BOYCOTT CHUKCHANSI GOLD CASINO AND THE PRCI FOR ITS HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS ABUSES

 

We cannot allow the Tribal Nation of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi  to continue disenrolling its own citizens and denying them their civil rights. It is time for us to take action and make our voices heard.

History has shown us that economic sanctions and public embarrassment can be effective tools in bringing down hateful policies. Just look at how the world came together to impose economic sanctions on South Africa to end apartheid. We can use similar tactics to hold the PRCI accountable for their actions.

Citizens of  California must take a stand and boycott Picayune's casino, hotel, restaurants, and powwows. Let them know that we will not support a nation that denies the rights of its own citizens. We must also let our state and federal representatives know that we expect them not to support a nation that engages in such harmful practices.  Read SHOULD THE BIA WITHDRAW RECOGNITION

We cannot allow Picayune, to benefit from their violations of their own laws and the rights of their citizens. We must stand with the over 500 members of the band who were disenrolled and the hundred more with disenrollments pending.  We must demand that Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians follow their own tribal law and respect the rights of their citizens.

It is time for action. We cannot sit idly by while our fellow citizens are being stripped of their identity and their rights. Join us in boycotting Chukchansi and holding them accountable for their actions. Together, we can make a difference and demand justice for all.

CA's CHUKCHANSI TRIBE CONTINUES DISENROLLMENTS. TIME FOR A BOYCOTT of their CASINO

 Members of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians who were targeted for disenrollment earlier this year were kickedout of the tribe in March — and now a new group of more than 60 members is facing the same fate, according to an attorney representing the majority of the impacted tribal members.

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR MORE CHUKCHANSI ABUSES at Original Pechanga Blog

Attorney David Dehnert told The Bee the disenrollments and the new pending disenrollments are in violation of the tribe’s constitution and several other tribal laws. Dehnert represents about 39 of the 49 who received notices in mid-March saying their names would be removed from the tribe’s membership roll. Dehnert is from Southern California, and he typically represents tribes, but said he believed the tribe’s actions were so egregious that he decided to change spots in this case to litigate the tribe.

The tribe, he said, has now selected another group of around 62 members who will be part of another wave of disenrollments. He represents about 36 of them. According to a copy of one of the notices, the affected members’ disenrollment hearing is April 22.

Dehnert said there’s no “accountability, no judicial review,” and “no checks and balances at all” with the actions of the Chukchansi Tribal Council.  OP:  MORAL OUTRAGE IS NEEDED

“It’s deplorable what they are doing to their own people. They should be taking care of their people,” he said.

At stake is a piece of the profits from the tribe’s sprawling Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino on Highway 41 north of Fresno. According to an online estimate, the casino in 2022 had revenue of $43.7 million.

Affected members who spoke with The Bee in January said the disenrollments are being driven by greed and designed to significantly swell the monetary benefits for some tribal families. Another 60 to 70 members were disenrolled last year.

SEE THE REST OF THE STORY HERE

Chukchansi Tribe Reportedly Going After Their BLACK INDIANS For Disenrollment

Their is NO purity at the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians yet, the most egregious of the disenrolling tribes are at it again.  Sources are saying that the tribe will target their "Black Indians" next.  Can you put that disgraceful action out of Chukchansi's scope of actions?
 

Just when you thought the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians couldn't be ANY WORSE, they continue to surprise us.   

Who do their think they are?  The Cherokee, A tribe that disenrolled their black slave descendants, but have now restored those rights after a lengthy court battle, and now have welcomed ALL their rightful people home. The Creeks, who are still racially oppressing their Freedmen descendants,  and the other so called Five Civilized tribes?

California Indians have mixed with Europeans for CENTURIES.  Going after groups for being "unpure" is very ... Nazi-like.  There's no one way to look Indian/Native American. We come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Chukchansi disenrolled their last language speaker Ruby Roan Cordero , remember?

This is simply disgraceful.  Are you paying attention Gavin Newsom?  Maybe ANOTHER meeting at their casino?

OPEN LETTER TO Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians Tribal Council Denouncing their INHUMANITY OF Tribal Disenrollment

 Send your email to: info@chukchansi-nsn.gov

Chukchansi Council
FIND YOUR HUMANITY

Dear Tribal Council of PRCI,

I write to you with a heavy heart, as I witness the ongoing paper genocide of the Chukchansi People and many other Indigenous Peoples throughout California. It is shameful and disheartening that tribes like Picayune continue to flagrantly violate the tribal, civil, and human rights of their own People through disenrollment and moratoriums on membership, without facing any consequences.

