NO TO OFF RESERVATION GAMING....
Sovereign Immunity Conceals Egregious Civil and Human Rights Abuses
Stripping Your Own People of Their Rights Is an Atrocity That Must Be EXPOSED and Stopped.
TAKE A STAND and Make Your Voice Heard.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
North Fork Rancheria isn't the ONLY Tribe looking for OFF RESERVATION CASINO in CA. Los Coyote Band of Cahuilla NEXT?
The former mayor of Barstow, California, remains confident of federal approval for theLos Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians off-reservation casino.
But Lawrence Dale is worried about Proposition 48, an initiative on the November ballot. Voters are being asked to approve or reject an off-reservation casino for theNorth Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians.
“The proposed Barstow casino is almost through the federal side, so all we have left is to go to the state and get its approval,” Dale told The Victorville Daily Press. “Our casino would be similar to the one tied to Proposition 48. If we vote to oppose this and say no we could lose our move to try to bring the casino to Barstow.”
The Bureau of Indian Affairs published the final environmental impact statement for the $160 million Barstow Casino and Resort in April. The public comment period has closed but there's no timeline for a decision on the project.
If the BIA approves, the state governor would get veto authority under the two-part determination provisions of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has so far approved two off-reservation casinos -- one for the North Fork Rancheria and another for the Enterprise Rancheria.
NO TO OFF RESERVATION GAMING....
NO TO OFF RESERVATION GAMING....
TWILA BARNES: Dead Birds Leave STAIN on Cherokee Nation
Cherokee blogger extraoridinaire has the story of a pigeon slaughter, labeled a hunt that was a fundraiser.
Many of you have already heard about US Senator from Oklahoma, James Inhofe's "Pigeon Shoot" fundraiser.
What you might not have heard is that Bill John Baker, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, participated in it and that the Cherokee Nation was listed as a Gold Level sponsor of it.
There is a video of the event at the link below. I think it is important everyone see exactly what a "pigeon shoot" is.
Read more: Thoughts from Polly's Granddaughter's Blog
Be sure to learn MORE about Senator Elizabeth Warren at Twila Barnes' blog...
Many of you have already heard about US Senator from Oklahoma, James Inhofe's "Pigeon Shoot" fundraiser.
What you might not have heard is that Bill John Baker, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, participated in it and that the Cherokee Nation was listed as a Gold Level sponsor of it.
There is a video of the event at the link below. I think it is important everyone see exactly what a "pigeon shoot" is.
Read more: Thoughts from Polly's Granddaughter's Blog
Be sure to learn MORE about Senator Elizabeth Warren at Twila Barnes' blog...
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Chukchansi Says their Casino is Safe: It's ONLY a tribal dispute. Last one have Bear Pepper Spray, Burning Logs UPDATE: Comments get Racist and Rude...
Things on the outside of Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino may look normal. But things behind the scenes are far from it.
"It is a power struggle, and we're no different than other tribes in California," says Reggie Lewis, a former chairman of the Picayune Rancheria, the tribe which owns Chukchansi Casino.
At issue, the leadership of more than 900 members (OP: There used to be 1500 members) and millions of dollars in revenue.
“There's politics, there's history from families in the area. A lot of things combined put us In the position we're in right now,” he says.
Lewis, Nancy Ayala, and four others say their group is in charge, and have set up shop on the 11th floor of the casino's hotel.
"We are there because we were asked by the casino staff and other tribal members to go and do what we did," says Lewis. "We're only following the direction of the people."
The Lewis–Ayala partnership may surprise some, since just last year Ayala accused Lewis of frivolously spending away millions of tribal dollars on hotels, travel and meals.
"We invested five to six million to Chukchansi inc, and received no benefit," she says, in a clip posted on YouTube.
Lewis brushed it off.
"We are trying to do whatever is necessary to work through this and get the tribe back together," he said.
The last elected tribal council is also claiming leadership.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Diana Krall Cancels Concert At Apartheid Reservation Pechanga Casino
Pechanga is well known as an Apartheid reservation and as a tribe that have stripped the citizenship of 25% of it's tribe and stealing $500 million in per capita and benefits from Native Americans.
