Chukchansi chairman Reggie Lewis and treasurer Chance Alberta have refused to step down from tribal council after being outvoted during a Dec. 3 election, locking the gates to the tribal offices Monday.

The vote, which ousted Lewis and Alberta who have been voting in favor of recent tribal disenrollments, shows the majority of the tribe is against reducing its membership, many Chukchansi people said -- creating what many believe would be a new 5-2 majority against eliminating members.

The locked gates followed a confrontational full tribal council meeting Monday, when the new council was supposed to take effect. Sheriff Department officials were called to ensure the peace was kept, and returned Tuesday morning to the tribal offices where many gathered outside to voice their opposition.

"It rocked really really hard, it was volatile, just so volatile," said one Chukchansi woman about Monday's meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions from tribal council. "When you watch people shoving (newly-elected) Harrold Hammond, an elder and spiritual leader of our tribe, I put my arms around him along with others to protect him as we walked him to the front of the room. It's such a dirty dirty shame what's taken place."

Roger Salazar, tribal spokesperson for the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, said a new election will be held during the first week of February for one of the seats. During that time, the existing tribal council will remain seated as is, he said.

"There were appeals filed with the elections committee, which they reviewed in accordance with tribal law and determined that all election results, with the exception of one, were valid," according to a statement from tribal council prepared by Salazar. "Accordingly, the committee must now conduct a new election for the one position. Once those results are certified, a new council will be seated. Until then, the existing tribal council continues to serve. Our obligation as tribal council is to ensure the integrity of the elections process and do so under our Tribal Election Ordinance."

Morris Reid, reelected as the new tribal council chairperson, said the newly-elected council took effect Dec. 26.

"At the Dec. 26 monthly tribal council meeting, those that received the most votes from the Dec. 3 election were seated by Rockele Lutz, vice chair of the election committee," Reid said. "That seating was also supported by the general council (tribal members). After that seating, the tribal council made motions to approve the new tribal officers of the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians: Morris Reid is chairperson; Dora Jones, vice chair; Dixie Jackson, secretary; Nakomas Hernandez, treasurer; Harold Hammond, member-at-large; Nancy Ayala, member-at-large; and Jennifer Stanley, member-at-large.

"We ask that this be done and recognized immediately. We also have requested that Bureau of Indian Affairs contact the Department of Justice concerning any potential violations of both tribal and federal election laws."

Reid has served on council for a total of about 12 years since the tribe's inception, including serving as the tribe's first tribal council secretary in 1989, and as tribal council chairman for three years.

"This evening, it was also observed by tribal members that bags of objects were taken from the tribal buildings," Reid said on Tuesday. "These members recognized these individuals as Reggie Lewis, Chance Alberta, and Jennifer Stanley and election committee members. The bags and objects that were taken from the building were loaded into a white truck from the Chukchansi Economic Development Authority building (operator of Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino -- tribal council also serves as the board of the authority). Our concern is if any of that would be documents that are vital to the tribe, then it's something that is against all of our tribal laws to remove. We are concerned that it could bring some sort of damage for tribal decisions or to documents that would affect the tribe."

Reid said he's seen this happen before.
"Back in '91, something happened similar to what is going on now," Reid said. "When those in power found they would not be elected again, they took over the tribe and closed off the office and stopped the elections. We contacted Bureau of Indian Affairs at the time and their decision was that we did have membership (who are in charge of determining who sits on council) which was considered the 600 list (the first tribal base roll submitted to BIA) and verified, signed by Jane Wyatt (who drafted the constitution with members of her family) ... In the new overwhelming tribal council election of Dec. 3, again there are people here in the same fashion who want to stay in position, just like they did then."

Following the election in Reid's favor, tribal council suspended Reid and then passed a resolution in favor of no longer recognizing this original 600 list.
"It's very confusing to me, I think the suspension was a political move and I'll just leave it at that," Reid said.

Although Hammond was found to be eligible to run in the election by the election committee and has served previously on council for a total of six years, following his win, he was told that he can not serve on the new council because he was suspended from the casino for a month, Hammond said.

He was suspended because tribal council, looking at video surveillance, believed he was wearing an expired tribal council badge at the casino, he said. Hammond said the "badge" was actually a food card he had clipped on his coat, provided to Chukchansi elders so they can eat one free meal at the casino a day. Council suspended him without letting him present any evidence to defend himself.
"I have no comment about what they are thinking (those that aren't stepping down after being voted out), but I am here and we are going to follow the procedures of the election and the voters that voted overwhelmingly in our favor," said Hammond outside the locked gate of the tribal offices on Tuesday. "Legally, we are the council right now. We've done everything according to procedures and policies. They've violated so many of our laws I couldn't even write them all down."

Hammond referred to the recent tribal disenrollment of 57 members from one of the original Chukchansi allotments -- including 87-year-old fluent Ruby Cordero, a lifelong resident and one of the world's last fluent Chukchansi language speakers -- as "treason against your own people."

"To me, disenrollments are a spiritual bullet to the back of the head to the people that are disenrolled," Hammond said.

More disenrollment hearings were held earlier this month at the Rancheria, with decisions pending. Laura Wass, Central California director for the American Indian Indian Movement and a leading advocate for disenrolled Indians, said that since the 600 list was voted to be terminated, another 400 more will likely be disenrolled soon.

Chukchansi exceeds the average when it comes to disenrollments statewide, with about 800 disenrollments so far, most since the casino opened in 2003, Wass said.

"I want the people to keep rising up like they are," Wass said. "Get this done right. Get some logical checks and balances in there because there's none. This is just absolutely squirrely."