Attorney Gabe Galanda discusses disenrollment in Indian Country. Photo from Facebook
As more and more voices in Indian Country speak out against disenrolment, attorney Gabe Galanda, a member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, wonders when the federal government will address the controversy:
As April arrived, a Northern California tribal lawyer who was facing pressure from the leaders of several Pomo Nations, very publicly resigned from doing disenrollment work on the Elem Indian Colony. Another tribal lawyer in the area faced a public protest at his law offices, given his involvement in several California Indian disenrollment actions and related intra-tribal violence. In self-defense, the lawyer who resigned took occasion to explain a novel theory for how tribal politicians who disenroll their relatives in violation of the federal Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA) can be held liable: “a tribal official who violates the ICRA in enforcing [a membership or disenrollment] ordinance is acting outside the scope of his/her authority and therefore is NOT protected by sovereign immunity.” The Pomo People—meaning Pomo tribal communities not embroiled in disenrollment—took a united stand; tribal leaders leveraged their legal buying power; and good things happened. Any tribal lawyer should think twice about doing disenrollment dirty work. In June, Washington State Senator John McCoy, Tulalip, published his opinions on disenrollment here. He did not mince words: "I oppose disenrollment.... I oppose disenrollment because it undermines an Indian’s—and in fact all of our—heritage and lineage. Disenrollment is ... a federal policy designed to terminate us.... Disenrollment is fueled by greed—pure and simple."Get the Story:
Gabe Galanda: The Anti-Disenrollment Chorus Sings: Part 3 (Indian Country Today 6/29)
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