Singer Diana Krall has canceled her entire United States fall tour due to what is being described as severe case of pneumonia.
Krall was set to perform at Pechanga Resort & Casino Sunday, Nov. 9. The illness has even changed the singer’s other plans as well
Thursday, September 25, 2014
ERIC HOLDER TO RESIGN WITHOUT Addressing Civil Rights Violations In Indian Country
We have been asking AG Holder to look into violations of civil and human rights for years now. Looks like he will leave without addressing the issue, leaving THOUSANDS of Native Americans without JUSTICE.
This comes on the heels of a judge ruling the FAST & FURIOUS documents MUST BE RELEASED.
This comes on the heels of a judge ruling the FAST & FURIOUS documents MUST BE RELEASED.
SPIN? According to the official, "Attorney General Holder has discussed his plans personally with the president on multiple occasions in recent months, and finalized those plans in an hour-long conversation with the president at the White House residence over Labor Day weekend.
Last November, Mr. Holder, the first black attorney general, told CBS News he didn’t have “any plans” to step down.
Mr. Holder has made voting rights the test case of his tenure, the New Yorker reported. He has been a vocal critic of the Supreme Court case that invalidated key parts of the Voting Rights Act and has supported Congressional action to renew and revise the law.
OP: Curiously, he never looked into the loss of voting rights to THOUSANDS of Native Americans who suffered under tribal disenrollment
OP: Curiously, he never looked into the loss of voting rights to THOUSANDS of Native Americans who suffered under tribal disenrollment
During his five years as the nation’s top law enforcement officer, Mr. Holder has also weighed in on other controversial Supreme Court decisions. Mr. Holder said he wouldn’t defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court and over the weekend announced the Department of Justice’s plans to give same-sex couples the same rights in the federal legal system as married heterosexual couples, regardless of whether a state recognizes same sex marriage.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
North Fork Rancheria Wins Against Corrupt Chukchansi Tribe Challenge
Efforts by the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians to build a casino and resort near Highway 99 in Madera County have cleared a legal challenge.
editorial in the Fresno Bee
Read Story for BIA quote here
REGGIE LEWIS
The California 3rd District Court of Appeal says California’s governor acted within his authority in concurring with a U.S. Department of the Interior decision that the Indian gaming establishment would not be detrimental to the surrounding community.
Another tribe, the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, which operates an established casino about 30 miles from the proposed gambling hall, had challenged the decision, contending the governor is a public agency subject to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act, often known by its acronym, CEQA. Click THESE LINKS BELOW for more on CHUKCHANSI
Morris Reideditorial in the Fresno Bee
Read Story for BIA quote here
REGGIE LEWIS
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro's WIFE's Lobbying Firm Registers to Lobby for Table Mountain Rancheria
Holly Cook Macarro's Ietan Consulting has registered to lobby for Table Mountain Rancheria, a tribe whose settlement is located in Fresno County, Calif. The tribe, which owns and operates Table Mountain Casino, is involved in a battle over a state-level initiative known as Proposition 48.
The proposition would allow the North Fork Rancheria tribe to build a hotel and casino that would not be located on its reservation. The federal government and state of California have signed off on that deal, but Table Mountain Rancheria opposes it, arguing it would expand gambling off historic tribal lands.
The Pechanga Tribe of Temecula is well known for violating the civil and human rights of its people and for the theft of their per capita that has surpassed the $500 million level. Currently Pechanga practices APARTHEID on their reservation. They were also attempting to steal water rights from descendents of original allottees of the Temecula Indian Reservation.
The proposition would allow the North Fork Rancheria tribe to build a hotel and casino that would not be located on its reservation. The federal government and state of California have signed off on that deal, but Table Mountain Rancheria opposes it, arguing it would expand gambling off historic tribal lands.
The Pechanga Tribe of Temecula is well known for violating the civil and human rights of its people and for the theft of their per capita that has surpassed the $500 million level. Currently Pechanga practices APARTHEID on their reservation. They were also attempting to steal water rights from descendents of original allottees of the Temecula Indian Reservation.
