Chukchansi Tribe's "Leaders" Have Earned Scorn & Mockery. Should the BIA withdraw Recognition?

We’ve read so much about the issues at Chukchansi.  Does anyone really believe that the three groups led by Morris Reid, Nancy Ayala and REGGIE LEWIS have the best interest of the tribe as their priority, or the best interest of themselves?

All three of these so-called leaders were proponents of the first disenrollments in the tribe in 1999 and 2006.  They cut 800 tribal members from their heritage and rights as Native Americans.   Is that what someone who purports to care about the tribe does?  I think not.

These actions against their own people and those subsequent disenrollments documented by the Sierra Star News, have led to violence ( Chukchansi Tribe at War With Each Other ) and huge police presence to protect Chukchansi’s shrinking number of citizens from their own leaders.  Is THIS what was meant by tribal self reliance?

Nancy Ayala wants to limit the Chukchansi membership to 46 people.  Is she serious?  Taking a once prominent tribe to such a small number is unconscionable. A real leader would be making it tribe STRONGER, by restoring their membership to 1998 levels and enrolling any who rightfully belong.

All three “leaders” are culpable in the destruction of the Chukchansi tribe.  Yet blinded by their own ambitions, they can’t see the damage they are doing with their depopulation efforts..

Help these leaders see the light.  How, you ask?  Ask your congressperson to set up field hearings on the issue.  Ask for enforcement in the Indian Civil Rights Act.  And most importantly:  DO NOT FEED THE GREED.

Simply quit going to Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino.   Dry up the income stream and let them KNOW WHY you are no longer coming.  Let them know you refuse to support their corruption and greed.

But what about sovereignty, you may ask?  Yes, they are a sovereign nation, but then, so was South Africa, and we used moral persuasion to get them to eliminate apartheid.  You can do the same at Chukchansi. Let them know you expect them to act humanely towards their people or they won’t get your entertainment dollars.   Help them to see that being corrupt is not a long term solution.

Bring ALL the Chukchansi people home.

Read more about the Picayune Band of Chukchansi Indians: Bedbugs at Chukchansi

Chukchansi Violence

Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians

Read about Chukchansi Language Speaker RUBY CORDERO

UPDATE: Chukchansi Disenrolled To Hold Protest At Fresno's Federal Building April 20

PROTESTERS OUTSIDE FRESNO FEDERAL BUILDING

UPDATE:  About three dozen people gathered outside the federal courthouse in downtown Fresno to protest what they described as government inaction in the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians' ongoing struggle over leadership and enrollment.



The tribe, which owns and operates Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold, has two groups that each claim to be the legitimate tribal council. Factions have been at odds over a disputed December election, ongoing disenrollments and financial penalties levied on members accused of disruptive behavior or vandalism.



The location for the protest is: ‎2500 Tulare Street, Fresno Ca., 8 am til' 3 pm April 20th.

Any person who has been victimized by Thug Tribal Leaders and had their civil rights violated or victims of disenrollment should demonstrate with them that day.

It would be a good day for those victimized by Mass Disenrollments in California to get more media attention.  Please let your friends and family members who are in the Central Valley know, so they may add their voice and raise the volume.

Read more on disenrollments:

Disenrollments are Shameful

disenrollments and sovereignty

United Auburn Indian Community

Snoqualmie of Washington

North Fork Rancheria Chair: Attack Ads are NOT Accurate

Here's an opinion piece from Elaine Bethel-Fink on their casino plans and the attack ads against them:

