Open Enrollment to the Pechanga Tribe in January. Call for Application

The Pechanga Bylaws and Constitution provide for OPEN ENROLLMENT each January. If you believe you belong in the tribe, you should request an application.

The address from the Pechanga website for their Tribal Government is:

Pechanga Enrollment Committee
PO BOX 1477
Temecula, CA 92593

(951)770-6000

fax: (951) 695-1778

Don't take NO for an answer. It's IN their constitution.

Guero Nunez, Manuela Miranda Descendent, Speaks on Another Year of Disenrollment

Guero Nunez, the White Buffalo of Pechanga's Pablo Apis ancestry, and from the Manuela Miranda line, left a good comment on a previous post, I thought we should promote it to the front page.

It might be said that we have accomplished nothing in the past year, but this is only a statement that is meant to discourage.

Your efforts in publicising the corruption of the Casino Indians has cost them millions of dollars. Keep vigilant in your efforts to stop the genocide of tradition and family lines that are the embodiment of a once proud people.

In your efforts rests the spirit of your ancestor's. It is my wish, hope, and goal for the new year to see the ruination of our culture stopped and all families who were made to suffer the injustice of the corrupt restored in body and spirit. Pray for strength of spirit to continue the fight in the new year.

Every breath that speaks of the wrongs, and every word written about the lies and illegal acts will further the cause so keep in your heart the knowledge of right and wrong and what it is you fight for 2010 is a year to stand with your brothers and sisters in this circle of life

Guero Nunez aka White Buffalo

OP: My feeling is that we must keep expanding our voice and letting more people know what is happening. We can't count on the news media to help us, they depend on casino revenues. We must count on ourselves and our friends to help us. Use the resources we can afford, such as Facebook, MySpace and other social networks. Ask your friends to check this blog and www.tribalcorruption.com and http://airro.org We need their support. And if tribes like Pechanga, the Creek, The Cherokee, Redding have to keep spending on politicians to turn the other way on what is right, that's less money they have for their Hummers. Don't let their satisfaction at cruelly wiping out the memory of our ancestors AND their rightful place in the tribes to come without a price.

Guero is right, Pechanga had to spend about $50 million MORE to defend their proposition for expanded gaming and they haven't fulfilled their promise to us either. Stand strong and be vocal with your voice, your computer, your fax and your phone.

Tribal Casino Crimewatch: Shooting at Barona Casino UPDATES; UPDATE

Tribal Casino's continue to be an attraction for crime. Pechanga of Temecula has had carjackings and attempted murder on a police officers and Soboba has had multiple shootings, NOW at Barona: UPDATE: GUNMAN CONFIRMED DEAD. STANDOFF IS OVER. ONE OTHER CONFIRMED FATALITY.

UPDATE: Questions surround Barona Shootings

day after a murder-suicide at the Barona Gaming Commission office, investigators and the two dead men’s friends and families strung together more pieces of what happened but struggled with the question of why. Authorities still don’t know what caused former employee Donnell Roberts to kill Executive Director Raymundo Casillas Jr. and himself Tuesday after ordering three others out of the building just before 10 a.m. Story HERE

A gunman opened fire and held people hostage for a time Tuesday at the offices of the Barona Gaming Commission in eastern San Diego County, a sheriff’s official said. But it was not immediately clear if anyone was wounded or killed by the gunfire, which was reported about 10 a.m. at the Barona Road complex in the Lakeside area, Lt. Julie Sutton said. The assailant - possibly a gaming commissioner or other employee of the agency, according to television news accounts - held an unknown number of people hostage for about an hour before releasing them, the lieutenant said. Deputies surrounded the building where the gunfire rang out and trained their guns on it. As of 11:30 a.m., the shooter was believed to still be inside the structure near Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. UPDATE: Police have him surrounded. Reports say three shots were fired. Shooter identified as Donell Roberts, 38, of El Cajon. UPDATE: From the Union Trib: Shane Richardson, a visitor from Detroit who remained inside the casino, told KGTV Channel 10 that everyone inside the casino was told that they could not leave. He said ropes are up blocking the main casino entrance. Richardson, who is in the casino with his mother, said they had not been told what was going on nearby, but casino officials told his mother that “if there is anything to worry about they would tell her.” “Everyone seems confused and doesn’t really know what’s going on,” he said. OP: Comforting to know. UPDATE: Continued reports say witnesses are reporting that IS a victim inside the Barona Gaming Commission office. Sheriff's department is NOT confirming this UPDATE: Still news is reporting no contact with Donnell since he's gone it, but : Shortly before noon, paramedics took a gurney into a building near where the incident occurred, but it was for a person who had suffered an asthmatic problem. Salinas said he did not know if the medical problem was prompted by what had occurred earlier.

Important Video On Civil Rights Violations and Disenrollments In Indian Country

The story of how many tribes have sent tribal members back into poverty and on the state rolls for health care by terminating them from tribes. Tribes promised that tribal gaming would help ALL Indians in California. That is certainly not true. Many tribes now have LESS members than they did before tribal gaming

Please share this video on your Facebook and MySpace pages so that more can learn what is happening in Indian Country. President Obama can meet with leaders of tribes, but the United States' Trust responsibility doesn't stop at the CHIEF LEVEL.




Please visit these sites to learn more:

http://www.tribalcorruption.com
www.airro.org
http://www.pechanga.info
http://www.freedmen5tribes.com/

U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals REJECTS Lawsuit against The Pechanga Band on 2-1 vote

The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, well known for terminating 25% of their tribe, violating civil rights of their people and using the threat of more disenrollments to control the vote of their people, have won another round in court.

Pechanga has terminated the Hunter Family, a portion of the Apis descendents and are keeping hundreds of others from their rightful enrollment of the tribe. Disenrolled members lose shares in casino profits as well as access to paid health care, life insurance and other benefits.

At the time of their 2006 dismissal from the tribe, every adult Pechanga member received a per capita benefit of more than $250,000 per year, court papers noted. The remaining tribal members now make $360,000 per year, after stripping the last family of their membership. The tribe claims it's "not about the money".

The group did not directly challenge the decision by the tribe's enrollment committee, which was upheld by the Tribal Council.

Instead, they contend their disenrollment was "tantamount to an unlawful detention," under the Indian Civil Rights Act. Habeas corpus.

In a rare move, the dissenting opinion was published

Judge Claudia Wilken dissented. She said she did not believe invocation of the Indian Civil Rights Act before a federal court was limited to criminal procedures.

"The act of stripping Appellants' Tribal citizenship and the current and potential restrictions placed upon Appellants constitute a severe restraint on their liberty," the judge wrote. "... Appellants have been detained."



The group can seek to have Tuesday's decision re-heard by a larger group of 9th Circuit judges. They can ultimately appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.


The majority of the three-judge panel disagreed and upheld a lower court's dismissal of the lawsuit.

Concerned Pechanga People INFIGHTING: Anti-Masiel Basquez Sentiment Growing?

UPDATE: Moving this post up to front as I've received requests to see it on the front page. For those readers that are unfamiliar with this blog, there is an archive on the left side panel where you can view posts by month and year. We've had a lot of posts since we started up and please take the opportunity to look at our previous posts. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR continued support. Please share this blog on your FACEBOOK PAGES, there's a link for that on the top of the blog.


Original Pechanga's Blog has received some paperwork prepared by the Concerned Pechanga People (CPP)that raises questions about the family history of the Masiel/Basquez/Leyva ties to Pechanga. They show NO lineal descent from an Original Pechanga person.

I have a shortened version embedded here, but also have a full version available which has census information. Suffice it to say, a family who has done the most to tear apart the tribe, has some questions to answer to the Pechanga Membership.

What drives a family to work so hard to eliminate members? Money, Power? We believe both are the driving forces.

It's time for the Pechanga General Membership to stand up for what is right and do right by those rightful Pechanga people that they eradicated from their rolls and stand up to this crime family. It's well past time for the Pechanga Tribal Council to uphold the rule of law and the Pechanga Constitution.