Another Disenrollment Tribe, UNITED AUBURN Joins Against North Fork Rancheria Casino
It's about the MARKET SHARE STUPID....
The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians in California is facing yet another opponent in its bid for an off-reservation casino.
The United Auburn Indian Community donated $100,000 to the campaign against the tribe's Class III gaming compact, The Sacramento Bee reported. The issue appears on the November ballot as Proposition 48.
Up until now, the paper points out that all of the money for the campaign came from the Table Mountain Rancheria and investors in the casino owned by the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians. Those tribes operate gaming facilities that would face competition from the North Fork project.
The Auburn Community also operates the Thunder Valley Casino Resort but it's more than 170 miles away from the North Fork site. The facility is located on land outside of the tribe's original reservation boundaries.
The tribe also opposes an off-reservation casino for the Enterprise Rancheria.
In related news, the Table Mountain Rancheria hired Ietan Consulting in Washington, D.C. The registration form states the firm will be lobbying on "Tribal Governmental issues" but The Hill newspaper notes that the tribe is fighting the North Fork Rancheria casino.
A description of Proposition 48, from the California Secretary of State, follows:
The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians in California is facing yet another opponent in its bid for an off-reservation casino.
Proposition 48 - Referendum to Overturn Indian Gaming Compacts
If signed by the required number of registered voters and timely filed with the Secretary of State, this petition will place on the statewide ballot a challenge to a state law previously approved by the Legislature and the Governor. The law must then be approved by a majority of voters at the next statewide election to go into effect. The law ratifies two gaming compacts (with the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, and the Wiyot Tribe); and it exempts execution of the compacts, certain projects, and intergovernmental agreements from the California Environmental Quality Act. (13-0007)
Monday, September 22, 2014
California INDIAN LAW ASSOCIATION to Hold Gala at APARTHEID RESERVATION: Pechanga, Who has Violated the Civil and HUMAN Rights of their people. Worse than a Redskins Nickname
Yes, you read that headline correctly. This "prestigious" Law association, that probably wants the Washington Redskins to change their nickname, because "it's mean" is going to hold their gala/conference at the reservation that practices APARTHEID and has stripped the citizenship of 25% of it's membership.
Mark Macarro lied to Congress
READ Corruption Exposed…
culture of corruption child molester
Larry Miranda On burying the bad news at Pechanga
TEXT Read more on Victor Rocha
REGISTER NOW:
14th Annual Indian Law Conference & Gala
October 16-17, 2014
We are pleased to announce that this year's Conference will be held at the
Pechanga Resort & Casino in Southern California.
The Pechanga Tribe is one the CILA should avoid. How can they be serious about justice in Indian Country when they party at one of the WORST offenders?
SOME PECHANGA ISSUES they should read up on.
Pechanga’s corrupt tribal councilMark Macarro lied to Congress
READ Corruption Exposed…
culture of corruption child molester
Larry Miranda On burying the bad news at Pechanga
TEXT Read more on Victor Rocha
Thursday, September 18, 2014
DemsTake NO STAND on Stripping Citizenship from Tribal Members Block Bill To Strip Citizenship From ISIS Defectors
We've written about the stripping of tribal citizenship of Native Americans BY corrupt tribal councils. This is so egregious, that you'd think the Department of Justice would have looked into it, instead, crickets.
Look what happened today in the Senate:
Sen. Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Democrat, objected, saying the bill has not been brought before the Senate Judiciary Committee and it affects “fundamental constitutional rights, which should be given the full deliberation of the Senate.”
CA Tribal Cleansing
Tribal terrorism
TRIBAL TERRORISM includes Banishment
Look what happened today in the Senate:
Sen. Ted Cruz tried to get the Senate to consider a measure Thursday providing that any American who joins the fight with terrorist groups such as the Islamic State would immediately renounce their U.S. citizenship, but a Democratic senator objected, saying more time is necessary to weigh the significant constitutional issues it raises.