As the proposed Madera/North Fork casino nears successful completion after more than seven years of rigorous state and federal review -- we are one signature away -- opponents to the project have launched a massive campaign of negative attacks.
Recently Madera County residents have been barraged by an onslaught of bogus polls, anonymous mailers and letters cajoling the public, and according to reports, also Chukchansi employees, vendors and even tribal citizens to oppose the project.
In the past the Chukchansi tribe employed high-priced lawyers, lobbyists and public relation operatives to produce such attacks. Now they have enlisted other rich gaming tribes and outside anti-gaming groups to try to stop the project.
These outsiders aren't working for the good of Madera County. They are paid opponents hired by tribes who already have casinos. They are also distorting the truth.
Their negative attack ads have twisted the history of the Madera project beyond recognition. They claim that a Las Vegas developer bought land in Madera and then "recruited" our tribe. In fact, we selected Station Casinos as a recognized leader in the industry known for exceptional worker and community relations. We selected Station -- not the other way around -- and then authorized them to secure an option for our proposed site.
The recent attack mailers also suggest we are going against the will of the people of Madera and somehow skirting the law by "reservation shopping." This is not true. Maderans twice voted to support Indian gaming as a tool for tribal self-sufficiency and good governance. Cheryl Schmit, a leading gambling opponent, is on record as far back as 2006 in a statement regarding the Madera / North Fork plan, saying: "This is not reservation shopping ... this is the state exercising its authority to locate gaming where it is wanted."
We are following the precise process that Congress established in 1988 to provide tribes who do not have a land base, such as North Fork, the same opportunity to engage in tribal governmental gaming that Chukchansi and its rich allies now enjoy. This process is the only way left to us to develop economically so that we, like the opposing tribes, can take care of our citizens and communities.

We have followed the very rigorous process of qualifying these lands, satisfying every level of federal approval.

This is not "reservation shopping" at all, but rather "responsible development" that works in the best mutual interest of both Tribe and community. Once completed, the casino will be on "Indian lands" in full accordance with all state and federal laws. It will also generate nearly 4,500 jobs as well as $100 million annually in economic stimulus and $5 million in community funding.

Read the rest at  SIERRA STAR NEWS

Editorial: BIA MUST GET INVOLVED in Chukchansi Dispute. Fresno Bee Gets it RIGHT

The Fresno Bee has spent a lot of their reporter, Marc Benjamin'stime on the Chukchansi debacle, even the NYTIMES covered it...ten years late.

Here, the editorial board of the Bee steps up to the plate:

There was a time before Indian gaming exploded when tribal council elections were rather routine. But as millions of dollars began pouring through casinos, the councils became centers of tribal power, and controversial.

With so much money at stake, elections often don’t go smoothly, and sometimes, as is the case at the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, election results aren’t even recognized. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way of resolving the issue because of the tribe’s sovereignty.
Now we have two tribal councils operating — one that was duly elected, and one that refuses to give up power, claiming that an opposing member was not qualified to run.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs could recognize one of the councils, thereby giving legitimacy to those who should be operating the Chukchansi casino and overseeing aspects of tribal government. But so far, the BIA has been AWOL when asked to get between the opposing tribal councils. The longer the timid BIA waits, the bigger a problem that will be created.

So far, the BIA says this is an internal tribal matter. That ignores the obvious issue of the federal agency having to deal with one of the councils on casino issues and tribal matters. When the BIA has a question, which council faction will it call?

At some point, it must be decided which tribal council will operate the casino and handle the obligations on the tribe’s $311 million casino/hotel debt.

This election also impacts individual members. The tribal council that refuses to recognize the election results has been disenrolling members and taking casino jobs from members they disagree with. The newly elected council has pledged to stop the disenrollment process.
Tribal members who are disenrolled have a lot to lose. According to the newly elected tribal council, these are the main benefits: Adults (age 18-64) get $380 a month, and educational benefits for schooling or a training program. Elders age 55 and over get payments of $380 a month; another $250 a month for utilities; a food allowance and other benefits. Children get free preschool, a day-care subsidy, and allowances for clothing, computers and college.
While the well-being of the Chukchansi members should be the overriding issue, this dispute has come down to who will have the power to run a gambling casino. This is not what California voters intended when they voted to expand Indian gambling.

Read the Fresno Bee and Comment

Sierra Star News: Chukchansi Issues Disenrollment Letters; Tribal Incompetence Shown, BIA Ineffective

Carmen George of the Sierra Star News has an excellent article up detail the latest round of disenrollments at the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians.

