Pechanga Makes it More Difficult for Schools to Receive Money Stolen From Tribal Members

The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians has stolen some $280,000,000 from tribal members they terminated via disenrollment.  Now, their friends at the Press Enterprise reports that the tribe will make the schools jump through some hoops to get their donations, which now total over $2.6 million in the last 13 years.    Hey, where did the other $277,400,000 go?

Donations from the Pechanga Development Corp. will help purchase varsity uniforms for players at Murrieta Mesa High School, buy music and scripts for Lakeside High School's band, dance and drama programs and support ninth-grade orientation at Chaparral High School in Temecula.


Southwest Riverside County high schools have come to rely on the annual donations from Pechanga, which date to the 1998-99 school year. This year, most schools received $35,000, with Murrieta Mesa receiving $30,000 because it is new and doesn't have a full student body yet.

Educators were probably the most outspoken against perceived 'possible' civil rights violations in AZ after they enacted a law the mirrored federal law.   Yet, they casually turn a blind eye to a tribe, Pechanga that HAS violated the civil rights of many of their tribe members.   They have:

• Taken away tribal citizenship.
• Stripped members of their right to vote
• Take away health care for seniors
• Denied members due process of law, including legal representation, even writing implements
• Herded members into groups for hearings not allowing each to defend themselves
• Subjected some to ex post facto laws

Why aren't these educators exercising their moral outrage at what Pechanga does?   Instead of 30 pieces of silver, it's a few thousand dollars.  Would they have accepted donations from South Africa during apartheid?