Ahead of the Senate’s scheduled consideration Thursday afternoon of a proposal to arm and train Syrian rebels, part of President Obama’s strategy to combat the terrorist group, the Texas Republican asked for unanimous consent to pass the Expatriate Terrorist Act he introduced earlier this month.
The Democrats response:Sen. Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Democrat, objected, saying the bill has not been brought before the Senate Judiciary Committee and it affects “fundamental constitutional rights, which should be given the full deliberation of the Senate.”
“Legislation that grants the government the ability to strip citizenship from Americans is a serious matter, raising significant constitutional issues,” she said.
We think stripping of TRIBAL CITIZENSHIP is a serious matter too Senator. Look into that.
Learn More on Disenrollment, Ethnic Cleansing in
Indian Gaming Country at these Links
disenrollment is paper GenocideCA Tribal Cleansing
Tribal terrorism
TRIBAL TERRORISM includes Banishment
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
High Stakes for Saginaw Chippewa and Labor Unions
After the Saginaw Chippewa fired a housekeeper at the Soaring Eagle casino in 2010, the Michigan tribe found itself at the center of a national legal battle over the reach of U.S. labor law and the sovereign rights of Native American tribes.
The housekeeper, Susan Lewis, was fired for soliciting union support among workers at the casino in central Michigan. She challenged her dismissal before the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, which ordered the casino to reinstate Lewis.
The Saginaw Chippewa refused, saying the NLRB, which oversees union elections and referees private-sector labor relations disputes, had no right to meddle in tribal business.
Four years later the tribe is fighting the NLRB in one of three nearly identical court cases whose outcomes could be felt throughout the $28 billion tribal casino industry.
Fair and Balanced: North Fork Rancheria Urges Voters to SUPPORT Prop. 48
We've posted about why we don't think the North Fork Rancheria should get OFF Reservation gaming, here's their point of view. Fails to note that this is NOT what the CA voters intended.
Maryann McGovran, the vice chairwoman of the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, urges voters to support Proposition 48 and ratify the tribe's Class III gaming compact:
Maryann McGovran, the vice chairwoman of the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, urges voters to support Proposition 48 and ratify the tribe's Class III gaming compact:
The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians near Yosemite — with nearly 2,000 citizens, one of the largest federally recognized tribes in California — has been striving for decades to restore its tribal status and reclaim a fraction of their rightful lands.Similarly, the Wiyot Tribe near Humboldt Bay has been working to achieve economic self-sufficiency while protecting environmentally sensitive coastal lands from development.Prop. 48 accomplishes both. It creates thousands of good jobs in high-employment areas and provides hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenues to state and local governments, law enforcement, schools and non-gaming tribes.That’s why Prop. 48 is strongly supported by Gov. Brown, the California Democratic Party, state building trades, state firefighters, state Chambers of Commerce, local peace officers, and both the city and county of Madera (where the project will be built).
TWO Navajo Code Talkers Pass On in the Last Week
Two Navajo Code Talkers died this past week, according to the tribal government and family members.
Guy Clauschee, 87, died early Thursday morning in Fort Defiance. Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday at the Fort Defiance Presbyterian Church.
A Code Talker throughout most of World War II, Clauschee came back from the war and continued his education at the Ganado Mission. After graduating in 1950, he moved to Window Rock and started work with the Bureau of indian Affairs as a facilities management foreman. He retired after 40 years.
On Wednesday, tribal officials reported the death of another Navajo Code Talker, Robert Walley Sr., 93.
Walley served as a Code Talker from 1943 to 1945, during which he received a Purple Heart. He served in the 6th Marine Division and was a Marine Raider who fought in the Battle of Bougainville, Guam, Okinawa and the occupation of Emirau Island.
Both Walley and Clauschee received Congressional Silver Medals for their service as Navajo Code Talkers.
According to figures supplied by the Navajo Code Talkers Association, the number of Code Talkers has gone from more 400 to just 27.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Paskenta Band elects Four to replace Corrupt Council
A Northern California tribe that has been the subject of internal power struggles and an audit alleging the mismanagement of millions of dollars elected four members Saturday to its tribal council.
