Indian Summit
Re “Lungren Says Indians Can’t Attend Session on Policing,” Dec. 6: The membership of the Tribal Alliance of Northern California (TANC) is deeply concerned about Atty. Gen. Lungren’s decision to exclude representatives of Native American tribes from his law enforcement “summit” on Indian gaming.
Gov. Pete Wilson and Lungren have consistently refused to pursue compact negotiations with Indian gaming tribes. Instead, Lungren chooses to focus attention on isolated instances of violence by citing them as examples of the evil he believes is integral to gaming on Indian lands.
In truth, for the overwhelming majority of tribes engaged in gaming, casinos are their economic lifeblood. As such, these casinos are operated by sound business principles and security is of the utmost importance. Many gaming tribes have cooperative relationships with local law enforcement officials, and their own security personnel are often as highly trained as the local sheriff’s deputy.
If Lungren is truly interested in helping local officers understand the application of law on sovereign Indian land, it would make perfect sense to include in his summit tribal representatives who have daily experience with the issue.
PAULA LORENZO, Chair
MIKE GOTCH, Executive Director
TANC, Sacramento
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
