Tribal Disenrollment: Greed-Driven Theft Robs Tribal Members of Their Birthright and Their Rightful Per Capita Payments.

In the trailer for the documentary on tribal disenrollment,  YOU'RE NO INDIAN, at the :42 mark, per capita is discussed.  

Why talk about money?  Because when discussing disenrollment, some people are ONLY interested in how much money is lost.  They don't care about the loss of heritage, civil rights, or the abuse of our elders.   SO here it is.  $1,160,000,000  
 
Disenrolling tribes say that disenrollment isn't about the money (yes, they are lying).  Well, as the numbers here for the Pechanga casino prove, disenrollment enriches those remaining.  The rest is about controlling power, then you can control OTHER TRIBAL MONEY, like all expenses paid work travel including family, or giving tribal business to your wife's lobbying firm.

From the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians in Temecula CA here is the breakdown of the theft of per capita by the Mark Macarro-led tribal council.  Mr. Macarro is the President of the lobbyist group The National Congress of American Indians.

The Hunter family has lost $5,448,000 per person, in per capita payments alone.

We arrived at that figure by taking the last full year (2005) of per capita $268,000/12 months (this includes a yearly bonus) and multiplying that loss times 227 months of disenrollment. 95 adults at the time of disenrollment  totals: $5,448,00 EACH.  Total loss equals: $571,560,000

The Apis/Manuela Miranda family was disenrolled two years prior in 2004  The per capita was slightly less, about $17,000 per month times 251 months of termination: $4,267,000 times 135 adults equals: $576,045,000

Moratorium People NEVER shared in what was rightfully theirs. The per capita went up to $360,000 per year for those remaining after elimination of 2 large families of tribal citizens.  The Petra Tosobol descendants should have been making over $15,000 per month had they been enrolled as they were rightfully entitled. They were over 60 adults.    

Despite being the leader of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, Mark Macarro has reportedly excluded members of his own family from the tribe, prioritizing his own personal gain over the well-being of his kin.   

Thug members who were involved in drugs, shootings, sexual abuses carjacks still qualified. Pechanga Theft of $1,160,000,000 (That's over ONE BILLION DOLLARS) Includes additional $27 Million in Health Insurance, a so called "Cadillac plan" under the Affordable Care Act.

These totals do not include lost education assistance nor does it account for family members that attained the age of majority. I wanted to keep the numbers static. 

 I'll gladly update if the tribe wants to give me the current numbers. 

To NCAI President Mark Macarro: Us Get OVER DISENROLLMENT? ...F**K YOU

 My friend Michelle Hammock, one of the HOPLAND 74 disenrolled has a powerful piece up on her webpage .  I was proud to share a podium with her in Sacramento as we shared our stories of disenrollment, I wrote about that here.  I ripped my speech up after hearing hers as it was SPOT ON.   I directed this to a Disenrollment Chieftain, Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro, as he is now the President of the lobbying group, the National Congress of American Indians.  He led the tribe that RIPPED OUR HERITAGE APART.    

The act of disenrollment is an act of genocide, whether the Genocide Convention recognizes it as such or not. It removes the living and deceased identities of federally recognized individuals and strips them of their treaty rights, their tribal constitutional rights, and their legal identities. It breaks families apart and expires the identities of a group of people. It strips them of the federal protections afforded to only Native tribal people uniquely agreed upon with our dominantly white government.

And we are called hateful for decrying the acts. For calling it out and never letting it be forgotten. We are the hate filled ones that need to shut our mouths for the sake of other people’s reputations. We are told to get over it. We are told that because of “our” hate that no one would want us back. We are told that we are so blinded in hate that we cannot offer anything to our tribes.    And to that I say Fuck You!


Life after disenrollment is different for everyone. For some, the experience was so distraught that they have to find a healthy way of living away from the ordeal just to keep from having to relive the horror of the injustice everyday. Others may find that resuming as much of their life pre-disenrollment and moving forward for the sake of their families and the everyday routines they align themselves on is best. And there are the ones where it killed them. Literally.