Anyone wonder if James Fletcher, former supervisor of the BIA in Riverside has run interference for these people? He's now has a high paying job with the PDC. Just asking.

IT'S critical that we SHARE what is going on with the widest group possible. Simply click the SHARE button that is in the UPPER LEFT and add it to your Facebook page or TWITTER. Keep it going!






MasielBasquezFamily5pager

Agua Caliente Nominated for Best New Major Concert Venue

The Agua Caliente Tribe has something else to be proud of. The tribe, which treats their members well, unlike tribes like Pechanga of Temecula, which has terminated 25% of the Indians in their triba, and Picayune Rancheria, which has eliminated fully HALF their tribe, has a big nomination.

The Show, Southern California’s premier concert theatre located at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, has been nominated “Best New Major Concert Venue” by Pollstar Magazine.

The nomination is a monumental achievement for The Show, which opened its doors in February with a star-studded concert series featuring Matchbox Twenty and Martina McBride, among others. The venue is one of only five facilities in the nation to be nominated.

“This is a fantastic day for us,” said Steve Macfadyen, director of entertainment at The Show and concert industry veteran. “For The Show to be nominated for such a prestigious award in its first nine months of operation is an enormous accomplishment, but well deserved. Our team has put together a world class venue with first class amenities for guests and artists alike. I believe we truly have one of the finest concert theatres in the country.”

The 2009 Pollstar Concert Industry Awards will be held Feb. 17, 2010 at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles.

Many tribes in California have suffered from reduced business and many say Pechanga, led backwards by Mark Macarro, is doing worse because of the publicity surrounding their human and civil rights violations. Customers are learning more, and staying away.

Congressional Black Caucus, Watson vs. Felton Newell Tribal Sovereignty and South Africa?

Frequent contributor to Original Pechanga's Blog, Allen L. Lee raises a good point in commenting on a previous post. If the Congressional Black Caucus hadn't created the legistlation to impose sanctions on South Africa, a sovereign nation, Nelson Mandela would still be in jail or dead and apartheid would be alive and well. Felton Newell, running against Rep. Diane Watson, supports the Cherokee Nations brand of Apartheid.

The MORAL OUTRAGE that we showed against South Africa, prodded them to give the civil rights that black South Africans were entitled to. Similarly, we should show the same MORAL OUTRAGE on those SOVEREIGN tribes that have denied civil rights to their people, via disenrollments, terminations and now tribal apartheid.


Permanent Interests: The Expansion, Organization, and Rising Influence of African Americans in Congress, 1971–2007

…Among the CBC’s notable legislative achievements were the passage of the Humphrey–Hawkins Act of 1978 to promote full employment and a balanced budget, the creation in 1983 of a federal holiday commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and legislation in 1986 that imposed the first sanctions against South Africa’s all-white government for its practice of apartheid…. “
http://baic.house.gov/historical-essays/essay.html?intID=1&intSectionID=10

“…Felton Newell, 38, said he opposes legislation Watson authored in 2007 to cut federal funding to the CN. Watson penned the bill after Cherokee citizens voted to expel all non-Indian citizens from the tribe. The vote affected about 2,800 Cherokee Freedmen. He said he opposes Watson’s interference because he doesn’t believe it’s an issue Congress should be addressing.

“The people of the Cherokee Nation should have the sovereignty to decide for themselves what membership means,” Newell said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for the U.S. Congress to be stepping in to dictate to the Cherokee tribe what its definition of membership should be.”
http://www.cherokeephoenix.org/20951/Article.aspx

If Congress and the CBC hadn’t decided to push to “sever” relations with Apartheid South Africa, Nelson Mandela would still be in jail. Felton Newell shows a serious lack in what a sovereign practice of “Apartheid” or “Jim Crow” really is. Taking money for a manufactured statement doesn’t bode well for his character either. He’s not fit for the job.

Lets try the statement with some editing (OP: Say it out loud to yourself)

The people of the Cherokee or (Republic of South Africa) Nation should have the sovereignty to decide for themselves what membership means,” Newell said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for the U.S. Congress to be stepping in to dictate to the Cherokee tribe or(White Afrikaaner tribe) what its definition of membership should be.

Thank YOU Mr. Lee for your contributions to this post.

Now, Mr. Newell, you can support sovereignty and still exercise moral outrage by withholding funds from the Cherokee Nation. Let them celebrate their sovereignty, but not with FEDERAL funds, as Rep. Diane Watson understands.

Similarly, Mr. Newell, tribes in your OWN STATE, like the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, The Redding Rancheria, The Picayune Rancheria, Enterprise Rancheria, Robinson Rancheria, San Pasqual among others have ALL denied civil rights to their members. Do you support that brand of APARTHEID in your own state?


We posted about how to reconcile tribal sovereignty with moral outrage HERE

As mentioned on other sites, tribal sovereignty is something that should be nurtured and cherished. Many now believe that the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians from Temecula, CA will be responsible for the quick erosion of sovereignty, that tribes have fought for for centuries.

The question was asked, "what could be done?".

Frankly, economic sanctions of another nation, plus public embarrassment may be the only course of action that is effective. For instance, in South Africa, it was their SOVEREIGN RIGHT as a free nation to impose apartheid on their country.What recourse did civilized countries use to bring down this hateful policy? Economic sanctions and world ridicule of the policy. No trade, no travel, no money. Final result, end of apartheid and a welcome back to South Africa into the world community.
Similarly, citizens of the United States (OP: AND California especially) can impose their own economic sanctions on the Tribal Nation of Pechanga by boycotting their nation. Stop patronizing their casino, hotel, restaurants and their powwows. Let them know that we do not agree with their system of denying civil rights to their people and until they follow their own tribal law, citizens of our country will NOT support their nation, but will patronize (OP:

In other words, support tribal gaming elsewhere) their competitor nations.

Letter to Rep. Mary Bono Mack and Darrell Issa on Pechanga's Water Rights Act

Please use this letter of opposition to Pechanga's Water Rights Settlement Act, sponsored by Mary Bono Mack. You can also find it HERE . Pechanga should NOT benefit from the Public Trust when they have denied civil rights to its citizens.


Oppose Water Transfer Bill2

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.

Pechanga Leader Macarro Praises Bill to resolve 50 year old struggle. Disenrolled to Keep Their Struggle for Justice Alive

The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians today praised a bill that would ratify the resolution of a dispute among the tribe and local water agencies that has gone on since the 1950s.

The band and the Rancho California and Eastern Municipal water districts have been fighting for years over the water allotted to the reservation.

Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, introduced HR 4285 Friday to ratify an agreement among the agencies.

“Generations of Pechanga leaders have struggled to secure access to this most important resource,” said Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro. “This settlement provides a large measure of certainty to Pechanga’s future in terms of water supply.”

The bill would ratify an agreement reached last December among the agencies. The agreement will provide Pechanga with rights to water that were originally set out in a federal law, the Fallbrook Decree, according to tribal information officer Jacob Mejia.

Pechanga is a tribe now well known for terminating tribal members in a quest to increase per capita payments to remaining members. Pechanga has kept rightful descendents from the tribe in an unconstitutional moratorium. But we are fighters. The struggle to regain what was stolen will continue.


Read more: http://www.swrnn.com/southwest-riverside/2009-12-14/politics-city-county-government/pechanga-tribe-near-temecula-praises-bill-that-may-resolve-water-dispute/comment-page-1#comment-21282#ixzz0ZmLioYSn

Felton Newell, Democratic Candidate, Against Cherokee Freedmen, Donate To Rep. Diane Watson

Felton Newell, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House, says Congress should not intervene in the Cherokee Freedmen dispute.

Newell is challenging Rep. Diane Watson (D-California), who has sponsored bills to cut federal funds to the Cherokee Nation unless the Freedmen are restored to citizenship.

