Posted on 06/22/2011 9:12:59 PM PDT by granite
(Riverside County, Calif. June 17, 2011) Pleading for help from their elected officials, more than 100 property owners rallied at the Riverside County Courthouse yesterday to expose how Native American tribes are infringing upon private property rights in their quest for more casino land.
Homeowners protesting tribal actions at the event described how access to their land has been – or will be – cut off by actions of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, the Soboba Tribe of Luiseno Indians, and the Colorado River Indian Tribes, and how their property has been vandalized.
Using his own black-and-white land grab case as an example, Lloyd Fields, whose family has owned land in Banning for 50 years, started the event by declaring how the Morongo Indian Tribe has blocked the only public road leading to his 41-acre property in Banning.
“Morongo blockaded a public road – a public road – within the City of Banning to force me to sell at pennies on the dollar so they can expand their casino empire,” Fields said at the event. “The road Morongo blocked is named after my father – adding insult to injury.”
Morongo’s handling of Fields is not an isolated incident but a growing trend across California. Indian tribes have become more brash as their political clout has grown. Collectively, Indian Casino tribes rank #1 in the nation in political contributions and are apparently using this influence to expand their land bases at the expense of their unfortunate neighbors.
Fields has experienced this first-hand: “Morongo and other casino tribes are the ‘untouchables’ of the 21st century. Political power and legal immunities recognized by the Federal government make for a dangerous combination – one I don’t know if I can overcome,” he said.
About 20 miles southwest of Banning, the Soboba Tribe is pushing hard to acquire an additional 600 acres of land for a second casino near the City of San Jacinto. This acquisition will create three islands of non-Indian citizens living inside Indian trust land.
Jerry Uecker from Save Our Communities – the group of residents who would be impacted by the Soboba casino expansion – said at the press conference: “We urge our City of San Jacinto, the Riverside County Supervisors and Governor Brown to oppose this acquisition on the grounds it will be detrimental to the health and safety of the citizens of our communities.”
In Riverside County, these modern day land grabs extend to the Colorado River.
Members of the Blythe Boat Club and the West Bank Homeowners Association shared harrowing tales of how The Colorado River Indian Tribes is attempting a land grab of prime pieces of real estate along the River by asserting authority and jurisdiction of tribal laws over the land of non-Indian citizens.
“The Blythe Boat Club has held a deed to its land since 1948 and paid its property taxes faithfully to the County of Riverside. Why is the County of Riverside not defending the rights of taxpaying citizens,” said the club’s representative, Toni Hawley.
Fields summarized the group’s unified cry by stating: “We’re pleading to elected officials at all levels in Banning, Riverside County, the State of California and the Federal government to stand up to Indian Casino tribes, and stand up for local property owners by stopping these unjust land grabs.”
The event was organized by Cheryl Schmit with Stand Up for California, a statewide organization with a focus on gambling issues affecting California, including tribal gaming, card clubs and the state lottery.
“We seek justice to situations that citizens seem to be caught in the middle of,” Schmit said. “These are policy issues that we need solutions to.”
Time to circle the wagons.
Is it time to play “cowboys and Indians” again?
If the County Sheriff of Riverside won’t respond, try the FBI.
You can’t trespass on reservation land, they can’t trespass on your land. And blocking a public access road is flat out illegal.
abolishing private property for communitarianism.
The land of fruits n nuts.
So..who will take over Cally 1st? The illegals or the native Ams?
The illegals are joined at the hip with Indians. They are all “los indigenes”.
There’s an old saying: the chickens have come home to roost. LOL not so much fun with the shoe on the other foot, huh. Reservations were created by white people. Casinos were created by white people. Casinos make big bucks because of white people. Oh, those damn Indian! Why don’t they go back to where they came from? <>>>>(;^)
Reverend Wright, I didn’t know you had an FR account!
Yes it is, and this time not peace treaty giving special rights to the losers. If they want to fight to the last man, so be it.
Wrong person, I am reverend Right.
Time for another Klamath Convoy.
Tyranny is tyranny, and the color of the wanna-be’s tyrant’s skin makes not one bit of difference.
Just because some “protected class” wants to steal is no reason to allow that theft.
Anything built on a valid easement without permission of the owner of said easement is subject to removal by the owner of the easement.
A bulldozer on a lowboy would end that thesis in a few minutes.
Or, a large number of Americans with shovels/hand demolition tools could easily do the job in minutes. Ask the Shovel Brigade.
I must defend Fish Hawk’s position - Libtard Democraps and RINO types made possible the openly racist laws giving to Indians gambling casino preferences. And don’t forget the tax free cigarette stores, ad nauseam.
The results of ‘unearned money’ are easily seen on the reservations. REservations which do not tolerate alcoholism and recreational pharmaceutical abuse have healthy, functional populations.
A Navajo who was a lawyer, John Duhig, once said of the Miccossukee - “They are a deeply unhappy people.”
If mere money could bring happiness, those Miccossukee should be dancing the ‘Happy Dance’ all day, every day. They are not. Why not?
In a back issue of the National Geographic is an article wherein is the answer to the following question, asked by a presstitute to the Crown Prince of Norway: “Isn’t it wonderful that Norway will make all that money from the North Sea oil fields just discovered?”
His answer: “Perhaps there is something dangerous about unearned money.”
He had a point. The Miccosukee come from a rather strong and talented gene pool. Ask Major Dade’s ghost about how easy it was to track down the Indians. He found them all too competent.
Whether they can survive all the unearned money Liberalsim heaped upon them will be seen in the next decades. Today, the surface wealth makes things look good. Tomorrow is questionable.
As the ancient Greeks once believed that “Whom the Gods want to destroy destroy, they first make mad.”, perhaps the present era equivalent may be, “Whom the Liberals want to destroy, they subsidize.”
Lest you assume I am jesting, consider what subsidization of urban poor blacks did to them. Liberalism is not only demonstratively destructive, it is arguably racist.
This land was conquered by white men carrying guns; their progeny have forgotten.
I live as a man without identity among many people. I do not even self identify with my tribal roots, although I am proud of them. I still remember the stories of my grandfather (german) making my dads only sister cut her hair and wear hats, to hide her black thick hair. This was a open sign of my great grandfathers choice of a bride. A SQUAW as they spat it out. My Father told me of being tied to a tree and beaten within an inch of life, but not for being Indian, but for being German......yeah right. He had dark skin, looks like pictures of Chief Joseph, and black hair. My family was ashamed of its roots. So much so, that I don't even know where the family Bible is, the birth or death records. They are lost to history.
Citizens of all races, need to work a common cause with the Tribes, to figure out how we can also be treated again as sovereign citizens. With all of the RIGHTS our Creator has given us, with a govt that will live within the TREATY of the Constitution.
I agree with you that most in your situation vote for the Democrats, because instead of being treated as grown-ups, many Indians are "babied to death". Fed a diet that causes diabetes (high carb), and frustrated by too much attention. If you want to see why Americans are obese, go to the Reservations. They are "given" food far away from the diet of all of our ancestors. The fat, diabetic humans are the result of big agricultures need for a market, and big pharmaceutical customers for drugs. I digress far afield. The point is, instead of eye balling the Tribes success at gathering more economic liberty, while the rest of us stagnate, we all must make common cause and free ourselves from the over burdening govt at all levels.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.