Sacramento Bee writer Steve Maganini wrote this article in 2003, as Tribal Casinos proliferate, it's a good time for a reminder: KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Most Californians don’t realize that when they enter California Indian territory, they leave many of their rights as U.S. citizens at the border.
If you get into a car accident with a tribal employee on tribal business, are injured at an Indian resort or casino, or are fired without just cause, as Benedict Cosentino found out at Pechanga, you can’t sue the tribe in California court. If you’re owed money in a business dispute or are sexually harassed, you can’t sue, either
“As much as this looks like Bellagio (a Las Vegas hotel), this is an Indian nation,” said Mark Macarro, chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, which runs a $262 million casino-resort on its reservation in Riverside County. “All governments have immunity to suit unless they agree to a waiver.” A former customer, Richard Swan was nearly beaten to DEATH, by Pechanga's security, in 2008 and Pechanga didn't waiver.
Macarro says those who want to limit Indian sovereignty have a shortsighted view of history: “There’s an indignant self-righteousness: ‘How dare these tribes come in and impact our quality of life?’ ” he said. “A few generations ago when we were being kicked out of our villages at gunpoint, we were saying the same thing, but we were powerless to stop it. NOW, Macarro kicks out his own people from his "village" in Pechanga's Trail of Tears.
That justice can vary wildly, because each of California’s 107 federally recognized tribes makes and enforces its own laws, whether it has one voting member or 3,000, whether it’s a democracy or an oligarchy. ......
READ THE REST of the article, with more examples..and BE CAREFUL..and respectful..
Why don't people kick Mark Macarro and Robert Smith off the res.This would end all the problems.
ReplyDelete