"The people of the Cherokee Nation should have the sovereignty to decide for themselves what membership means,” Newell told The Cherokee Phoenix. "I don’t think it’s appropriate for the U.S. Congress to be stepping in to dictate to the Cherokee tribe what its definition of membership should be.” OP: How about terms of treaties Felton?

The message has resonated with tribal leaders, who approved $7,400 in donations to Newell and his political action committee. "His opponent is the one person in Congress who has introduced a bill to terminate the Cherokee Nation and she actively fights against tribal sovereignty," Ginger Brown, the tribe's government relations officer, told the paper. "So it’s really a clear cut choice and one that other Indian tribes will likely make as well."
OP: Does she fight against sovereignty, or corrupt leaders of the Cherokee Nation that has violated their treaties and the civil rights of the Cherokee Freedmen. How about when tribes like PECHANGA don't follow their OWN constitution, Felton? How much will it cost to get you to be on the side of CIVIL RIGHTS for the Individual Indian, Felton?

Contributions for Rep. Diane Watson can be sent to:

4322 WILSHIRE BLVD. #205 LOS ANGELES, CA 90010

Steve Haze, Friend to California's Native American's Opens Congression Run.

Steven Haze has supported the rights of disenfranchised Indians in California.

Steve spent endless hours authoring and sponsoring the Resolution entitled the "California Native American Justice and Equal Economic Opportunity Legislative Initiative" and he successfully brought that Resolution up for a vote in front of the Democratic Party's Native American Caucus in Sacramento where it passed with a vote of support by so many of us in attendance at the Radisson Hotel. The outcome of that vote was a shock to those tribes in attendance who are so well known for their repeated abuse and violations of the civil rights of their members. It was a tremendous victory for us that day and Steve could not have been happier for us. The victory led to another vote AGAINST civil rights BY the Democratic Native American Caucus!

SUPPORT STEVE HAZE FOR CONGRESS in District 20

Steve Haze, Candidate's Appeal for Support - 2009-12-14[1]

Tosobol Clan of Pechanga has Members Caught in Pechanga's Unconstitutional Moratorium

About six weeks ago, we asked the family that complained that we never discuss the moratorium people on this blog. Of course, that's not true, as we've had a few posts directly on the moratorium people.

I challenged the Tosobol family to give us the information on their family and how they relate to Pechanga. Here is the FIRST response after six weeks, that comes from one of the comments in another post. I urge you to read the comments to our posts as there is lot of additional information. THANK YOU Michael for this contribution. I hope we get more of the Tosobol family here.

From Michael A Rios
In Regards to comments made in the past. About who the Tosbol family consist of.

We are from the

ISABELL MUNIA
CAMILLA MUNIA AGUIRRE

We are as follows

RIOS FAMILY
AGUIRRE FAMILY
URSUA FAMILY


Our family is the only family from orignal temecula pachanga Indians Tosbol clan that has no one inrolled

please do not forget us we will not give up


Indian from tosbol clan
and dam proud of it
orignal pechanga

Sorrow and Poverty in the Cherokee Nation: Led by Chad Smith

I wonder why the CNIGA would invite a leader of a tribe that has violated the civil rights and treaty rights of the Cherokee Freedmen? The Cherokee business model is not very good. Have ANY of their latest ventures been successful? Was this a HOW NOT TO GO to BUSINESS speech? Do California's gaming tribes WANT to learn how to violate treaties?

California Indian Gaming Associations OUSTS Miranda of Pechanga as Chairman

The California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), the largest tribal gaming association in the state, announced today the election of Daniel J. Tucker to the position of chairman and Steve Stallings to the position of the organization's treasurer.

Leon Benner, from the Redding Rancheria, a tribe that denies civil rights to many members of its tribe, was reelected Eastern Representative and Cody Martinez, Treasurer of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, was elected as Southern Representative.


Chairman Tucker, who is also the chairman of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, of which Governor Schwarzenegger lied to the state about their compact for expanded gaming, previously served as chairman of CNIGA between 1995 and 2001. He was at the helm during the organization's formative years and led it through many of tribal gaming's most significant milestones in California including the Proposition 5 and 1A campaigns and the original round of compacting with the state in 1999 in which 61 tribes signed agreements. These propositions led to many tribes such as Pechanga, Picayune, Redding and Enterprise among others to ELIMINATE many of their tribal members to engorge their wallets with extra per capita monies.

"I would also like to acknowledge the good work done by Anthony Miranda (brother of Pechanga Development Corporations David Miranda)during his six-year term as Chairman of the organization. Miranda's hard work and dedication steered the organization through a significant developmental phase and helped create prosperity throughout Indian Country."

Stallings, a tribal council member of the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians, brings a wealth of experience to the CNIGA treasurer's position. He is currently the senior vice-president and Director of the Native American Banking Services group for Wells Fargo.

Both Chairman Tucker and Treasurer Stallings were elected to two-year terms.

Founded in 1988, the California Nations Indian Gaming Association is a non-profit association comprised of federally recognized tribal governments dedicated to the protection of tribal sovereignty and the right of tribes to conduct gaming on their lands. Tribal government gaming operations currently employ more than 58,000 Californians. Tribes like Pechanga have had to eliminate workers with the poor economy. Many tribes have dropped out of CNIGA: Dropping long-held memberships in recent years include: Pechanga; Cabazon Band of Mission Indians; Torres Martinez Band of Desert Cahuilla Indians; Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians; Soboba Band of Mission Indians; and Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians.

Murder Attempt At the Pechanga Casino; Police Officer Wounded

The Pechanga Casino in Temecula was the site of an attempted murder on a peace officer. Pechanga is well known for terminating 25% of their tribe and for shutting down their venues Silk and Eagle's Nest due to "alcohol related problems"

This incident is unrelated to those other issues

James Francis Deck, 43, was scheduled to be arraigned later today. He was being held without bail. In addition to attempted murder, Deck is also charged with assault on a peace officer, obstruction, resisting an officer causing great bodily injury and assault on a peace officer with an automatic weapon.

Deck was hospitalized overnight and then booked into the county jail.

The alleged attack occurred about 10:10 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the Pechanga Casino on Pechanga Parkway.

A deputy had tried to stop a truck for a vehicle code violation but the driver pulled into the casino's parking structure, according to sheriff's Lt. Scott Madden.

The driver abruptly stopped the truck and ran, but as the deputy chased the suspect, he turned and charged at the deputy, knocking him down.

The deputy hit his head, Madden said.

The suspect jumped the deputy and beat him, telling him he was going to kill him while trying to get his gun, Madden said.

A passerby helped by jumping on the suspect's back and assisted in keeping the suspect from getting full control of the gun, Madden said.

"Despite the deputy's pleas for help, several additional bystanders refused to aid him and walked away, leaving the deputy and now good Samaritan to continue the struggle with the suspect, Madden said.

A Pechanga employee called security and the suspect was subdued, Madden said.
The deputy was treated at a hospital and released the following morning, Madden said.

A passenger in the truck ran away and was still at large, Madden said.


Pechanga was the site of a armed carjacking last year.

Cherokee Nation Leader Chad "Our Slaves Were Well Treated" Smith to speak at CNIGA on the Freedmen Issue

I just received notice that CNIGA is allowing Cherokee Chief Chad Smith to address the membership regarding the Freedmen issue. The Oklahoma tribal leader will as for tribal support for Felton Newell in his run for Congress in California against Rep. Diane Watson. Dian Watson is well known for her support of civil rights for the Freedmen. Smith plans to show a video regarding Freedmen. This is the same Chad Smith that wouldn't allow his "debate" with with Charles Ogletree to include facts about the case. Will CNIGA allow equal time for Representative Diane Watson?

Rider: Gambling and Competition, CA's Indian Casinos aren't all the same

Richard Rider has a commentary on gambling and Competition in CA's Indian Casinos. The less competition there is, the lower your chance of winning.

