Soboba Band plans to sue county over shootings
Friday, May 16, 2008

The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians plans to sue the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Chairman Robert Salgado told Indian Country Today.

Salgado said the county has violated the civil rights of the tribe and its members. In less than a week, sheriff's deputies shot and killed three tribal members, all of whom are cousins of Salgado.

California falls under Public Law 280, so the state has jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters. But Salgado said the state hasn't been complying with the act, which was passed during the termination era of the 1950s.

The tribe, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the sheriff's department and other local and federal officials are set to meet today to discuss the issue.