Soboba chair cites 'war' against county 'calvary'

Law

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Robert Salgado, the chairman of the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, is angered by the latest fatal shootings of tribal members by sheriff's deputies in Riverside County, California.

In the last week alone, three tribal members have been killed in gunfire incidents. The latest occurred on Monday, when a 36-year-old Joseph Arres and an unidentified female tribal member were killed after an hourlong gunfight involving nine county officers.

Salgado said the county is taking its law enforcement duties too far. "There are better ways to solve these problems than by bringing in the 7th Cavalry and wiping them out. I would say we are in a war right now," he told The Los Angeles Times.

Salgado tried to go to the crime scene with one of the paper's reporters on Wednesday but was blocked by a county deputy. "If I was the mayor of L.A. and I was visiting a crime scene, they would have said, 'Hey, how you doing?' but they treat me with no respect. Do we look like gangsters?" he observed.

California is a Public Law 280 state, so the state has criminal jurisdiction on the reservation. The Bureau of Indian Affairs plans to hold a meeting on Friday to address some of the tribe's concerns. There have been six officer-related shootings in the past six months on or near the reservation.

Get the Story:
Tribe, deputy tension high (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 5/14)
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Southern California tribal members are angry after two latest killings by deputies (The Los Angeles Times 5/13)
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Fatal shootings raise tension between tribe and Riverside County sheriff (The Los Angeles Times 5/13)
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Man Killed in Soboba Deputy-Involved Shooting ID'd (KESQ 5/13)