Your council member Chance Alberta once promised that a healthy economy will allow money to be pumped back into tribal programs, but this same promise was made to 1600 Chukchansi People prior to the establishment of Chukchansi Gold. Since then, over 800 tribal members, including elders, future generations, language keepers, and babies, have had their birthright stolen by the PRCI government, which swore to protect the People and their rights.

Your actions have disrespected our Chukchansi ancestors and rewritten history, replacing a once proud Chukchansi Nation with a greedy corporation whose members have chosen to forget the Indian way of respect and caring for one's People. Your talk of continuing audits and disenrollments only adds insult to injury, as currently enrolled tribal members struggle with housing, education, and health insurance for all.

I implore you to do what the Creator planned for our People and bring ALL the People home to Picayune. It is time for you to put an end to the paper genocide and honor the sacred trust between your government and your People. It is time for you to stand up for justice and restore the rights of those who have been wronged. Do not let greed and power overshadow the fundamental principles of humanity and decency.

The eyes of the world are watching, and history will judge you by your actions. Choose wisely.

Sincerely,

CHUKCHANSI Lessons on Disenrollment: If Nothing Stops Us From Harming OUR OWN PEOPLE, KEEP DOING IT!

 

The Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, a tribe that is the most egregious in the action of tribal disenrollment, is at it AGAIN.

The Fresno Bee is reporting on the storm clouds brewing for the Chukchansi people, now the the casino debts, after a default, are finally ending, ensuring a larger pot of cash for tribal members.

Is it Greed or Power?

Why can't it be both?  If the pie gets sliced amongst fewer people, they are bigger slices. 

Tribal Disenrollment Review of Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians Disenrollment. Looking Beneath The Gaming Glitter One in a Series

 

Most Egregious Disenrolling Tribe

As our Nooksack 306 relations are bringing much needed media attention to their tribal disenrollment and forced evictions, my editorial board* thought it important to bring some reviews of the histories of disenrollment.  The most egregious, the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, which is in Coarsegold, CA  north of Fresno which has destroyed the heritage of nearly HALF of their tribe.

The Fresno Bee had been on top of the corruption at Chukchansi for over a DECADE when we posted this story from 2008.  The corruption is staggering.  The civil and human rights violations that the BIA, the State of California, and the local county governments are still ignoring are STAGGERING.   PLEASE read and share on twitter and Facebook.   

Read the horrors from this 2003 Fresno Bee article

The biggest, most expensive and most controversial American Indian casino/entertainment complex in central San Joaquin Valley history is expected to make its debut in eastern Madera County in 10 days.

With it comes a long-simmering and increasingly bitter tribal civil war over who will pocket the profits of a business that eventually could rake in $200 million or more a year.

Carved out of a once-forlorn swath of rocks and brush in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Coarsegold, the gamblers' half of the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino is all but finished.

That's the casino, home to 1,800 slot machines and more than 40 card tables. June 25 is the planned opening date, according to the owners, the Chukchansi Indians of Picayune Rancheria.

The 192-room hotel is expected to open next door in August. The total project's estimated cost: $150 million.

Indian gaming has been a fixture in the six-county central San Joaquin Valley for two decades. Gamblers, though, have seen nothing locally like the Chukchansi digs -- nearly 300,000 square feet of casino, hotel and entertainment venues.

Nor has there been anything here quite like the Chukchansi membership fight that has brewed for four years.
Its roots go back even further. Twenty years ago, the tribe had only 30 members, the result of federal policy dating back to the Eisenhower administration designed to terminate Indian lands such as rancherias. The thinking, at least among non-Indians, was that Indians should be assimilated into mainstream America.

It took several decades of court battles, but many tribes finally regained their legal recognition and the right to renew their lives on rancherias. In a word, they were "reconstituted."

By the late 1990s, with the Chukchansi tribe legally reborn, a liberal enrollment policy raised the membership total to more than 1,000.
Then, in 1999, as negotiations with a casino management company neared a critical juncture, nearly 200 people were suddenly kicked out of the tribe.