But here's the part that too many gamblers are not aware of. There are significant differences in your chances of winning -- depending on which casino you choose to visit.

How do I know this? I have too many degenerate friends who have visited too many casinos too often. And yes, I occasional go gaming as well.

The general rule of thumb is that the fewer casinos in the area, the worse the payout odds are on the table games and slots.

The Chumash casino outside Santa Barbara is an infamous example. It's the only casino for maybe 100 miles, giving them a de facto geographic monopoly. The odds on their games are quite inhospitable. In addition, the staff is too often deemed surly by patrons.

To a lesser extent, the same is true for Pechanga, which services Orange County and much of L.A. They are one of the few options for the area, so they needn't offer attractive games and slots.

OP: Another BIG rule of thumb: IF THE TRIBE WILL CHEAT ITS OWN PEOPLE, THEY WILL CHEAT THEIR CUSTOMER. Here is a SMALL list of tribes in California that have CHEATED their people:

Pechanga
Redding Rancheria
Mooretown Rancheria
Enterprise Rancheria
Picayune Rancheria (Chuckchansi)
Robinson Rancheria

Avoid these casinos and SAVE. See this post HOW TO WIN AT THE PECHANGA CASINO

A'amokat Speaks the Truth About the Hunter Family of Pechanga. Original Pechanga People.

Readers, we get a commenter who breezes in and tries to spin the same web of lies that were told to get the Hunter family disenerolled. Our cousin A'amokat spell out the truth.

A'amokat

Briefly, as I have gone into detail many times on this subject on other threads on this blog, here is some of the proof that we the Hunters are Pechanga:

The original written enrollment application from 1978 had a supplment sheet that came with it that listed ways a person could prove tribal membership.

Among the proof was being an original land allottee, having recognized tribal members vouch that the applicant is Pechanga, having someone in the tribe from their line of desecent vouch for the applicant, or being a lineal descendant of a Temecula Indian.

1. Our ancestor Paulina Hunter was given a land patent from the U.S. goverment as a Temecula Indian for allotment #62 which we still own and many of our family members still live on. OP: 20 acres, which was for head of the family.

2. Testimony during probate hearings in 1915 in which Pechanga elders Dolores Tortuga and Jose David Rodriguez confirmed in notarize testimony that we are Pechanga and not only did our family live on the original resevation of the 1800s (backed up by the census records), that we lived in the Temecula Indian village before the creation of the reservation. OP: This sworn testimony was given in the LUISENO language. Not in English, the language of the Temecula/Pechanga people.

3. Before the first written application we got notarized testimony from non other than noted tribal historian Antonio Ashman, called a vaunted (much praised) elder on Pechanga's official Website, who said he knew Paulina Hunter as a member of the Band. OP: HE KNEW HER, as he was 24 years old when Paulina passed away.

So tribal hack, probably from the Masiel/Basquez family, are you still laughing at our proof or are you still laughing that you think we can't do anything about it. OP: The Masiel/Basquez family have a well known criminal element that is now four generations long.

Well pride comes before a fall and believe it or not I will feel bad for you when it
does come.

OP: Your continued support of this blog will help all of us who are in the moratorium or have been disenrolled. Please continue to read us, to share on Facebook and MySpace and to tell your friends.

Ken Salazar, Eric Holder Announce Settlement in Cobell Case of $1.4 BILLION

Want to bet that tribal leaders RIGHT NOW are trying to figure out how to get THEIR sticky fingers on this money and keep individuals that should benefit from this case from doing just that? Look at the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and their leader Chad Smith. He is keeping MILLIONS of Dollars away from the Cherokee people.

Thank you to Eloise Cobell for sticking with this case.

After more than a decade of litigation, U.S. officials announced today that the federal government has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle claims that it grossly mismanaged Indian trust accounts.

The potential settlement, which must still be approved by Congress and the courts, would bring a close to the long-running Cobell Indian trust case, and would result in payments to roughly 300,000 individual Indian trust accounts. It would also create a program to consolidate ownership of Indian trust lands.

The class action, brought in 1996 by Elouise Cobell, alleged that the Interior Department had been failing for more than a century to properly disburse payments from a trust fund set up to manage revenues from Indian land. Cobell had originally sought $58 billion in the case, but last year, Judge James Robertson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the government was only liable for $455.6 million.

The settlement was announced on Dec. 8 at a joint press conference with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Justice Department officials. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. urged Congress to act quickly to approve the settlement. “Between the settlement and the trust reform measures that the secretary is announcing today, this administration is taking concrete steps to redefine the government’s relationship with Native Americans,” Holder said

Picayune Rancheria's Morris Reid, OPB's Native American Hall of SHAME inductee, Retains Seat

Our friend, FOR ALL NATIONS, reports the following candidates for tribal council have been elected to the Picayune rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians tribal council in the recent election:

morris reid (retained seat/current tribal chair)

janice devine (retained seat)

reggie lewis (newly elected)

lance alberta (newly elected)


The following council members failed in their bid for re-election:

dora jones

mark emerick


The following council members were held over:

harrold hammond sr.

patrick hammond

sam lawhon


And, rightly asks: WHEN WILL THE PICAYUNE TRIBAL COUNCIL HONOR THE ANCESTORS, ELDERS AND FUTURE GENERATIONS OF OUR TRIBE?

BRING THE PEOPLE--ALL THE PEOPLE--HOME TO PICAYUNE!

Suspended Soboba Leader Not Backing Down in Fight Against Tax Evasion

With their continued willingness to attack all things Soboba, while not publishing complete information on the wrongdoings of Pechanga, the Press Enterprise has an article on Bobby Salgado.


Suspended Soboba Tribal Chairman Robert Salgado has never been one to back down from a fight.

After decades at the helm of the 900-member tribe outside San Jacinto, the strong-willed former football star is facing another fight. A 36-count federal indictment alleges that he accepted more than $250,000 in bribes from tribal vendors. The indictment also charges that he concealed income from the IRS. He pleaded not guilty earlier this month. A trial date is scheduled for May 4.

Salgado faces federal prison time if he is found guilty of 29 counts of accepting checks and cash to pay his personal debts in exchange for contracts for services and capital improvements at the casino and reservation grounds outside of San Jacinto.

BLAMES Riverside Sheriffs?

But Salgado said the recent federal charges have him wondering about his past differences with Riverside County officials. OP: Like the false charges he made?

Federal authorities say the investigation began last year under a review of tax returns where Salgado was accused of underreporting his income. The Sheriff's Department has said it was not part of the investigation. OP: Does the Sheriff's Dept. get involved with tax cheaters? IF SO.. Riverside, HEY, not all Pechanga people live on the REZ even if they say they do on their taxes.

"It's funny how the Sheriff's Department and Sniff asked to close the casino and Stone asked me to step down. If you put two and two together, they couldn't do that there, what other ways are there to do it here?" Salgado said. "Who knows, maybe it's coincidence, but interesting if you read what he said." OP: Yeah, they forced him to cheat on his taxes?

Read the rest of the article at the link above.

Mary "Maisie" Shenandoah Oneida Wolf Clan Mother, Oneida Leader R.I.P.

To her Oneida Indian Nation wolf clan, she was a leader who helped re-establish an Oneida identity after more than a century when almost all members had left their ancestral homelands

And to the world, she was a proponent of traditional Indian ways who ultimately took her nephew, Nation Representative and CEO Ray Halbritter, to task for challenging those ways as he created a gambling-based set of enterprises worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Shenandoah died early Wednesday morning in Oneida Castle after battling illness for quite some time, family members said. She was 77.

“I have spent countless hours in defense of our sovereignty, land and traditional ways,” she was quoted as saying in the 1993 book, Wisdom’s Daughters: Conversations with Women Elders of Native America.

“One day we will again stand before the world as a people who have overcome great odds and survived as a nation,” Shenandoah said.

