Complicated
issues within
tribal government
Editor:
Within the Pit River Tribal
Government there are many
complicated issues that exist
that allow and influence unfair
practices not only to just exist
but to actually thrive.
Nepotism, lack of policy
development, lack of internal
controls, conflicts of interest,
lack of limits on Tribal Council
consecutive office terms,
strategic disenrollments of
entire family voting blocks
and mismanagement of government
grants are but only
a few of the problems that
exist within the Tribal Nation's
Government.
Further, Veteran Council
members stack the deck
in their favor by hiring their
direct family members in
the Tribal Government's key
employment positions while
at the same time appointing
their family members to serve
on key critical committees.
Those who oppose these
unfair practices find themselves
slandered and or
quickly unemployed in what
is already an area devastated
by a high rate of unemployment.
Tribal members live in
a lawless nation where in
which its Tribal members live
in frustration as it pertains
to issues surrounding Tribal
Government business.
Here is just a small example,
when a Tribal member
runs for the council representative
office in an attempt
to unseat a Veteran Council
Representative then the Veteran
Council calls the election
illegal, fraudulent and
files a “dispute” and or recalls
the election.

Those who have sat at
the Tribal Council table have
remained in office too long
and have become quite complacent
in conducting Tribal
business in any manner in
which they please without
being challenged or questioned
by the membership,
U.S. Agencies or Authorities.

Veteran Council members
have not abided by the
rules outlined in either the Pit
River Constitution, which is
a Treaty document ratified
between the Tribe and the
United States Government,
or by the rules outlined in the
few and limited ordinances
that have been developed
over the past 30 years.

The greatest problem
faced by the Pit River people
is the complete and utter lack
of enforcement of rules by
the Tribal Officials because
the Tribal Government’s
Veteran Council Representatives
have not yet developed
or deliberately has not
yet developed a structure by
which to fairly enforce Tribal
laws.
This only adds to an environment
of lawlessness.
The Pit River People have
struggled to increase democracy
within the Tribe only to
be silenced by the Veteran
Tribal Council.
The Tribal people have
rallied in great numbers as
they showed up in record
numbers to cast their votes
at the elections to implement
change only to be obstructed
by claims of "cheating."

The Tribal people have
protested in front of the Tribal
Office to show their dissatisfaction
with Tribal Affairs only
to be labeled "dissidents."
The Tribal people have
held general membership
meetings, which is a right
granted and afforded to the
Tribal people under the Pit
River Tribe's Constitution,
only to be charged with allegations
of meeting and congregating
for "illegal" and
"treasonous" purposes.
In fact, in an attempt to
circumvent allegations of corrupt
elections and to ensure
fair and honest elections the
membership called for the
assistance of the Shasta
County League of Women's
Voters to witness and assist
in the August 2007 election
only to be hostilely shunned
by the Tribal Election Committee
and certain members
of the Veteran Tribal Council.

Bob Boyce is a hired
mouthpiece of the Veteran
Tribal Council.

On the dates of March
31st and July 28th, 2007 the
Pit River Tribal membership
met on at least these two
occasions to unanimously
vote the Tribal Administrator
Bob Boyce out of the Tribal
Office.

Bob Boyce has been officially
Fired and/or Terminated
by the membership. The will
of the Pit River Tribal people
is ignored even though the
Pit River Tribal Constitution
states that the ultimate decision
making power resides in
the will and vote of the Tribal
membership.
However, Mr. Boyce has
defied his Notice of Termination
at the encouragement of
both the Shasta County Sheriff's
Department and the now
unseated and specifically
the voted out Veteran Tribal
Council.

Bob Boyce is fighting hard
while mudslinging to keep his
job. The News Media and
the Shasta County Sheriffs
Department, through possibly
no fault of their own and due
to a lack of understanding
of Tribal Political Corruption
that is prevalent throughout
the Tribal Government, has
rushed to the assistance of
the Veteran Council Representatives
in eager response
to the Terminated Tribal
Administrator Bob Boyce’s
charges of defiant, unruly,
dishonest Indians.
In a word of defense of
these “unruly Indians” many
have assimilated professionally
into American mainstream
society some of them
being College Counselors,
Real Estate Agents, Lawyers,
Retired Iron Workers, College
Students, Nurses and the like
who have worked hard to
earn an honest living.

Unfortunately however
those who want change are
at a disadvantage, in that
those who are currently in
the Tribal Office have three
things in their favor: first is
time; second the assets of
the Tribe and third the Burney
legal system.

As I looked down at my
wrists shackled in handcuffs I
had to laugh at the irony.
I have clamored for a positive
change toward a lawful
Tribal Nation for a decade
now.
I have spoken up in opposition
to the blatant political
corruption that runs rampant
throughout the departments
of the Pit River Tribal Government.
In fact, I am an advocate
for a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) or Agreement
(MOA) between the
United States Enforcement
agencies and the Pit River
Tribal Government for penalty
of violations of federal law.
I was informed by the
arresting officer that the
charge against me is misdemeanor
battery.
I have filed a wrongful
arrest complaint against the
arresting officer for his frivolous
unwarranted and illegal
arrest based on hearsay of a
Tribal employee as he claims
that "the Shasta County
Sheriff's department takes no
responsibility for the citizens
arrest."
There remains much work
to be done. In fact the entire
Tribal Government infrastructure
needs further development
to safeguard and to
ensure a free and flowing
democracy within the Pit
River Tribal Nation.
It was all so clearly and
succinctly put into perspective
for me when someone
said, referring to those challenging
the August 2007
elections, "They are just sore
losers."
-Lori Arellano