CNIGA Opposes Indian Civil Rights Reform

CNIGA Opposes Indian Civil Rights Reform

I was informed earlier today that CNIGA, the Indian Gaming Lobby in California, moved and passed to oppose/object to the California Native American Civil Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Legislative Initiative Resolution which was passed by the Native American Caucus of the California Democratic Party in July.

CNIGA members were urged to attend the up-coming Native American Caucus meeting on Friday, November 16 at 8:00 pm. CNIGA also sent out a memo to its member tribes that the Native American Caucus would be re-considering the California Native American Civil Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Legislative Initiative resolution at the November 16 meeting.

The CNIGA memo, dated October 1, 2007, not only lists the time and date of the Native American Caucus meeting and states the caucus is expected to reconsider the Resolution, it provides this information at a time when the members of the Native American Caucus have not even been noticed of the time. place, or agenda of the Caucus meeting. We should not be surprised with this though.

Members of the Executive Board of the Caucus are also members of CNIGA and have held key positions in CNIGA. In addition, CNIGA member tribes such as Pechanga, Redding, Jamul and others are leading the way in denying basic rights to their people.

Here is a link to the CNIGA memo: http://www.electhaze.com/documents/CNIGA%20Memorandum%20Regarding%20the%20CDP%20Native%20American%20Caucus%20meeting%20Nov%20%2016th%20at%208PM%20-%202007-10-01.pdf

The link above also takes you to Elect haze, the official website of Steve Haze for Congress. Steve is the author of the Resolution and is responsible for bringing it to the California Democratic Party and Native American Caucus.

Here is the Resolution as passed by the Native American Caucus: California Native American Justice and Equal Economic Opportunity Legislative Initiative

Whereas, the Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA) of 1968 guarantees in moral, ethical and legal spirit - if not in fact - equality, fairness and justice through due process to all Native Americans in the United States and the State of California;
And whereas, California State Proposition 5 and Proposition 1A as enacted by the voters of California provided for federally recognized tribes to legally engage in gaming with the premise of equal economic opportunity for all California Native Americans;
And whereas, many members of federally recognized Indian tribes within the State of California are being de-enrolled, have been terminated under the Termination Act of 1953, are experiencing illegal enrollment moratoriums, and/or are under the threat of such procedures with their human dignity and constitutional rights denied through the absence of equitable due process and lack of meaningful recourse;
Therefore, be it resolved that the California Democratic Party recognizes that the aforementioned inequities and injustices which are being carried out against Native Americans are contrary to the longstanding values, principles, and ideals of the Democratic Party;

And be it further resolved that the Democratic Party of California supports legislative initiatives at the State and Federal level to reform the provisions of the Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA) of 1968 to redress the human and civil right abuses of California Native Americans - and, reform California State Proposition 1A with the intent of providing equal economic opportunity for all California Native Americans.