It was Shenandoah who with her husband a half century ago moved back to ancestral lands in the outer district of the city of Oneida with the goal of re-establishing the Nation’s presence there.
And as Halbritter rose to prominence in the tribe during the 1970s, it occurred at a time when Maisie Shenandoah herself was selected to the important post of Wolf Clan mother. Women have great authority in the governance of the six tribes of the Haudenosee, or Iroquois Nation.

But aunt and nephew later clashed as Halbritter pursued first a bingo hall and then a casino as a path to prosperity for the poverty-stricken Nation. A lengthy power struggle ensued that left Shenandoah and her family dispossessed of their benefits and their voice in tribal affairs.

Halbritter offered brief condolences in a prepared statement Wednesday.
“The Oneida Nation mourns the loss of one of its members, Maisie Shenandoah,” he said. “The Nation’s thoughts and prayers are with her and her family.”

The Oneidas would have no further comment, spokesman Mark Emery said.

But there’s more to the tale.

A twin’s memories

Shenandoah’s twin sister Elizabeth Robert, declined to comment Wednesday on the situation between her sister and Halbritter.

What she did recall was the kind of person her sister was. Loving. Caring. Hard working.

The twins were born on Onondaga Nation Territory south of Syracuse, where many Oneidas had gone to live after the Nation lost virtually all of its land in the 19th century.

Above all, though, Maisie Shenandoah was a leader, Robert said.


Shenandoah was selected as clan mother in 1977 and fulfilled her duties for the next three decades, according to her obituary.

In that role, she had the duty of selecting leaders from within her clan, serving as a political adviser, spiritual leader and spokeswoman for the Oneidas.

Daughter-in-law Cheryl Schenandoah can attest to Maisie Shenandoah’s values.

“She taught me that no matter who you meet, no matter what you think, be kind to everyone, no discrimination,” Schenandoah said.

Shenandoah and her daughters were among three dozen tribal members who in 1995 formally “lost their voice” in Nation affairs — meaning they were not eligible for Nation programs and services.

At issue was the Nation’s direction under Halbritter, who negotiated an agreement in 1993 to open Turning Stone Casino in Verona. To Shenandoah and some Oneidas, it meant a focus on greed and not tradition.

In a 2001 New York Times article, the writer said Shenandoah characterized her nephew as “an overfed despot with a taste for Italian suits, ruling from a white palace near the New York State Thruway.”

Halbritter said in that article that his aunt was fighting to maintain a past that was not always productive for the Oneida people.

“Sometimes, people are sort of imprisoned in poverty so long that they begin to believe that the bars are there for their own protection,” Halbritter said.

‘Her life’s dream’

If Shenandoah died without a voice in Nation issues, the Oneidas made substantial progress during her lifetime toward a goal she’d always held, instilled by her mother, Mary Winder, who in 1920 began pressing the federal government on the issue of land.

“Her life’s dream, as passed on to her by her mother, was to create a homeland for all Oneidas,” Maisie Shenandoah’s obituary reads.

She is survived by six children, three sisters, 20 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. The funeral is Saturday.

Snoqualmie Tribe's Casino Hurt by Banishment Controversy and Setbacks

The Snoqualmie Tribe's Casino is not doing very well. Could it be that customers didn't like the way they treated their members, with banishment for those that disagree?

We've discussed Snoqualmie many times HERE and Here and HERE


Snoqualmie Casino’s one-year anniversary passed quietly in November, met with none of the fanfare that accompanied its opening in 2008.The Snoqualmie Tribe had hoped the casino would bring in an influx of money to the tribe and an elevated standard of living for its 600 Native American members. But the casino’s revenue has been much lower than anticipated, and it has been marred with setbacks, conflict and controversy.

Bad publicity HURTS:

In April 2008, nine tribal members, including former tribal-council members and the former tribal chairman, were banished from the tribe over an election dispute but also in part, the nine members say, due to disagreements over the casino and use of money.
Since the attempted banishment, a new tribal council has been established, and about 65 of the tribe’s 140 employees have been laid-off, according Mattson.
It amounts to a purging in the eyes of Carolyn Lubenau, a former council member and one of the nine members banished in 2008. She said that she and others warned Mattson and the administration of the high debt and untrustworthy financial backers but their calls fell on deaf ears.
“I have never been inside Snoqualmie Casino and I will never go there until the wrongs that have been done to our tribal people are corrected and the land re-blessed,” Lubenau said, adding that she’d originally been excited about the possibilities of improved healthcare and education for the Snoqualmie people, but hasn’t seen the promised fruits.

The banishment, which a federal court overturned last spring on the grounds that it was a violation of civil rights, has been re-established, according to Lubenau and another banished member, Sharon Frelinger, former tribal treasurer who raised questions about the tribe’s audits and expenditures. The two received a letter that the banishment was re-established and would be in place for seven years. During that time, Frelinger said, the banished members could not attend tribal events or talk to the media.

Stay away from Snoqualmie's Casino!

Cherokee Chad Smith, Late Inductee into the Native American Hall of SHAME

There have been questions as to WHY Chad Smith is NOT included in our Native American Hall of Shame. Well, you asked and we've agreed. A late inductee into OPB's Native American HALL OF SHAME is: CHAD SMITH of the Cherokee Nation of Oklamhoma. Information provided by Mr. John Cornsilk.

CHAD SMITH Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma

My concept of why Chad Smith should bee included in any Wall or Hall of shame, is his treatment of a class of Cherokee called the Freedmen based purely on racism because their personal features may depict African ancestry, i.e., black skin, nappy hair etc. The high Court of the supposed Nation he leads The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) http://www.cornsilks.com/allendecision.html ruled they are by fact of Treaty law descendants of Cherokee Citizens; Therefore absolutely no different than the rest of we Cherokee members of CNO.

His claim is they lack blood actually began the next day after the Court ruling which you can see here: http://www.cornsilks.com/chadwordsdayafter.html simply because their ancestors were not listed with a blood degree as the Cherokee were, on the Dawes Rolls, the list of Cherokee Citizens compiled by the Dawes Commission in 1898, which is actually inconsequential to the fact of the matter simply because the listing of the blood degree of the Cherokee was not for Citizenship. Merely in regard to land restriction issues, the Delaware were listed on their section based on Treaty agreement of 1867, as Delaware-Cherokee, so was the Loyal Shawnee by their agreement of 1869 and listed as Cherokee-Shawnee, in addition to some Natchez and Creek Indians along with some Caucasian, yes there were White people listed as Cherokee, so how can Smith legally claim there were no Freedmen Cherokee, he is a Lawyer and knows better, and the shame is, truth of the matter is inconsequential to him!

John "The Elder" Cornsilk

OP: Mr. Smith DID SAY that the Cherokee slaves were well treated.

WHO is YOUR NOMINEE for Native American Hall of Shame and WHY?

OPB's Native American HALL OF SHAME: Macarro of Pechanga an Inductee, Picayune, Enterprise and Redding Represented

Original Pechanga's Blog has begun it's Native American HALL OF SHAME, with spots earned for the despicable way they've treated their tribal members, in many cases forcing them back to poverty and to put them back on the state. Here are some of our first inductees, which could be the California branch of the HOS.


Mark Macarro Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians

Chairman of the Temecula Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, AKA the Pechanga Band, is a civil rights violator who has presided over a modern day genocide of Native Americans by allowing, without due process of law, the disenrollment of hundreds of long time fellow tribal members in good standing and if the children of these families are included that number approaches the 500 mark.

Chairman Macarro also has turned a blind eye to the fact that hundreds of legitimate tribal members have been kept out of the tribe due to an unconstitutional moratorium (according to the Band's own constitution and bylaws) on new adult members that has been in place for going on thirteen years. Ostensibly, the moratorium was to give the enrollment committee time to “catch up”, yet over a decade later, they still haven’t achieved that goal.

In addition, despite the fact that he personally promised the United States Congressional Resources Committee on April 17, 2002, which is backed up by the tribe's land to trust application with the United States Department of Interior, that no changes whatsoever would be made to a piece of land known as the Great Oak Ranch if the land was put into trust and made part of the Pechanga reservation.