Membership fights are nothing new among casino-owning tribes. For example, Table Mountain Rancheria in Fresno County has been the center of a long struggle among four extended families of Mono-Chukchansi Indians who own Table Mountain Casino and several hundred Indians who say they have been illegally excluded since the tribe was reborn in the early 1980s.

The Chukchansi battle, though, is different. This doesn't involve people on the outside who want in. These are Indians who were full-fledged tribal members one day and the next day found themselves out in the cold for what they say is no good reason.

Please follow the series

* Editorial board is Me, Myself and I

PICAYUNE RANCHERIA of CHUKCHANSI Indians DISENROLLMENT EXPLAINED In EASY To READ WIKIPEDIA

 Since 2007, we have stood with Chukchansi disenrolled. Proud to work with and help my hero, CATHY CORY.

Disenrollment controversy

Since the 2003 opening of the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino the Chukchansi Tribe has been one of the leading tribes known for disenrolling its own members. Disenrollment is the process by which a tribe strips members of their tribal affiliation thus denying those members the benefits associated with federal tribal affiliation such as education benefits, land and property rights on reservations, tax benefits, medical benefits, and payments to the tribe from tribal sources of money including money from casinos owned by the tribe as well as child care and elder care.^[5][6] 

Since 2003 hundreds of tribal members have been disenrolled allowing the remaining tribal members to receive larger portions of the income from the casino.

Chukchansi Resort & Casino: FIRE after Pestilence for This Corrupt Tribal Entity

picture  courtesy: Fresno Bee

We've written numerous times of the corrupt activities of the Chukchansi Resort & Casino tribe, on the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians in Coarsegold, CA near Fresno. The tribe is one of the most egregious perpetrators of disenrollment in all of Indian Country.

This week, it's FIRE!  Unrelated to the forest fires in N. California, Chukchansi officials say everyone inside the casino was evacuated safely, but it had to remain empty for at couple of hour while crews investigated.

Remember in 2012, the Chukchansi hotel had to be shut down because of pestilence, that being bed bugs.  

Back to disenrollment, my hero from Picayune, Cathy Cory, was featured as one of the faces of disenrollment with her ancestor Chief Hawa.  More on the Chukchansi corruption

What is the CHUKCHANSI WORD for CHUTZPAH? Bear Spray using Tribe To Hold Seminar on Violence

We may never know if they keep disenrolling their language speakers before they walk on.   The Chukchansi tribe, which used bear spray and burning logs on their elders, will hold a  seminar on "VIOLENCE is NOT OUR CULTURE"!    My friend Cathy Cory says:    Tribal disenrollment is the worst kind of domestic violence and lateral violence against one's own kin. The furthering of generational trauma to self-decimate one's people beneath the guise of self-determination and the abuse of sovereignty to the detriment of all our native community

From 2014

• Lewis' group is even accused of going as far as hiring armed security guards to intimidate the other group.
• Lewis said his officers do carry stun guns.
• Madera County Sheriff's Spokeswoman Erica Stuart says a woman threw a rock at a fire engine, as the engine and deputies were responding to an initial call of shots fired.

Sounds cultural, right?  But these people draw the limit at wife beating? 

Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians Continues Their Genocide UPDATED

PRCI continues SHAMING their "tribe"

The Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, who are the most egregious perpetrators of disenrollment this century, continues their shameful ways. Reports coming in from Coarsegold, CA that their are more disenrollments on the way.

The #stopdisenrollment movement has been shining a spotlight on the abuses of native Americans that we've been reporting on for a dozen years.  The exposure hasn't stopped tribes like Chukchansi from exterminating their own people, to enrich those remaining.

The FACE of Disenrollment: Cathy Cory and her Ancestor Chief Hawa of Chukchansi

Our series on the Faces of Disenrollment continues with  Chief Hawa descendants of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians,who were disenrolled in one of the largest mass disenrollments in the history of Indian Country.  Sadly one of many in that disgraced tribe.  Please..read and share.

Cathy Cory and Chief Hawa

When your own people can steal your birthright away from you, it hurts," said Cathy Cory, who was disenrolled,   from the Picayune Chukchansi tribe. "It's obscene that a very few are getting so rich, and there is so much poverty in Indian country."

