COARSEGOLD, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Over 100 protestors gathered outside of Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino on Saturday, with picket signs in hand in response to being disenrolled from the tribe that operates the casino.
Protestors walked nearly a half mile from Road 417 down Highway 41 to Lucky Lane in front of the casino.
Once there, protesters occupied both sides of Highway 41 at the intersection of Lucky Lane.
Deputies wi thr Madera County Sheriff’s Office were present to ensure the safety of protesters, drivers, casino staff and attendees.
Among the disenrolled protesters was former tribal board member Claudia Gonzales who says the tribe is unjustly kicking people out of the tribe to maximize their own portions of the casino’s earnings.
“We have provided paper documentation – proving our identity with Chukchansi,” Gonzales said. “Yet they turn a blind eye because they’re trying to increase their per capita payments.”
Gonzales says in that process the tribe has emotionally impacted many former members by invalidating the heritage of everyone disenrolled. She also says many tribal members have suffered greatly after losing financial and medical benefits that came with tribal enrollment.
One man who asked that his name not be used said: “We lost our home because of this. My kids had to move schools and most importantly my kids are losing their heritage.”
Jessica Alvarez says her children also suffered emotionally after disenrollment.
According to Alvarez, her child was openly mocked by tribal leaders at a regular monthly meeting and told the title of Chukchansi should not affect her daughter’s cultural identity.
“Tracey Hopkins herself disregarded my child’s feelings,” Alvarez said.
“To me, that’s sickening. You’re going to disregard a six-year-old’s feelings when that six-year-old is crying out because they’re being kicked out of the tribe for no reason.”
YourCentralValley.com reached out to Tracey Hopkins for a statement on the protest and received “no comment” in response.
While the circumstances for the protests were unanimously referred to as unfortunate by all protestors, one man says his disenrollment has been a double edged sword.
“It feels like total betrayal. It just feels like more broken promises,” Lucas Salisbury said. “On the other side of that, it’s actually brought a lot of us together, just like today.”
According to Salisbury, after being disenrolled he reached out to other tribe members for help and in doing so, he not only got help but also a newfound connection to his heritage.
“A lot of us have even learned more about our ancestors and our history,” Salisbury said. “As dark of a situation as it is, there is some light to it and we are able to come together.”
Salisbury says he believes that the protest has the potential to spark a change that will help do away with disenrollment completely, not just for Chukchansi.
“It’s from the poor treatment of state governments, local governments, and the federal government,” Salisbury said.
“They put these policies in place that have given us these tools to attack each other. [But] I am hopeful that we will realize that as a collective people and there will be a day where this enrollment is no longer plaguing our tribes.”
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