When 87-year-old Ruby "Roan" Cordero of Oakhurst received a letter a few weeks ago stating she would be disenrolled as a member of the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, she couldn't understand the piece of paper.
Cordero only speaks a little English. Her Alzheimer's Disease has pulled her mind back to an earlier time, family members say, to childhood when she still spoke in her native language -- Chukchansi Indian    OP:  Yes, that's right, the tribe is going to eliminate one who spoke the language.  One who could use the help of her tribe.

The Roan descendants were given 15 minutes before the session began, as stated in their letters, to view evidence presented against them at their disenrollment hearings this week.

Opponents say certain families are being targeted, with disenrollments rooted in greed over casino profits, old grudges between individuals, and because many live in neighboring Mountain Area towns, like Mariposa, away from the rancheria   OP:  15 minutes!  To view the evidence against them AT THE HEARINGS!  Not weeks ahead of time to prepare their defense.   Lack of due process anyone?  Anyone?

Tribal Council Chairman Reggie Lewis, showing his incompetence couldn't even put a proper total on how many his tribe has stripped citizenship from:  While Lewis estimated total disenrollments for the tribe since its inception between 400 and 500, Laura Wass, Central California director for the American Indian Movement and a leading advocate for disenrolled Indians, said the real number is estimated at 800, the majority of disenrollments since the tribe opened Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino in 2003.

OP:  The BIA shows it's unecessary: A disenrollment means tribal members lose monthly stipends, currently about $280 a month from the rancheria's multi-million dollar casino revenues, and benefits for housing, education, medical, and elder and child services.

"We're no longer a direct service provider," said Troy Burdick, superintendent of Central California Bureau of Indian Affairs with 55 tribes beneath him. "I can't think of anything my agency would provide as a direct benefit to them if they are not a member of a federally recognized tribe    OP:  THEN WHY DO WE NEED YOU, TROY??

Read the Rest of the story

Jeff Livingston, Accused of Theft by Chukchansi, Trial Ends in Mistrial

Interesting, the Chukchansi thieves accusing their man of theft. Well, it takes one to know one?


Mistrial declared
U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill on Friday declared a mistrial in a criminal case involving a former general manager of the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino who was facing federal charges that he used a corporate credit card to steal from the casino.

Jeff Livingston, 50, was indicted by a federal grand jury on felony charges of theft by officers or employees of gaming establishments on Indian lands.

Jurors began deliberating Thursday afternoon after a trial that had lasted a good part of the week. O'Neill declared the mistrial Friday afternoon.

A new trial date will be chosen May 7.



Read more: http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/04/30/1917292/local-briefs-5-arrested-in-valley.html#ixzz0mtP21e9t

Picayune Chukchansi Casino Theft Trial Scheduled for March

Imagine the discovery that could come out of this trial. And what other interesting information can also come, like the disenrollment actions by the Picayune tribal Council. Picayune disenrolled 50% of their tribe after the casino went up. They are a group of tribes including Pechanga of Temecula, led by Mark Macarro, Redding Rancheria, Robinson Rancheria and Enterprise that has used "disenrollment" to consolidate both power and money. Pechanga has taken health care from elders and children and are keeping hundreds of rightful members of the tribe OUT, so that they can collect over $350,000 per year EACH.



A jury trial has been set for 8:30 a.m. Monday, March 29, in Fresno's U.S. District Court for Jeff Livingston, the former Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino general manager who has been charged with theft.

The trial will be held in courtroom No. 4 before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill.

Livingston was arrested on federal charges of "theft by officers or employees of gaming establishments on Indian lands" at his Fresno home July 24.
He has entered a plea of not guilty.

The federal grand jury indictment claimed that Livingston had used Chukchansi credit cards for personal use for a Hawaiian vacation and down payments on personal vehicles.

Livingston served as the general manager of the Chukchansi Casino from 2005 through early 2008, when he resigned and was replaced by Bruce King.