And then there are folks like me. The ones that people call out as the hateful ones. The ones who are loud mouthed and loose lipped over the corrupt and unjust acts that were levied against them.  The ones who never let it go and live everyday in devotion to seeking justice in any form necessary. The un-resting and unrelenting bunch of angry and hurt people, victims of paper genocide carried out by the crooked, uneducated and certainly, uncaring elected farces of tribal council leadership.



OP:   We all should be loud mouthed on this issue that has affected us, our children and our ancestors.   HOW can we expect things to change, if we don't stand up for what is right, and just? Why should OTHERS stand up for us, if we don't stand up for ourselves

PLEASE, I urge you to read Michelle's piece, and share it.  I URGE you to get involved, get BACK involved and let's fight it in the court of public opinion.

FREE AT LAST, Leonard Peltier Leaves Prison

We have written about Leonard Peltier through four Presidents and it finally happened.  Joe Biden got at least ONE pardon right.

 
From CBS NEWS:

Leonard Peltier's release is the right thing to do given the serious and ongoing human rights concerns about the fairness of his trial, his nearly 50 years behind bars, his health and his age," said Paul O'Brien, executive director with Amnesty International USA in a statement. "While we welcome his release from prison, he should not be restricted to home confinement."

Prominent Native American groups like the National Congress of the American Indian have called for Peltier's release for decades, and Amnesty International considered him a political prisoner. Prominent supporters included South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, civil rights icon Coretta Scott King, actor and director Robert Redford and musicians Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte and Jackson Browne.

Dear President Biden, Aboard Air Force One: Why Mr. President Are YOU HONORING Tribal Leaders Who Disenroll Their Own People

 Dear Mr. President,

I write to you with deep concern and a heavy heart regarding an issue that profoundly affects the lives of countless Native Americans across this country: the abusive practice of tribal disenrollment. This egregious act, often carried out without evidence or due process, strips individuals and families of their heritage, identity, and rights. It is an injustice that not only harms the disenfranchised but also tarnishes the sacred principles of sovereignty and unity within Native nations.

As the leader of our nation, your platform carries immense weight in addressing injustices and standing with those who have been wronged. Yet, it is disheartening to see some tribal leaders—who have disenrolled their own people, violating their human and cultural rights—treated as if they are exemplars of integrity and leadership. When these individuals Chairman Mark Macarro of Pechanga being one , are invited aboard Air Force One, one of the most potent symbols of American values and honor, it sends a troubling message: that their actions are condoned, or at the very least overlooked, by the highest office in the land.   

Mark Macarro (short/right) with the President
         (photo courtesy)

Disenrollment is more than an internal tribal matter—it is a human rights issue. Entire families are being erased from their tribes, often for political or financial gain. These actions run contrary to the ideals of justice, equality, and respect for cultural heritage that you have championed throughout your presidency.

Disenrolling Tribal Leader Jack Potter 
cavorting with President Biden.

Your voice could be transformative in this matter. By publicly condemning the practice of disenrollment and refusing to honor leaders who engage in it, you can stand in solidarity with the tens of thousands of disenrolled Native Americans who have been marginalized and betrayed. Such a stance would not be an attack on tribal sovereignty but rather a call for accountability and ethical governance—a principle that applies to all leaders, whether tribal, state, or federal.

I urge you to use your influence to highlight this injustice and to meet with those who have been affected. Listen to their stories, hear their pain, and stand with them. Honor the resilience of Native Americans who fight for their rights and heritage, and make it clear that those who harm their own people will not be celebrated or embraced by the United States government.

The disenrolled deserve to know that their struggles are not invisible and that their cries for justice have reached the ears of their President.  Your Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland wouldn't touch the issue.  HOW MANY NATIVE AMERICANS does it have to happen to, to be wrong...?

Please, Mr. President do not let this opportunity to lead with courage and conviction pass by.

TRAILER for You're NO INDIAN Movie on Tribal Disenrollment! See it HERE

 

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