Are Native Americans Entitled to Civil Rights Protections? Paul Johnson, American Indian Activist Discusses What Civil Are Being Violated. Senator Harris, Senator Feinstein PAY ATTENTION to YOUR STATE

I've invited a friend, American Indian Activist Paul Johnson, to write a piece on the civil rights that we constantly talk about, but to many, they only have a vague idea what it means.   I'm going to break down his piece into at least two posts, so I'm inviting everyone to share it and anticipate the next post from Paul.  I'll add some thoughts on how these violations relate to my family's issues at Pechanga.   repost from July 2015

The recent resolution from the NNABA supporting Equal Protection and Due Process for those who have been divested of the Right of Tribal Citizenship
is shining a light on the civil and human rights violations that accompany many of the disenrollment actions happening throughout Indian Country.  So what are these civil rights to which we refer, and how are they being violated?

When we speak of the right to due process we are citing the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Due process provides protections to those facing a proposed action, applies in civil and criminal proceedings, and has specific requirements.

Here are the requirements in a nutshell:

1.     Unbiased tribunal

2.     Notice of proposed action and the grounds on which it is based

3.     Opportunity to present a reason why the action should not occur

4.     Right to call witnesses on your behalf

5.     Right to know what evidence is brought against you