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Soboba Casino Called 'Unsafe' After Shootouts
cbs ^ | May 31, 2008 10:30 am US/Pacific

Posted on 05/31/2008 4:51:24 PM PDT by BenLurkin

RIVERSIDE Two recent shootouts between law officers and several members of the Soboba Indian tribe have prompted the Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies Association to warn the public that it considers the tribe's casino to be unsafe, it was reported on Saturday.

The 3,700-member union considers the tribal reservation to be "unstable" as a result of "recent violence against Riverside County deputy sheriffs," the Los Angeles Times and Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.

Tribal leaders shot back that the deputies union has brought the shootouts into the poitical arena, and said in an e-mail that "the recent tragic events were unrelated to the casino and had no impact on the safety or welfare of either casino patrons or employees."

The casino, north of San Jacinto and about 35 miles southeast of Riverside, has become a pawn as the sheriff's office and tribal leaders deal with the aftermath of the two shootouts, one of which was considered an "ambush" by sheriff's deputies.

On May 8, deputies engaged in a shootout and killed Eli Morillo, 26, after investigating shots fired calls on a remote area of the tribe's reservation. Four days later, deputies killed Joseph Arres, 36, and Tamara Angela Hurtado, 29, in another shootout.

Since then, rhetoric between the sheriff's office and tribal leaders has toned down, as federal officials shuttled back and forth to defuse tensions.

Unlike in most states, local law enforcement agencies patrol Indian reservations in California. Relations between the Soboba tribe and local sheriff had soured since the tribe stopped paying the costs of deputies patrols in the reservation.

Friday's actions by the sheriff's deputies union was criticized by Rose Salgado, a member of the Soboba Tribal Council, in an e-mail sent to The Times and Press-Enterprise.

"It is not productive to have an outside agency ... hinder the process of mediation between the Tribe, The United States Department of Justice, and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department -- an agency that they are supposed to be helping not alienating," Salgado wrote.

On Thursday, a local county supervisor weighed in and suggested that violence could be repeated if tribal leadership doesn't change it approach.

Supervisor Jeff Stone told a community meeting that the tribe has allowed a longstanding violent situation to continue, and said tribal leaders need to be more sophisticated about how they do their job, the Press-Enterprise reported.

The Times also reported that the nearby city council in San Jacinto has expressed concern about what Mayor Jim Ayres called "some serious public safety issues out there."

About 425 houses and mobile homes dot the rural 6,000-acre reservation, and some deputies have said methamphetamine and other drug sales and use is a major problem there.


TOPICS: Local News; Travel
KEYWORDS: donutwatch; gambling; gangs; gangsters; indian; indiancasinos; leo; nativeamerican; wod

1 posted on 05/31/2008 4:51:25 PM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin
Casino Called 'Unsafe' After Shootouts

"Fat lot of good this does me..."

2 posted on 05/31/2008 4:59:26 PM PDT by GOP_Raider (DU: Standing athwart history yelling "$#@$# you mother$#@$#er!")
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To: GOP_Raider

LMAO!!!


3 posted on 05/31/2008 5:00:12 PM PDT by ktscarlett66 (Face it girls....I'm older and I have more insurance....)
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To: BenLurkin

there was a picture in the california section of the los angeles times a couple weeks ago

showing the chief of the tribe being told to leave the res

by sheriffs officers armed with automatic weapons.

funny!


4 posted on 05/31/2008 5:06:03 PM PDT by ken21 ( people die + you never hear from them again.)
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To: GOP_Raider

5 posted on 05/31/2008 5:43:00 PM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: GOP_Raider

Are the members of this tribe Spanish Indians? The names sound more Spanish than Indian.


6 posted on 05/31/2008 6:02:37 PM PDT by peeps36 (Politician = Corrupt Degenerate Loser = Ted, Nancy, Barry, Jack and Many More)
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; george76; ...
Two recent shootouts between law officers and several members of the Soboba Indian tribe have prompted the Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies Association to warn the public that it considers the tribe's casino to be unsafe, it was reported on Saturday. The 3,700-member [deputies'] union considers the tribal reservation to be "unstable" as a result of "recent violence against Riverside County deputy sheriffs," ...On May 8, deputies engaged in a shootout and killed Eli Morillo, 26, after investigating shots fired calls on a remote area of the tribe's reservation. Four days later, deputies killed Joseph Arres, 36, and Tamara Angela Hurtado, 29, in another shootout... Unlike in most states, local law enforcement agencies patrol Indian reservations in California... Supervisor Jeff Stone told a community meeting that the tribe has allowed a longstanding violent situation to continue, and said tribal leaders need to be more sophisticated about how they do their job, the Press-Enterprise reported... About 425 houses and mobile homes dot the rural 6,000-acre reservation, and some deputies have said methamphetamine and other drug sales and use is a major problem there.

7 posted on 06/01/2008 10:36:16 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_________________________Profile updated Friday, May 30, 2008)
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To: peeps36

Dear peeps36
There are no “Spanish Indians”
Most Indian had their names changed by the Spanish Padres when they converted. They were forced to take the last names of their Spanish Sponsors. That is why almost All California Indians have Spanish last names.
Also Spanish officials named the tribes. The Costanoan Indians or Coastal people was the name given by the Spanish to all Tribes living on the Central Coast of California.
JayJ
Ps Does anyone know where the reference to AK47s was.
Also Please note the people who were shot FIRST FIRED on the TRIBAL SECURITY OFFICE they werent just mad at the sheriffs.
ALSO Meth and Gangs is a MAJOR problem in ALL of Riverside and San Bernardino counties not just on Indian Reservations.


8 posted on 08/09/2008 3:17:03 PM PDT by JayJohnson (Not a Soboba Tribal Member)
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To: ken21

I will be laughing when they come to your house to confiscate your 13 shot clip and consider it illegal.

Tribes are constitutionally a separate country within the USA.

Can you imagine the sheriff going to Canada and telling a Canadian official to leave his own country.

NOT funny , sad very sad.


9 posted on 08/09/2008 3:23:14 PM PDT by JayJohnson (Not a Soboba Tribal Member)
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To: JayJohnson

i apologize for not being clear.

i believe in the second amendment.

what was funny was this tribal chieftain and the sheriffs with their automatic weapons.

lots of criminals on that res.

and, it’s not over. there are stories all the time in the newspapers.

people killed:

http://cbs2.com/local/Soboba.Indian.Reservation.2.722522.html


10 posted on 08/09/2008 4:22:30 PM PDT by ken21 (people die and you never hear from them again.)
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