A spokesperson for the casino stated in July that the investigation of allegations of wrong-doing against the casino by Livingston began in November 2007 by the Tribal Gaming Commission. The results of that investigation were turned over to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Then a joint investigation by the State Bureau of Gambling Control and the FBI discovered Livingston's unauthorized purchases included a $20,000 down payment on a new Ford Mustang Shelby; a $5,000 down payment on a new Ford Fusion for the casino's former director of marketing; and a $7,000 PGA National Golf Championship golf trip package to Hawaii. The investigation led to Livingston's arrest.

At the time of his arrest, state Attorney General Jerry Brown's office said Livingston attempted to cover up the down payments by making it appear they were part of a 10-car purchase he made for a casino promotion.

Livingston could face up to 20 years in prison and $1 million in fines if convicted.

Chukchansi Paying Off Politicians to Hide Stain of their Civil Rights Violations

The Chukchansi Economic Development Authority, the business and political arm of the the Chukchansi Gold tribal casino in Coarsegold, showered Valley lawmakers with more than $600 in gifts this year, according to recent state filings.

The tribe gave Assembly GOP leader Mike Villines a $138 gift basket and paid for food, drink and dinners for Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter (100 miles away!), Assembly members Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto, Connie Conway, R-Tulare, and termed-out Assembly member Nicole Parra, a Hanford Democrat.

The tribe, which opposes a casino proposed by the neighboring North Fork tribe in Madera County, is emerging as a political power player in Sacramento. Gee, that's enough to make me want to support it.

The tribe contributed $15,800 to legislative candidates in the last half of last year. And the tribe is the funding force behind the "San Joaquin Valley Leadership PAC," which last year spent $85,686 on campaign donations and independent expenditures for candidates.

The tribe gambled and won on three of four candidates it spent money on. Its losing bet? Assembly candidate Fran Florez, a Democrat, who lost to Hanford Republican Danny Gilmore. The tribe spent $32,200 on her. Isn't there a LIMIT?

Florez is the mother of state Sen. Florez, who until this year oversaw a committee with jurisdiction over gaming issues. Florez opposes the North Fork casino proposal. YA THINK? Wouldn't want the cashcow to not be happy, right Fran?

www.fresnobee.com
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www.teetilawuncha.blogspot.com

How the Picayune (Chukchansi) Indian Terminations Came About

21st Century genocide of Chukchansi Indians

From For All Nations, a regular contributor at www.pechanga.info and the forum there. Come take a look.

Sad to say, most of the tribes violating the tribal, civil, and human rights of their people through moratorium and/or disenrollment ARE violating their tribal constitutions... for instance, at picayune there is no clause for--or mention of--disenrollment at all in the constitution...and even though the tribe was required to hold quarterly meetings of the membership according to the constitution, the tribal council just quit holding these meetings at all...this allowed a very small and vocal (read threatening and intimidating) group of tribal members who attended the monthy tribal council meetings, in this case the distributees and their descendants designated in the tilley-hardwick decision--to control every decision that was made.

these people demanded those they decried as "illegal aliens" be disenrolled...and they were.... following the disenrollments, the "new" enrollment committee at picayune then illegally enrolled at least 70 people early this year--even though these people were supposedly in moratorium, and were without approval of the tribal council (which is also required by the constitution)--and these 70 people remain illegally enrolled today while over 600 legally enrolled, BIA record verified as chukchansi, (previous) tribal council approved tribal citizens remain disenrolled....

It seems that any tribe desiring to violate their members simply twists their tribal constitution interpretation against them when it is convenient, and then ignores or blatantly violates that same tribal constitution whenever that suits their purposes as well... and each change within the tribal council at election time brings the possibility of a different interpretation of the constitution, interpretations which tribes are increasingly utilizing in an ex post facto manner in order to steal the very birthright of their own people...their own blood... not to mention that virtually all of the tribal constitutions were written by cils (california indian legal services), and have absolutely nothing to do with the customs and traditions of the tribe itself...just another tool of genocide which the tribal governments themselves are too blinded by greed to realize that they are actually uilizing in truly destroying their own culture and history...