The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians elected Latisha Miller as vice chairperson, Andrew Alejandre as secretary, Ambrosia Rico the treasurer and Natasha Magana a member at-large. The elections formally ended the leadership of ousted council member Leslie Lohse, according to a news release issued by an attorney who represents Tribal Chairman Andrew Freeman.
The winning slate of candidates received 138 of 199 votes, according to the media release.
An audit of the tribe, which runs the Rolling Hills Casino near Corning off of Interstate 5, alleged that former leaders of the tribe spent $17 million in private jet travel and $450,000 on tickets to the World Series, the Final Four college basketball tournament and other sporting events.
Freeman had suspended three members of the tribe council – including Lohse – this spring over questions regarding their tribal eligibility, setting up a struggle for control of the tribe and Saturday’s election.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/13/6704857/embattled-northern-california.html#storylink=cpy
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Looked Like and Indian, Acted Like an Indian....NOT AN INDIAN. Non Indians Harming Actual Indians Through Fakery
Many tribal people suffer at the hands of people who claim Indian ancestry. The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians have a faction of people who have NO Pechanga blood, yet led a successful effort to remove proven Pechanga people from the tribe. There is NO requirement of Indian blood to be a tribal member. Here is the story of one who pulled the wool over everyone's eyes.
From PRICEONOMICS:
The True Story of 'The Crying Indian'
On Earth Day, 1971, nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful launched what the Ad Council would later call one of the “50 greatest commercials of all time.” Dubbed “The Crying Indian,” the one-minute PSA features a Native American man paddling down a junk-infested river, surrounded by smog, pollution, and trash; as he hauls his canoe onto the plastic-infested shore, a bag of rubbish is tossed from a car window, exploding at his feet. The camera then pans to the Indian’s cheerless face just as a single tear rolls down his cheek.
The ad, which sought to combat pollution, was widely successful: It secured two Clio awards, incited a frenzy of community involvement, and helped reduce litter by 88% across 38 states. Its star performer, a man who went by the name “Iron Eyes Cody,” subsequently became the “face of Native Indians,” and was honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Advertisers estimate that his face, plastered on billboards, posters, and magazine ads, has been viewed 14 billion times, easily making him the most recognizable Native American figure of the century.
But while Hollywood trumpeted Iron Eyes Cody as a “true Native American” and profited from his ubiquitous image, the man himself harbored an unspoken secret: he was 100% Italian.
America's Favorite Indian
Long before his fame in the 1970s, Iron Eyes Cody had carved out a niche for himself in Hollywood’s Western film community as “the noble Indian.” With his striking, “indigenous” looks, he perfectly fit the bill for what producers were looking for -- and his story correlated. Until the late 1990s, Iron Eyes’ personal history (provided solely by himself) was that he’d descended from a Cherokee father and a Cree mother, and had been born under the name “Little Eagle.” An old archived article filed in the Glendale Special Collections library elaborates on his account:
“Iron Eyes learned much of his Indian lore in the days when, as a youth, he toured the country with his father, Thomas Long Plume, in a wild west show. During his travels, he taught himself the sign language of other tribes of Indians.”
From 1930 to the late 1980s, Iron Eyes starred in a variety of Western films alongside the likes of John Wayne, Steve McQueen, and Ronald Reagan. Clad in headdresses and traditional garb, he portrayed Crazy Horse in Sitting Bull (1954), galloped through the plains in The Great Sioux Massacre (1965), and appeared in over 100 television programs. When major motion picture houses needed to verify the authenticity of tribal dances and attire, Iron Eyes was brought in as a consultant. He even provided the “ancestral chanting” on Joni Mitchell’s 1988 album, Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm.
By all accounts, he was Hollywood’s -- and America’s -- favorite Native American.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Sac Bee: Vote No on Proposition 48, enough gambling expansion. We Concur
The Sacramento Bee gets it right on this editorial on Prop. 48, which would give the North Fork Rancheria off reservation gaming. Californians got it WRONG to expand gaming for tribes like Pechanga, who have done nothing but harm their own people, and were rewarded for it. Now, as much as we'd like to see the despicable Chukchansi Tribe be hurt by a casino closer to their customer base, going outside the intent of the voters is NOT the correct path.
