Pechanga Chairman Macarro deserves Pathbreaker Award; For Violations of the ICRA

October 15, 2008 Contact: John Gomez, Jr.9:30 p.m. Pechanga@msn.com

MEDIA ADVISORY

Macarro deserves Pathbreaker award … for violations of the ICRA

TEMECULA, CA – Mark Macarro, Chairman of the Pechanga Band of Mission Indian in Temecula, California will be honored tomorrow at a conference commemorating 20 Years of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the law which legalized gaming on Indian lands. Mr. Macarro, as well as several other tribal leaders, are being honored as Pathbreakers “for their influential impact on gaming in Indian Country”.

Ironically enough, Mr. Macarro’s legacy may not only be measured by his contributions to Indian gaming but by the violations of the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 that have occurred during his tenure as Chairman of the Pechanga Band.

Mr. Macarro, who has been Chairman of the Pechanga Band since the mid ‘90’s, has presided over the disenrollments of over 1/3 of the Pechanga tribal membership. The mass disenfranchisement of nearly 400 duly enrolled members occurred just after the Pechanga Band had expanded its gaming facility in response to the passage of Props 5 and 1A in California. Each of the disenrollments, which occurred in 2004 and 2006, were carried out just prior to regularly scheduled elections for Tribal Chairman. Mr. Macarro won re-election each time.

The mass disenrollments and denial of membership to hundreds of other eligible members, which have been carried out by Mr. Macarro and other tribal officials, have been characterized by the most egregious violations of basic rights, including denial of due process, failure to provide equal protection of tribal and federal laws, and the passage of ex post facto laws.

Each of the growing number of basic rights violations for which Mr. Macarro is responsible for mirrors those acts which led to the introduction and passage of the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 ("ICRA") which was intended to “… protect individual Indians from arbitrary and unjust actions of tribal governments” and to secure for the individual American Indian the broad constitutional rights afforded all other American citizens. Unfortunately, the hundreds who have been stripped of or denied their basic rights are also being denied any recourse against their oppressors as Mr. Macarro and other tribal officials have routinely invoked “sovereign immunity” to escape prosecution for their actions.

While Mr. Macarro may be receiving recognition for his work in Indian gaming, such recognition should be based on the cumulative impacts of his actions- including the gross violations of the ICRA and the termination of hundreds of Pechanga tribal members.______________________________________________________________________________

For more information, please visit: http://video.knbc.com/player/?id=64156. and http://originalpechanga.blogspot.com