But once the Great Oak Ranch property was made part of the reservation the tribe tore up a large portion of it and they put "The Journey At Pechanga" golf course on the land.

Here are excerpts from the United States Congressional Record of Chairman Macarro's testimony:

Mr. Hayworth. "Thank you, Mr. Avery.Chairman Macarro, does the Pechanga Tribe have any plans for development of any kind on the Great Oak Ranch property?"Mr. Macarro. "No, we don't. As stated in our application to Interior/BIA, we stated or have designated there is no change of use in the property, and the intended use and purpose is to preserve and protect the resources that are there."

Mr. Hayworth. "Without objection, we would welcome that. Just one follow-up, and for purposes of the record, Mr. Chairman, does the tribe plan to use the Great Oak Ranch for gaming purposes or any purposes other than what you have just outlined?"

Mr. Macarro. "No, the tribe does not."

Chairman Mark Macarro, a man who hobnobs with presidents and other high profile politicians and who was the charismatic spokesman for Indian gaming during the campaigns to bring legalized gaming to California reservations, has a dark side that the politicians and the general public don't want to see.




Glenda Nelson Enterprise Rancheria

Currently Chairwoman of the Enterprise Rancheria tribe, Glenda was at the forefront of the disenrollment of 72 of her fellow tribal members. Those same 72, subsequently disenrolled members, had signed a recall petition against Nelson and four other members of the Enterprise Rancheria Tribal Council who were guilty of taking multiple cash distributions from the tribe's Human Services Fund for the needy. Ironically, Glenda Nelson was the tribe's Treasurer in September 2003 when this occurred. She successfully suspended the 72 members, pending disenrollment, in a manner timely to prevent those members from voting in the recall election scheduled to be held seven days later.


Morris Reid Picayune Rancheria Tribal Chairperson

During the 2003 to 2006 run up to disenrollments, he claimed to be wholly against any disenrollments. He even went so far as to pay for two petition mailings from his own pocket.

But, by mid-2006, he was singing a different tune. He started talking about ‘sovereignty’ and nodding his head at meetings when the crowd would start shouting to kick ‘those people’ out who didn’t belong in the Tribe.

When the first disenrollment “kangaroo hearings” were started, Morris voted with the rest of the Council to unanimously remove the first members-the family of Mary Chapman.

After their hearing, Morris told me that anyone who gets a notice to appear at one of the “fair and impartial” events was already going to be disenrolled. The Council was only giving the hearings so that they could claim to have given everyone due process on paper, even though they never had any intentions of reversing any Enrollment Committee findings to remove someone from the Tribe.

Dixie Jackson Picayune Tribal Chair in 2003

In conversation with Bryan Galt, Enrollment Committee Chairperson; “We need to have a thorough audit of the member records so that we can determine who may not be properly enrolled so that we can make a decision on them.” I objected to the idea of making what I considered to be a “redetermination” since the members in question had been legally enrolled by Tribal Council vote years before that day.

I was told to make a list anyway using a checklist developed for new applicants (meaning for those applicants who were waiting since 2003). She and the Council decided it was such a thorough method of determining eligibility that it should be applied retroactively-regardless of the fact that no one in the Tribe had enrolled under the criteria on the checklist.

My committee wrote an opinion that stated this action was not legal under the Constitution or the enrollment ordinance because current members were protected under ex post facto. The Tribe’s lawyer, Marc McMahon told us (the committee) that ex post facto only applied in criminal cases, but that it didn’t matter because the Council had the final say as to what laws apply and which ones don’t.

The Committee didn’t finish the directive and no one was disenrolled during the 2003-2005 term for record keeping errors. That was the job of the newly appointed henchmen and they did their best to remove as many people as possible from 2006 to 2008 (estimated at 45%).

Tracey Avila Robinson Rancheria

Tracey led the tribe to terminate 75 tribal members, just prior to a January 2009 election to determine tribal leadership.

A June 14 election was decertified, and the tribe's election committee – dominated by Avila's family – has ruled that her challenger for the seat, EJ Crandell – who won the June election – has been disqualified from running.

There would also be a loss of education opportunities and funding, as well as Indian health services,which are critical due to the high number of tribal members suffering from diabetes and chronic diseases, particularly elders.

Those who hold jobs with the tribe also could be fired. She said some of the members in question already have been put on administrative leave from their jobs. A “no gossip” memo also was reportedly issued by Avila to staff, warning that discussion about the disenrollments would result in termination.

Cherokee Nation Group Seeking to Draft Prof. STACY LEEDS to Oust Chad Smith

UPDATE: The group is closing in on 300 members. If you're on Facebook, help build momentum to remove Chad Smith. Outlanders could have a big impact on the vote!

A Facebook Group to draft Stacy Leeds for Cherokee Nation Chief has sprung up. Many believe it's time to relieve Chad "Our Slaves Were Treated Well" Smith. Join in the group to show Stacy that she is needed.

Just who is Stacy Leeds?


Stacy Leeds serves as Professor of Law at the University of Kansas School of Law and directs KU’s Tribal Law and Government Center. She also serves as adjunct faculty for the School of Business at Haskell Indian Nations University.
She has published numerous law reviews, book chapters and essays. Her forthcoming book American Indian Property will be published by Carolina Academic Press later this year.
Leeds has served on several tribal courts including: Prairie Band Potawatomi District Court, Supreme Court for the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, Kaw Nation Supreme Court, Cherokee Nation Supreme Court, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Court of Appeals, and a Special Judge for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation District Court.


Our friend JOHN CORNSILK says:


Stacy is the Leader we Cherokee People need, because of her commitment to the Cherokee and their law. To learn this is so, one simply needs to read her rulings and opinions while sitting as judge on the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) Supreme Court, three in particular, first the Lucy Allen Freedmen case at http://www.cornsilks.com/allendecision.html and the case of the forcing up on the Cherokee people the 99 revised Constitution of the CNO at http://www.cornsilks.com/99con.pdf and the third case of the Court appointed by Smith, actually sanctioning crime http://www.cornsilks.com/leedsdissent.pdf don't be discourage by legal aspect of the documents they are simply written and quite easy to understand. WE NEED STACY AS CHIEF IN 2011!!

San Manuel's Ramos: Native American History Month: A Legacy of Achievement and Contribution

In Thursday's San Bernardino Sun San Manuel Chairman James Ramos, discusses many positive contributions made by Native Americans you MAY not have heard of. I'll add one more to the list: Edward Robert Foreman of Redding Rancheria, who brought health care to Northern California's Native Americans and was subsequently terminated from the tribe.

Here's some from Chairman Ramos' article:

Most Americans probably have heard of Sitting Bull, Geronimo, Sacajawea, Squanto and Pocahontas. Getting past what may be the stereotypical image of Native Americans, however, there are many others who have made, and continue to make, lasting contributions to Indian Country and the nation as a whole in every conceivable way.

For example, Ira Hayes, an Akimel O'odham Indian and an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community, who was one of five brave Marines immortalized in the famous photograph of the Iwo Jima flag-raising during World War II. Young Navajo, Hopi, Comanche and members of other Indian tribes who served as Code Talkers during World War II contributed by using their tribal languages to transmit messages - a code that was never broken by the enemy.

In athletics, Billy Mills, an Oglala Lakota Sioux, won Olympic gold in 1964 in the 10,000 meter run, breaking the American record set by another Native American, Louis Tewanima (Hopi), at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. Tewanima was a teammate of Jim Thorpe. Mills remains the only American in history to win that event. Other Native Americans including Notah Begay III, the only full-blooded American Indian PGA tour player in history, and Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsberry, a member of California's Colorado River Indian Tribes and first-ever Navajo in Major League Baseball history. Earlier this month, Joba Chamberlain, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation in Nebraska, helped the New York Yankees win the World Series as a starting pitcher. These young Native Americans thrill crowds throughout the U.S. with their incredible skills.