If North Fork wants a casino, figure out how to get it on their own reservation land. The better path for California, is to allow gaming regulated by the state. Tribes have had almost 20 years to benefit and get their customer base in order. That's a terrific head start.
If North Fork wants a casino, figure out how to get it on their own reservation land. The better path for California, is to allow gaming regulated by the state. Tribes have had almost 20 years to benefit and get their customer base in order. That's a terrific head start.
California voters are being thrust into the middle of yet another fight over gambling and ought to collectively say: “Enough.”
It happened in 2000 when Indian tribes spent $24 million to win monopoly rights to operate casinos on their land, and in 2008 when four tribes spent $82 million to gain more lucrative gambling deals, and several other times.
This year, voters should take a stand against yet another gambling expansion by voting no on Proposition 48, although a “no” vote would mean siding with hedge-fund operators whose motives are hardly pure.
The North Fork Rancheria band of Mono Indiansseeks to open a 2,000-slot-machine casino on 305 acres west of Highway 99 at the north end of the San Joaquin Valley city of Madera. The 1,987-member tribe teamed with Station Casinos, a Las Vegas corporation that would operate the gambling hall.
In 2011, President Barack Obama’s Interior Department approved North Fork’s request to build the casino, which would be 38 miles from its reservation land in the foothills east of Madera. Gov. Jerry Brown negotiated the compact, and the Legislature approved it in 2013.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Secretary Jewell Says: Redskins Controversy NOT HIGH on Agenda Even Among Native American Community
Secretary Sally Jewell has it right. The Redskins Name IS offensive, but it PALES in comparison to the abuse that tribes like Pechanga, and Chukchansi are heaping on the people: Disenrollment, Banishment, Elder Abuse, Apartheid and Segregation ALL should rank higher than a nickname.
"Personally, I find it surprising that in this day and age, the name is not different"
“Personally, I think we would never consider naming a team the ‘Blackskins’ or the ‘Brownskins’ or the ‘Whiteskins,'” said Jewell. “So, personally, I find it surprising that in this day and age, the name is not different.”The controversy over the NFL’s Washington Redskins team name “isn’t high” on the Native American agenda, U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told ABC Friday, but she added that it’s “surprising” the football franchise has yet to change its name. As Secretary of the agency overseeing the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Jewell works to uphold trust and treaty obligations with Native American tribes.
“But in talking with tribal leaders, this has not been the issue that they have talked about with me, and I think that there is debate, even among the Native American community, on the Washington Redskins, and certainly there are a lot of people who have pride in that team,” Jewell added. “So, my personal views are not necessarily reflected in the tribes that I talk to.”
Fellow cabinet member Attorney General Eric Holder went further in his comments with ABC earlier this year, saying that he personally believes the Redskins name is “offensive” and should be changed. That view is supported by 50 independent and Democratic senators, who called the name “Redskins” a “racial slur” in a recent letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell advocating to change the name of the Washington franchise. President Barack Obama has signaled that he is open to changing the name; Redskins owner Dan Synder has vowed to never change it.
An ESPN poll released this week found the percentage who think the Redskins name should be changed has nearly tripled since 1992 to 23%. Still, the vast majority of Americans—71%—believe the team should be allowed to keep its name, according to the poll.
"Personally, I find it surprising that in this day and age, the name is not different"
“Personally, I think we would never consider naming a team the ‘Blackskins’ or the ‘Brownskins’ or the ‘Whiteskins,'” said Jewell. “So, personally, I find it surprising that in this day and age, the name is not different.”The controversy over the NFL’s Washington Redskins team name “isn’t high” on the Native American agenda, U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told ABC Friday, but she added that it’s “surprising” the football franchise has yet to change its name. As Secretary of the agency overseeing the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Jewell works to uphold trust and treaty obligations with Native American tribes.