Cory  is a direct descendant of Hawa, the last true chief of the Picayune Chukchansi tribe; during her disenrollment hearing, she propped next to her an iconic photo taken of him in 1901 at 101 years old.    A reminder, they disenroll the ANCESTORS, which then cuts your ties to the tribe.  Chief Hawa had NO opportunity to defend himself against the lies being told to eliminate the family.

Cathy Cory: WHO to AVOID VOTING FOR at Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians

Chukchansi warrior Cathy Cory goes into the Lion's Den again with her view of who to vote AGAINST in the upcoming Oct. 6th  elections at the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians.

Cathy Cory
Dismembered from Chukchansi

My opinion of who ABSOLUTELY NOT to vote for PRCI tribal council! electing ANY of these candidates may see your own Chukchansi kin dismembered through disenrollment, and/or more of the status quo or lack of leadership placing picayune where it is today--which is definitely not on a good path forward for all Chukchansi people, but toward further destruction of the tribe:

DUSTIN GRAHAM (prior prci council)

STEVEN MCDONALD

LYNETTE MCCOMBS

DORA JONES (prior prci council)

MORRIS REID (prior prci council)

PATRICK HAMMOND (prior/current prci council prior enrollment committee chair)

DOMINIQUE CARRILLO

TINA JONES

LAURIE LAWHON

IRENE WALTZ (prior prci council)

VOTE for these people at your own risk.  Why bring CORRUPTION back?

TOP TEN INDIAN CASINOS To AVOID: IF THEY CHEAT Their OWN People, WHY NOT Their Customers

These Ten TRIBAL Casinos are some we chose to STAY AWAY from and NOT spend our entertainment dollars there. In NO particular order, except for Pechanga because they are MY TRIBE and they cheated MY family and dishonored MY ancestors and our progeny.

MARK MACARRO HONEST?  

There is much more detail at each of the links, please click through
PECHANGA RESORT & CASINO:  Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians CA

In 2004, 130+ adult members and their immediate families were disenrolled from the Pechanga Band. The members were all descendants of Chief Pablo Apish, a historically significant leader of the Pechanga/Temecula people. None of the members were allowed to participate in the 2004 tribal elections as a result of their disenrollment.

STOP TRIBAL DISENROLLMENT: Which is the BEST WAY to FIGHT for Our Ancestors?

As we are 7 months from the last   and possibly final STOP DISENROLLMENT DAY.  The  #stopdisenrollment movement helps draw attention, but what about the other 364 days of the year?

Do we fight the unJUST action, or do we JUST HOPE something will happen?

Do we pray for JUSTICE or actively SEEK JUSTICE for our ancestors?

Do we wait and see while our elders die without seeing their rights restored, knowing we didn't do ENOUGH? 

Corrupt Tribal Birds of a Feather Stick Together: Chukchansi and Pala Together Again

Two tribes, that are egregiously harming Native Americans are once again on the same team.  Pala , whose porcine chairman Robert Smith runs roughshod over the tribe, ignoring it's own constitution, has welcomed the brutal regime of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, who have eliminated over 50% of their tribe, harmed elders, have millions unaccounted for.  They should rename themselves, the OUTSIDERS

The California Tribal Business Alliance is up to two members.

The organization at times has exerted significant political power in the state. But its membership waned in recent years and the group was down to just one tribe: the Pala Band of Luiseño Indians.

The Pala Band is no longer alone anymore. The Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians rejoined the organization after a seven-year absence.

#StopDisenrollment Movement GROWING Exponentially: PLEASE Spread the Word

The movement #StopDisenrollment began on February 8th.  Their Facebook Page grew from zero to 2,000 LIKES in less than four days.  AWARENESS of the crimes against tribal members, BY tribal leaders is growing.

The CHILDREN are harmed by disenrollment, as are our elders. Stripping of Citizenship is SO rare in America, that there is NOT one prominent case of that happening.

OPEN LETTER To California Atty. General: Why NO Response To Chukchansi Tribe After 3 MONTHS?

 And WHY, Kamala Harris, is Nobody looking into $50 MILLION DOLLARS MISSING at Chukchansi?  WHO has it, who spent it, who didn't pay taxes on it?

Dear Mr. Torngren,

In April of this year, I sent you a letter outlining numerous concerns regarding the possible re-opening of the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino (CGRC), located on the tribal lands of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians (PRCI).  The concerns I expressed in my correspondence to you on behalf of the onsite, duly elected PRCI Tribal Council, which I represent, involved safety issues and integrity of gaming issues which may arise from prematurely re-opening the Tribe’s casino.  To date, I have received no response from your office regarding my correspondence to you.