In government, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a Northern Cheyenne tribal member and captain of the 1964 Olympic Judo Team, was the first Native American ever to serve in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Nighthorse Campbell is also the only Olympian to ever serve in the U.S. Senate, where he represented Colorado from 1993 - 2005. Larry EchoHawk, a Pawnee, represents Indian interests throughout the U.S. as the new head of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Please pass this on to your friends and follow Original Pechanga's Blog

A Pechanga History has Always included Paulina Hunter and Descendents.

Once upon a time there was a band of people who suffered at the hands of the European conquerors and then the Americans who came for land and gold.

They used Indian vs. Indian... The first Temecula Massacre in 1847 :


Thirty to 125 Luiseno Indians are killed at the east end of Pauba Valley, south of Adobe Springs (Los Nogales Road and Camino del Vino), by Lugo's troops and his Cahuilla Indian allies in what will come to be called the Temecula Massacre.

1847 Jan. 25
The Mormon Battalion,commanded by Captain Philip St. George Cooke, arrives in the Temecula Valley on its trek from Santa Fe to San Diego. It meets a party of 150 armed Luiseno Indians who have come to bury the victims of the Temecula Massacre.
1847 Jan. 26
The Luiseno dead are buried in a local burial ground located on Pablo Apis's rancho, near Temecula Creek

The tribe is evicted and moved 1875:

The Temecula Indians are evicted from Little Temecula Rancho land by a San Diego County Sheriff's posse which includes Juan Murrieta and Francisco Zanjuro. The Indians are led to an area in the hills south of the Temecula River, east of the Pala Road, which would eventually become the Pechanga Indian Reservation. (Actually, it's for the Temecula Band of Luiseno Indian)

In 1882, things are looking up for Temecula Indians:

President Chester A. Arthur signs an Executive Order creating a 4,000-acre Pechanga Indian Reservation as a home for the Luiseno Indians of Temecula. Paulina Hunter receives an alottment of 20 acres as head of household. Vaunted Pechanga elder Antonio Ashman remembers her and her family, and swears to that fact under oath.

The tribe lives in peace for decades, working together, Hunter Family members build on their property, help bring in a health clinic, work on the council, the water board. Masiel Family on the other hand, start building... RAP SHEETS. And then, the casino opens and things change dramatically:

Here's a history of how the Pechanga Casino has brought corruption to a head:

1. In December 2001, Yolanda McCarter (niece of Irene Scearce and Ruth Masiel) submitted a letter to Enrollment Committee demanding the Committee research several families including ours. The request stated that "this (be) straightened up before the next election in July."

2. In June 2002, Enrollment Committee Chairperson Mary Magee, sister of Gloria Wright, is removed from the Committee for divulging confidential information. A petition is justified to amend the Disenrollment Procedures. A vote to approve or deny the petition is set for July 2002.
(Petition is not brought forth until February 2003.)

The newly built Pechanga Resort and Casino is opened. This is a permanent structure which replaced the original Casino structures which were in modular and sprung structure.

In October 2002, 2 new members are elected to Enrollment Committee to bring membership up to required 10 members. (A member retired from Committee in September 2002). Olivia Walls is elected Committee Chair, and we request an audit of Enrollment Committee activities for the previous years and advice from our legal counsel at California Indian Legal Services on how to address wrong-doings by Committee and Committee members. Our legal counsel is told by John Macarro (shorter, younger brother of Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro) not to take any action to assist the Committee or answer our questions regarding the wrong-doings.

3. November 12, 2002, members of the Enrollment Committee, acting without a quorum and outside the Committee's procedures, serve several other Committee members with disenrollment summonses. The Committee members who took the action were- Irene Scearce, Ruth Masiel, Frances Miranda, Margaret Duncan, and Bobbi Lamere. Those served include John Gomez, Theresa Spears, Olivia Walls, and Sandra Garbani.

4. On December 10, 2002, Concerned Pechanga People submit documents to the Enrollment Committee questioning the lineal descent of several families including the Manuela Miranda descendents, Paulina Hunter descendents, and Garbani descendents. This action was taken a month after the above action. The Concerned Pechanga people are immediate family and friends of Committee members who initiated the November 12, 2002 action. (See list of Pechanga Enrollment Committee members, Splinter Group and Concerned Pechanga people).

5. Between December 10, 2002 and February 23, 2003, Concerned Pechanga people make visits to Enrollment Committee and send out flyers to Tribal members urging disenrollment actions be taken against the 3 families they have targeted. The Enrollment Committee does not move forward due to a split as to how to proceed and what constitutes "factual" information related to enrollment.

6. The Concerned Pechanga people move to have Pechanga Development Corporation Elections post-poned until disenrollment occurs. After the PDC elections have been put off for over a month, elections are finally held and Jennie Miranda is voted out of office. She is replaced by a member of the Hunter family. She and members of her family make statements about getting revenge on the Hunters and Manuela people.

7. February 18, 2003, members of the Enrollment Committee, acting without a quorum and outside the Committee's procedures serve several other Committee members with disenrollment summonses. The Committee members who took the action were- Irene Scearce, Ruth Masiel, Frances Miranda, Margaret Duncan, and Bobbi Lamere. Those served include John Gomez, Theresa Spears, Olivia Walls, and Sandra Garbani.

8. From February 24, 2003 to March 18, 2003 Committee is locked out while the Tribal Council reviews actions and concerns of Enrollment Committee Chair.

9. March 7, 2003 letter from Tribal Council nullifying the February 18, 2003 action taken by Committee members to initiate the disenrollment process against several other Enrollment Committee members. Enrollment Committee members removed from committee and Enrollment Committee reconstituted.

10. March 18, 2003, Enrollment Committee now consisting of Bobbi Lamere, Margaret Duncan, and Lori Vasquez reconvene. Committee drafts letters of rescission and send to Committee members who were targeted by February 18, 2003 action.

11. Between March 18, 2003 and June 1, 2003, Concerned Pechanga people meet with the Enrollment Committee to provide additional information against the 3 families targeted and to push the Leyva/Basquez review before the review of any other family. The information questioning the Leyva/Basquez family (which includes Jennie Miranda, Irene Scearce, and Ruth Masiel) was received well after the information questioning the Manuela descendents and the other families. Procedurally, the Manuela descendents and other families should have been reviewed prior to the Leyva/Basquez family and/or the Candelaria Flores review. However, the Enrollment Committee consisted of members- Bobbi Lamere and Margaret Duncan- who acted with and for the Concerned Pechanga people. Even though the Manuela descendents provided information to the Enrollment Committee as early as December 17, 2003 refuting the allegations made by the Concerned Pechanga people, those working with, for, or were/are a part of the Concerned Pechanga people were pushed ahead of us in the review process. This was done to stack the Committee and guarantee our disenrollment.

12. On or about June 1, 2003, the Garbani and Leyva/Basquez families were cleared. Ruth Masiel, Irene Scearce, and Sandra Garbani returned to the Enrollment Committee.


13. Between June 1, 2003 and September 23, 2003, the Manuela descendents provided the Enrollment Committee with additional documents proving lineal descent and refuting the allegations made by the Concerned Pechanga.

14. On September 23, 2003, the Enrollment Committee clears the Candelaria Flores family. Frances Miranda returns to the Committee as a result of this decision. We were once again passed over for review so that a member working with, for, or is/was a part of the Concerned Pechanga people could be put back on the Committee. Frances Miranda's father, Richard Miranda, was a member of our family. The years before he passed away, she was receiving his per capita check as she was "taking care of him". Once he passed away and she was no longer receiving 2 per capita checks, the Splinter Group initiated their disenrollment action against the targeted families.

15. On October 21, 2003, Jennie Miranda provides the Enrollment Committee with a letter regarding the lineage of Pablo Apish. Demands that the Manuela descendents be disenrolled. On October 23, 2003, the Enrollment Committee sends summonses to all adult members who are lineally descended from Manuela Miranda.