“But in talking with tribal leaders, this has not been the issue that they have talked about with me, and I think that there is debate, even among the Native American community, on the Washington Redskins, and certainly there are a lot of people who have pride in that team,” Jewell added. “So, my personal views are not necessarily reflected in the tribes that I talk to.”
Fellow cabinet member Attorney General Eric Holder went further in his comments with ABC earlier this year, saying that he personally believes the Redskins name is “offensive” and should be changed. That view is supported by 50 independent and Democratic senators, who called the name “Redskins” a “racial slur” in a recent letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell advocating to change the name of the Washington franchise. President Barack Obama has signaled that he is open to changing the name; Redskins owner Dan Synder has vowed to never change it.
An ESPN poll released this week found the percentage who think the Redskins name should be changed has nearly tripled since 1992 to 23%. Still, the vast majority of Americans—71%—believe the team should be allowed to keep its name, according to the poll.
GET SERIOUS on WHAT MATTERS....
Friday, September 5, 2014
Paskenta Band's Leaders Mismanaged MILLIONS of dollars; Improper Spending, Salaries, and Bad Investments
Amid an epic battle for control of a Northern California tribe and its lucrative casino, a new audit is leveling allegations that former tribal leaders mismanaged millions of dollars of assets in improper spending, salaries and poorly researched investments for the past dozen years.
Read Full Article in Sacramento Bee
The audit for the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, which runs the Rolling Hills Casino near Corning off Interstate 5 and has been deeply split between two factions, found that council leaders “have fallen far short of their legal and ethical obligations to the tribe” by incurring expenses that include $17 million in private jet travel – some of which appeared to be for personal and family business – and $450,000 for tickets to the World Series, college basketball’s Final Four and other sporting events.
The release of the audit comes as 216 adult members of the tribe prepare for a Sept. 13 vote on who should run the tribal council and a dispute over who are its legal members. The council oversees distribution of $54,000 in casino revenue annually for each member of the band.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
NOOKSACK 306 CHILDREN FURTHER PERSECUTED BY BOB KELLY-LED TRIBAL COUNCIL FACTION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michelle Roberts
CONTACT: Michelle Roberts
NOOKSACK 306 CHILDREN FURTHER PERSECUTED BY BOB KELLY-LED TRIBAL COUNCIL FACTION
Tribal Children in Head Start, K-8 and High School Denied School Supplies & Clothing Assistance Again; Grassroots Fundraising Campaign Started
Deming, WA – Last month, the Nooksack Tribal Council Faction lead by Bob Kelly again voted to deny $250 back-to-school stipends to 70 Nooksack children who are proposed for disenrollment. Those children—who are part of the three families known as the Nooksack 306—range from three year olds attending Head Start, to teenagers in high school.
On August 15, 2015, Councilwoman Carmen Tangeant, who voted against the maneuver along with Councilpersons Nadene Rapada and David Williams, issued an open letter, which states: “There are 70 school aged children ages 4-18 being left behind for a 2nd year in a row due to pending Nooksack Tribal disenrollment since February 2013. . . . These children are caught in the fight of the largest federally recognized tribal disenrollment in Washington history.”
Also last month, the Kelly Faction excluded four graduating Nooksack 306 high school and college students from a traditional Pendleton blanket honoring ceremony, citing their proposed disenrollment. Renowned Nooksack artist Louie Gong, who produces his own Native blankets, has pledged to honor those young Nooksack adults instead of the Tribe.
“It is beyond shameful for Bob Kelly to make our children, students and graduates pawns in his disenrollment game,” said Nooksack 306 spokesperson Michelle Roberts. “But we are teaching them to be stronger and more resilient individuals because of it all.”
As for current Nooksack 306 Head Start, K-8 and High School students, Councilwoman Tangeant has started a grassroots campaign to raise $17,500 so that each of the youth can be gifted $250 for school supplies and clothing. She and other Nooksack 306 supporters have raised nearly $1,300, and even though school has now started for the children, donations are still being accepted at gofundme.com.
The Nooksack 306 youth were also denied the monies last year, and their families were denied $250 Christmas support payments last December as well.