The weekend before last, the rogue group calling itself the 2010 Tribal Council, led by Reggie Lewis, held a job fair in the CGRC’s conference room to ostensibly pre-screen applicants and gather resumes from potential casino employees.  This group has been stating publicly that they are weeks away from re-opening the casino.  We know that at least three non-tribal government actions must occur before the casino can legally re-open: the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) must agree to rescind its Temporary Closure Order (TCO) of the casino issued in October 2014, the California Department of Justice must support lifting the federal court injunction issued in Fresno, California, closing the casino pursuant to the State’s petition to the court requesting this action for a violation of the Gaming Compact between the Tribe and the State, and finally, the federal court must lift the injunction it issued in October 2014 shuttering the casino for, among other things, posing a safety risk to the public.

First Lady Michelle Obama Takes Ownership of US GOVERNMENT'S Actions Against Native Americans

Credit where credit is due.  When speaking to the White House Convening on Creating Opportunity for Native Youth conference First Lady Michelle Obama said this:

Michelle Obama

“Let me offer just a few examples from our past, starting with how, back in 1830, we passed a law removing Native Americans from their homes and forcibly re-locating them to barren lands out west. The Trail of Tears was part of this process. Then we began separating children from their families and sending them to boarding schools designed to strip them of all traces of their culture, language and history. And then our government started issuing what were known as ‘Civilization Regulations’ – regulations that outlawed Indian religions, ceremonies and practices – so we literally made their culture illegal.”

This is PROPER RESPECT to the governments actions against native Americans.  We and our are ownership words.  And that's a good start.  Left unsaid was what Tribal Leaders and groups are NOT ADDRESSING, the CURRENT abuses perpetrated on Native People by corrupt councils and chairmen.

Our friend Cathy Cory, a Chukchansi Indian who was stripped of citizenship by her own tribe had this to say:

Today, THOUSANDS of our Indian people are being stripped of our culture again--this time by our own corrupt tribal councils through tribal disenrollment and nonrecognition of legitimate descendants who abuse tribal sovereignty to destroy our people...WAKE UP White House and Congress! Only YOU have plenary power over these corrupt tribal governments who continue to push this new destruction--paper genocide--throughout Indian Country!

We'd love to have the first lady take the lead on THIS issue, restoration of the right of belonging that tribes like Pala, San Pasqual, Pechanga, Redding, Nooksack stripped from thousands of us.



Learn More on Disenrollment, Ethnic Cleansing in Indian Gaming Country at these Links:
Gaming Revenue Blamed for Disenrollment
disenrollment is paper Genocide
CA Tribal Cleansing
Tribal terrorism
TRIBAL TERRORISM includes Banishment
Nooksack Disenrollment

Chukchansi Raid: Court Date Set in Take-Over and Raid at Chukchansi Gold Casino

Preliminary hearings have been set for Ronald Jones, James Glasscock, John Cayanne, and Picayune Rancheria/Chukchansi tribal member Vernon King.

The four will appear before Judge Dale Blea beginning Nov. 16.
These are the final four from the attempted take-over and raid at the casino in Coarsegold, Oct. 2014.

Most of the 15 accused either pled guilty or had charges dismissed. Tex McDonald, who headed the Oct. 9 raid, accepted a guilty plea of felony false imprisonment, and is expected to be released for time served, on July 2.
King and McDonald were the only tribal members involved in the incident. Many of the others lived either out of county or out of state.
It is still unclear as to when the casino, which closed Oct. 10, will reopen.

Original Pechanga's Blog Wishes You a Merry Christmas and New Years Wishes for the END of Tribal Disenrollments

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

May the New Year bring positive results for those of us who are struggling to retain or regain what is rightfully ours. 

May those who are harming their people see that doing the right thing, IS the right thing to do.

May we have others join our fight for justice

Paulina Hunter
PROVEN Original Pechanga
By Pechanga's Hired Expert

Tribes that have shamed their ancestors include:  The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, The Enterprise Rancheria, Redding Rancheria, Nooksack, Pala Band of Luiseno Indian, Mixed Blood Uinta Utes, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, San Pascual, Berry Creek Rancheria, there are more, please check the blog out and share......