed to the youth trust fund, members didn't want the youth to be taken care of if member parent died. One of the Masiel Crime Family stood up and said he didn't trust his daughter in law to handle "that type of money", before backing off that comment. POVERTY OF SOUL (SacBee link) Ten years after the casino cash started flowing, the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians' good fortune is on display across the peaceful Capay Valley. Thanks to their Cache Creek Casino Resort – which makes about $300 million a year and is scheduled to expand – each of the 26 adults in the 60-member nation gets about $1 million a year after taxes, more if they're on the tribal council or committees. They get a travel allowance to expand their horizons to Tahiti, Europe or anyplace they desire. OP: The Pechanga members, after eliminating 25% of their tribal members, now get $360,000 per year (corrected), while council members get over $95,000 per year. There are 750 adults now, so we believe that the tribe will look at terminating another family to boost per capita. Pechanga may say no, but then, they said no after extermination of the first family en masse in the history of the tribe. They own luxury cars, custom homes on the rancheria and second homes elsewhere. They send their children to a first-class private school that offers their Patwin language and native flute taught occasionally by Grammy winner Mary Youngblood. OP: This is good for California's economy and Pechanga eliminated this from 25% of the tribe, forcing short sales, loss of health care, children kicked out of the tribal school, and elimination of elder care for lifelong members. The state of California lost a lot of tax money from those terminated that lived OFF the reservation. But CEO and Chief Marshall McKay sees trouble behind the opulence. The demons of the past that have plagued his tribe since they lived in trailers and scrounged for work haunt them still: diabetes, substance abuse, fierce family feuds and chronic apathy. OP: There is plenty of evidence of that on many reservations, my archives are full of violent behaviors from Pechanga and it's Soboba cousins. "I call it wealth shock … the poverty of the soul," said McKay, who's fighting to save his nation by pushing cultural rebirth and education. "I stress to members we can do a lot of damage by providing too much." Only three tribal members have finished high school since the casino money started rolling in. They know they'll never have to work as long as they stay out of jail. OP: Not a simple task, when you have NOTHING TO WORK FOR. No goals, means nothing to strive for. The newest video game, car or toy is NOT a goal. This is a great article and one that should be read by all in California. Is this what we thought Self Reliance would be? A few Indians getting richer at the expense of their families and friends?

KFI HOST BILL HANDEL says "only one drunk Indian" is against the expanded gaming props.: NO on 94 No to Pechanga

Wow, Bill, apparently, you haven't been doing your research. "One Drunk Indian" is a ridiculous statement. Probably something you heard from Pechanga, sounds like them. I'm surprised you didn't say, "One stinking Indian" or "One filthy Indian".

UPDATE II: I received a letter from KFI Progam Director Robin Bertolucci. Here is the text:
Thank you for your letter to KFI regarding Bill Handel's discussion of Propositions 94, 95, 96 and 97. Mr. Handel's remark was insensitive but he was not referring specifically to Mr.Gomez. He was expressing his frustration with the person portrayed in the No on 94-97 Propositions. I have spoken to Mr. Handel and made him aware of your concerns. I have asked him to avoid using stereotypes to make his points and he has assured me he will do so.

Thank you again for bringing this matter to my attention.

Sincerely,

Robin Bertolucci
Program Director
KFI
Thank you Robin.


Thousands of Indians in California are against the expanded gaming propositions. Read up a bit. http://www.nounfairdeals.com/ has a list. Probably could have done it yourself, but were too busy doing comedy.

UPDATE: I received a letter from KFI. Here is what it says:

Thank you for your note to KFI. I am forwarding your concerns to our Program Director, Robin Bertolucci, and she will be happy to get back to you.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Kristin Osborn
KFI AM 640

Please continue to write at the emails below. Is this Handel's "Don Imus" moment? Or, because it's Indians, it's no big deal?


HERE IS A LETTER that you can copy and paste or send a version of your own:Mr. Handel,

This morning shortly before 8:00 a.m. you made and repeated some insulting, racial comments that were totally uncalled for. If you want to refer to yourself as a "Latino-Jew", that is certainly your prerogative.

However, in commenting this morning on your opinion of Prop's. 94 -97 and why you intended to vote yes on them, you repeatedly referred to the "one drunken Indian" who appears in the commercial for the No on Prop 94-97. You made that comment three or four times. You crossed a line with your remarks and your actions need to be addressed. Your comments weren't just a personal attack on that Indian man, they were racist remarks.

That Indian is well respected and happens to be John Gomez, Sr., Vice President of the American Indian Rights and Resources Organization, AIRRO. Mr. Gomez's opinion to vote No on Prop 94-97 was not that of one Indian, his comments were supported by the AIRRO organization as noted on the screen during the commercial. Mr. Gomez is one of over 300 Indians disenrolled from the Pechanga tribe (Prop 94) under the leadership of Chairman Mark Macarro, because he stated they didn't belong.

He hired a respected anthropologist to discount the heritage of those 300 members. That backfired when the anthropologist returned with a report that refuted Mr. Macarro's claims and yes indeed all 300 disenrolled members did belong to the Pechanga Tribe. Mr. Macarro discounted that report as being only 99% accurate and he proceeded to violate every civil right know to man in disenrolling those innocent people. Mr. Handel, disenrollment is a kin to separating you from your country. We take that very serious.

In truth, Chairman Macarro did the math, less members divided by casino profits means more money per tribal member. Pechanga members got a big raise after the disenrollment. They are at about $35,000 per month, per member, at this point in time. Only 8% of California's Indians receive any benefit from gaming. That is not what the voter's intended when gaming came to California.

In the past five years, disenrollment, reclassification and moratoriums in Indian Country are commonplace. Tribal leaders like Macarro use tribal sovereignty as a weapon against their own people. He's not alone. He and others like him perceive themselves as the untouchables. There are over 3000 disenrolled Indians in California and the numbers are now growing by hundreds every few months. Nationwide, it is a travesty. It has to stop.

Rewarding Macarro with more slot machines by voting yes on Prop 94 is not the answer. Those deals with the state need to address all of the issues. It is the only way Macarro will be held accountable for his crimes against his own people. It is the only way change is possible. There is a better deal out there.

John Gomez, Sr. has fought for the civil rights of victimized Indians for years. You disrespected that man with your comments. You disrespected Indians with your comments. You owe Mr. Gomez an apology and I hope one will be forthcoming. I am appalled that you really felt it was OK to spew those remarks out for the world to hear.

I'm certain there are others like myself who have a great concern when a microphone is provided to an individual who uses that power irresponsibly.

Robert Edwards,
Chairman Indians of Enterprise No.1
former Vice-Chair, Enterprise Rancheria
disenrolled November 2003

Cc. Robin Bertolucci, Programming Director, KFI 640

Their emails are:bill@kfi640.com
programming@kfi640.com