Original Pechanga's Blog

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

2009-12-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

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?

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

2009-12-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

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

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

2009-12-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

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

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

2009-12-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-05T22:44:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-12-04T09:23:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-03T15:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-02T17:07:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2009-12-01T14:25:00.001-08:00

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.

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

2009-11-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-25T22:13:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-25T07:50:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-24T13:28:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-24T07:49:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-20T07:21:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-19T16:28:00.000-08:00

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

The Oklahoma Cherokee Nation to Support CA Rep. Dianne Watson's Opponent after her support of the Cherokee Freedmen's Civil Rights

2009-11-19T11:08:00.000-08:00

Apparently, Representative Dianne Watson's support for the Cherokee Freedmen has drawn the wrath of the Cherokee Nation. Led by Chad Smith, who once said that the Cherokee's slaves were treated well, they will spend thousands of dollars to support Rep. Watson's opponent.

The Cherokee Nation is supporting the primary opponent of a California congresswoman who has been at odds with the tribe over its stance on the descendants of freedmen.
The tribe’s Executive Finance Subcommittee voted Tuesday night to send a $2,400 campaign donation to Democrat Felton Newell and a $5,000 donation to a political action committee called New Leadership PAC for Newell. Newell is challenging Rep. Dianne Watson in the Democratic primary for California’s 33rd Congressional District, set for June 8.

During the meeting, the subcommittee also voted to send campaign contributions to other politicians and political action committees.

Watson has been the tribe’s most vocal critic after tribal voters approved a measure in 2007 that limited tribal membership to those who had ancestors with a blood quantum on the Dawes Rolls.

At least two court cases on the issue, one brought by a freedmen descendant and the other brought by the Cherokee Nation against freedmen descendants who had their membership approved after a court decision, are still pending.

More on the Cherokee Freedmen HERE

Potential Default by Foxwoods Casino Will Test Tribal Sovereignty.

2009-11-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

They can promise to pay, but claim sovereignty when the bill comes due.

From the FT.com

A looming default by the Native American tribe that owns the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut is stirring a debate over whether holders of billions of dollars of tribal debt can pursue their claims as creditors under US laws.

Federally recognised tribes operate as sovereign nations, and hundreds of them have turned to gaming for revenue, financing casino projects with debt including more than $5bn in high-yield bonds, according to Barclays Capital.

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns Foxwoods, warned this week that it probably would not make a full interest payment on $500m of notes, which would result in a default on December 16, when a grace period ends.

Smaller tribal casinos have defaulted, but the size of the Foxwoods debt has drawn attention. Analysts are asking whether the tribe will use its special status to take an aggressive stance in dealing with creditors, a development that could affect tribes' access to credit.

"The Mashantucket situation could set a precedent," Moody's Investors Service said. "With casinos such as Foxwoods located on sovereign tribal land potentially out of reach of US bankruptcy law, it remains unclear whether creditors could enforce their rights."

Steven Smith, an attorney at the Dechert law firm, said: "An argument can be made that the tribe is a governmental unit, which could, if determined to be true, bar it from seeking relief under Chapter 11 altogether."

Letter To Eric Holder Asking Department of Justice to Investigate Gross Civil Rights Violations in California Indian Country

2009-11-16T14:50:00.001-08:00

We posted this in July and it seems like with all the discussion of Pechanga's violations, it's time to resurrect the letter writing campaign. Here's the contact email: mailto:askdoj@usdoj.gov subject=USDOJ Comments

The Honorable Eric Holder
United States Attorney General
Department of Justice Building
950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20530

Dear Attorney General Holder:

I respectfully submit this letter urging the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to commence a full-scale investigation into the gross civil and human rights violations which have infected California Indian Country

Throughout California Indian Country, tribal officials have taken actions which have denied and/or stripped thousands of California Indians of their membership status and denied them access to federal benefits and programs in the areas of housing, education, health, voting and public works assistance. In some instances, the illegal actions occurred decades ago, however, there has been a marked increase since Indian Gaming was approved and later expanded in California.

Tribal leaders justify their right to systematically deny civil rights and expel their citizens under the guise of tribal sovereignty. Tribal leaders have routinely committed acts to deny Indian individuals due process; equal protection of tribal, state, and federal laws; property interest rights; and voting rights. Theses actions have been carried out in gross violation of laws enacted to guarantee and protect the rights of the individual Indian.

We can no longer allow those who oppose upholding the civil and voting rights of thousands of California Indians to claim that this is a sovereignty issue that rests solely within the domain of tribal courts and tribal law. Few California Tribes actually have tribal courts. Therefore, in most cases, the tribal government officials responsible for the violations of law are the very same people who pass judgment as to whether or not laws have been violated - they are the judge and jury all rolled into one.

The United States has a trust responsibility to the thousands of California Indians whose civil and voting rights have been infringed upon. And, in recognition of the special status of California Indians, Congress passed California Enrollment Act of 1928 in which certain rights were guaranteed to California Indians and their lineal descendents. 25 U.S.C. § 651.

Unfortunately, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has failed to exercise this responsibility and has allowed tribal leaders to continue to commit violations unabated. Therefore, I believe that the DOJ has the legal and moral responsibility to investigate and prosecute such violations of basic rights.

I therefore urge you to direct the DOJ Civil Rights Division to initiate an investigation into the gross rights violations described above. In addition, I trust that any investigation would not be short-circuited by those who would claim tribal sovereignty as a justification for inaction.

Respectfully submitted,

Does Tribal Sovereignty Protect Tribal Officials from Racketeering or Embezzlement?

2009-11-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

Frequent commenter to Original Pechanga's Blog Allen L. Lee says NO:

If the person implicated for criminal acts while serving as tribal officials are actually found guilty of racketeering or embezzlement while they were tribal officials, their is no tribal sovereign immunity for those crimes.

If the dis-enrollments and moratorium can be directly tied to racketeering by criminals who have a strangle-hold on the tribal government, then federal intervention may be warranted for both the dis-enrollments and the moratorium? Don't know for sure, but it looks like racketeering, embezzlement, and fraud should be investigated.

It would mean that every official act made by suspect government oficials was also suspect, including state gambling compacts, dis-enrollments and the moratorium, land into trust, BIA contracts, etc.

OP: It would seem like the Justice Department would take an interest in a tribal council that manipulates an enrollment committee to secure the outcome they desire: Getting families disenrolled to increase their own per capita payments. This is theft of government funds.

Also:

1. Refusing to follow the Tribal Constitution so that open enrollment doesn't allow in rightful members.

2. Refusing to follow the will of the people by stopping all disenrollments which was voted on after a petition was declared valid.

3. Allowing the enrollment committee to admit the family members of Bobbi LeMere to secure her vote against the Hunter family. This would be "against" the "valid" moratorium. Why were LeMere's family allowed in?

What's YOUR opinion?