Obama's Justice Department REFUSES to Investigate Illegal treatment of Freedmen

The Justice Department sent letters to Oklahoma Congressmen Tom Cole and Dan Boren on Nov. 9 stating it would not investigate five Oklahoma tribes for alleged illegal treatment of their respective Freedmen citizens. The letter was in response to congressional members asking the Department of Justice to investigate the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Seminole nations for allegedly barring descendants of former slaves from full citizenship. The DOJ replied it could not investigate because a case regarding Freedmen citizenship is in federal court. OP: WHAT? Each case is separate, or should be. “It is the Civil Rights Division’s policy not to consider opening an investigation when matters are pending in federal court. However, the division will continue to monitor these cases as the litigation continues,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote. The pending case is Vann v. Salazar and is in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In the case, descendents of former slaves held by Cherokee citizens sued the Cherokee Nation and Department of Interior claiming they were denied citizenship and voting rights guaranteed by the Treaty of 1866 between the tribe and U.S. government Claiming? THEY DID

California Politicians Benefit From $200 Million Stolen From Pechanga Tribal Members Eradicated by Mark Macarro and Tribal Council

California's politicians are the beneficiaries of money stolen from Pechanga tribal members. Over 230 adult members of the Pechanga tribe of Temecula have had well over $200,000,000 of per capita taken from them. It may as well be cash laden with smallpox, instead of blankets.

According to this article, Politicians are the beneficiaries, with over $44,000,000 last year. THANK YOU POLITICIANS for not standing up for those who are victims of gross civil rights violations. It's easy to ignore when you get the money that rightfully should go to tribal members.


A handful of wealthy California gaming tribes - which together gave nearly $130 million to political causes in 2008 - rank as the nation's largest special-interest donors to campaigns, according to a study released Monday.

Four of the state's Indian gaming interests made the top 10 list of donors, which also included public employee unions and business groups, according to the report by the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in State Politics, two of the nation's leading watchdog groups.

The study underscores the power of California's tribal gaming industry - particularly its successful campaign in February 2008 to approve ballot measures that allowed four tribes to install 17,000 new slot machines. OP: What is not said here is that tribes like PECHANGA tried to keep the citizens of California from voting on it.

Political experts said the tribes are likely to flex their political muscle in next year's statewide election, when voters will choose a governor and decide measures to reform state government. The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians of Temecula donated $44 million to campaigns last year, most of them at the state level, putting it at No. 2 on the national list of largest political donors behind the National Education Association.

Original Pechanga's Blog: A Nominee for KREATIV BLOGGER

Original Pechanga's Blog wants to say THANK YOU to our friends from THOUGHTS FROM Polly's Granddaughter blog for nominating us for a KREATIV Blogger award given out from Missy Corley at Bayside Blog. Polly's Granddaughter is a Cherokee and she has some very interesting posts

It shows that we are being noticed in the blogging world and thanks to all our readers for your continued support.

We do get recognition from our friends at HOT AIR where we participate in the daily blog show. Please share our site with your friends and please, take a look at the blog links above. It's all about shameless blog promotion!

Aftermath of a Pechanga Beating: One Year Later, Victim of Abuse From Pechanga Security Guards Still Suffers

In November of 2008 we had the story of Richard Swan, who was beaten by Pechanga Casino guards.

"Suddenly without warning I was jumped from behind by two security men and violently thrown to the ground. I kept telling them to stop, that I was a 70 year old man with a pacemaker and took a blood thinning prescription Coumadin. But they didn't care.

They slammed my head into the marble floor and dragged me to their security room. I feared for my life knowing that the Coumadin I am taking could cause severe bleeding. If I bled internally or developed a clot in my head I'd be dead. By the grace of God I survived."

We contacted Richard's wife to see how they were doing and her reply:

Yes it has been over a year. A year of hell to be exact. Richard suffered from concussion from the incident, which left him with frontal lobe disorder. The Psychoneuroligst said this kind of injury can lead to Alzheimer disease.

I have been stressed to the max and am seeing a shrink, taking zolof and on and on it goes. The stress went to my mouth and have had very bad problems with bleeding gums and sores. Is painful and irritating.

See the link above or click on the picture on the left to read the story with additional links. We hope the next year brings better health to the Swan family. Is it safer to NOT GO to Pechanga?

Crack in the Sovereignty Dam: Judge rules Shingle Springs Band waived Immunity

The $107 million civil suit brought by Sharp Image Gaming Inc. against the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok in 2007 survived another attempt by the tribe’s attorneys to have the case dismissed.

El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Patrick Riley has ruled that the Shingle Springs band waived its sovereign immunity when the tribe entered into contracts and a loan with Sharp Image to provide slot machines for the tribe’s casino.

Red Hawk Casino is on the Shingle Springs Rancheria.

Tribes should be held liable for not living up to their contracts. Each crack in this dam will mean that it will bust. When tribes like Redding Rancheria, Picayune and Pechanga wield sovereignty like a club, it hurts other tribes.

Recession/Bad Publicity Hurting CA Tribal Casinos like Pechanga, Which Cheated Their Tribal Members.

Two years ago, tribes like Pechanga of Temecula promised that if we gave them more slots, they'd balance California's budget. How's that working out for us? Tribes aren't even using all the slots they are allowed. And we aren't getting anywhere NEAR THE FUNDS we were led to believe.

The recession is hitting CA tribal casinos, with 2008 win well below 2007 and 2009 looking even worse.

The LA TIMES has a story up.

"We have the same amount of people and they come in as frequently, but they are just spending less," said Mike Hiles, a tribal information officer for the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, which operates a casino with 2,000 slot machines, 20 gaming tables and two restaurants in San Jacinto."

Violence at the Soboba Reservation could be keeping the bigger money players away too. Who wants to run the risk of being shot while at the casino? Now, learning that the tribal chair is an "alleged" tax cheat.....

After years of growth, the first major layoff at a California Indian casino came in August 2008 when the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula laid off 368 workers. Three months later, the Morongo Casino laid off 95 people because of the slumping economy. Despite an agreement negotiated with the administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that would allow California's tribes to operate 62,000 slot machines, the tribal casinos currently operate 58,000 machines.

Pechanga is the tribe that has treated their own people terribly, forcing many back into poverty and onto state health care and welfare rolls. They terminated 25% of their tribe so that those remaining could increase their take from gambling profits. Pechanga's workforce is down almost 800 from their high point. Customers may be responding to the bad publicity, if Pechanga would cheat their own, maybe they'd cheat customers too. Additionally, car jacking at the casino and thuggish behavior from tribal members would also play a part. Their nightclub Silk was closed due to alcohol related problems and tribal thugs. It's better to go to a different casino where there's no threat to safety.

PECHANGA TRIBAL MEMBER, FELON: Pleads GUILTY! to avoid LIFE SENTENCE

The citizens of Riverside County are a little safer. One of the Masiel Crime Family members of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians is GUILTY of: ASSAULT, POSSESSION of a Firearm by a FELON, and other nefarious crimes.

Will this make the Riverside Press Enterprise? Will the tribe strip Masiel of his $360,000 per year per capita? Will California be able to place a lien on that money to pay for his incarceration? Will he be disenrolled for actions hurting the Pechanga Tribe?

A Pechanga tribal member and parolee who fired into a group in anger over an unpaid debt pleaded guilty today to assault with a semiautomatic firearm and other felonies and was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison.

Robert Martin Masiel, who lives on the Soboba Indian Reservation, also pleaded guilty to four counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and one count each of possession of controlled substances and attempting to smuggle crystal methamphetamine into a correctional facility.

He also admitted violating parole.

The last two counts were connected to older cases that Masiel had pending.

”It’s wonderful that he was willing to take responsibility,” said Deputy District Attorney Edward Jensen, who added that ”16 years and four months is a long time.”

See the SWRNN ARTICLE