Last summer, Tribal member Giovanni Coleman wrote the Nooksack Tribal Council: “I am 8 years old and I am sad because I have no supplies for my 1st day of school. I want you to know that it was wrong to do that to all of us kids.”
Miana Rabang, a Nooksack teenager, also wrote to the Tribal Council: “I don’t understand why we couldn’t get school supplies for school because we are all still enrolled. About this whole disenrollment I feel so rejected.”
The Kelly Faction never responded to the children’s written concerns, and has not held a public meeting of the Nooksack Tribe to face such criticisms, in nearly two years.
Nooksack’s back-to-school and Christmas support monies are funded through Class II and III gaming revenues generated at the Tribe’s two casinos. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act requires that the Tribe pass, and the U.S. Department of the Interior approve, a revenue allocation plan for the per capita and non-discriminatory distribution of Nooksack gaming monies. The Nooksack Tribe has never passed a revenue allocation plan.
The National Indian Gaming Commission is actively investigating the Kelly Faction’s prior illegal disseminations of gaming revenues and denials of those funds to Nooksack 306 family members and youth.
Meanwhile, the Nooksack 306 disenrollment, which began in December of 2012, remains halted by the Nooksack courts. That is because the Kelly Faction has also failed to secure Interior’s approval of disenrollment procedures designed to expedite the termination of the Nooksack 306. Those “1-800 Disenrollment Hotline”-procedures have been widely condemned.
“There isn’t a law, protocol, moral or ethic that Bob Kelly and his followers will honor,” said Roberts. “Thankfully the world sees right through them.”
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Native American Civil Rights Leader Lehman Brightman Needs Your Help To Protect Archives of Life's Work
As many of you know, Dr. Lehman Brightman suffered a stroke in July 2011. His care and needs has forced son Quanah Parker Brightman to carry the financial load and he needs HELP. Please, if you can share this with your social media, help protect their life's work.
Happy to Have Been able to Make a Small Payment on One of The 2 Storage Units up in Sacramento using My GA Emergency $. Don't Want to Lose My Family's Archives & Our Tribal Law Library. Been Hard Keeping up on the Never Ending Work to Decolonize Non-Indigenous Population & Colonized Indigenous with-out All My Tools.
Hopeful to Raise The Remainder of the Past Due Amount of $400.00 Owed to LifeStorage of Pell Industrial Before it Get's Auctioned Off.
Hopeful to Raise The Remainder of the Past Due Amount of $400.00 Owed to LifeStorage of Pell Industrial Before it Get's Auctioned Off.
Dear friends and allies of United Native Americans.
I am informing Each of You Now that Our Family has been Evicted from Our Resident here in Sacramento, California.If you can help us Raise monies to Help pay to fix our for our two storage units and to help us with security deposit & first months Rent, it is all appreciated. If there is anything you can help with, please contact me. Wopila tanka.
I am informing Each of You Now that Our Family has been Evicted from Our Resident here in Sacramento, California.If you can help us Raise monies to Help pay to fix our for our two storage units and to help us with security deposit & first months Rent, it is all appreciated. If there is anything you can help with, please contact me. Wopila tanka.
Contribution needed for:
Storage Units Currently Need $400.00 Total.
Security Deposit & First Months Rent for New Facility $600 1st Months Rent $500.00 Security
If You have Any Recommendations or Suggestions, Please E-mail Me Back or Call me ASAP.
Storage Units Currently Need $400.00 Total.
Security Deposit & First Months Rent for New Facility $600 1st Months Rent $500.00 Security
If You have Any Recommendations or Suggestions, Please E-mail Me Back or Call me ASAP.
Contributions Large or Small can Be MadeDirectly into Our Bank Account at BANK OF THE WEST ACCOUNT NUMBER # 106012446
#WesternUnionor #MoneyGram #SafewayGiftCards #WalmartGiftCards can be mailed directly to:
165 22nd Street
Richmond, CA 94801
(510)672-7187
Sincerely,
Quanah Parker Brightman
165 22nd Street
Richmond, CA 94801
(510)672-7187
Sincerely,
Quanah Parker Brightman