Hoopa Valley Tribe Removes Police Chief and Sergeant (Fired Chief Alleges Political Corruption)
Former Chief Dana Norton addressing the Tribal Council in the July 30 working meeting. [Photo by Allie Hostler]
The Hoopa Valley Tribal Police Department has undergone its fair share of growing pains over the years. In 2015 the department was down to a chief and one officer. The department lost its authority to enforce state law under the auspices of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, and the chief resigned under the pressure of the Tribal Council as the department crumbled. Since then, the Hoopa Valley Tribe has worked to rebuild the department.
Two Interim Police Chiefs were assigned the post until 2017 when Dana Norton was hired as the full-time permanent police chief.
Norton was terminated from his post on Thursday, August 15, on the last day of his purported 18 month introductory probationary period. Also terminated on Thursday, August 15, was Sergeant Michael Hass. Both termination letters, signed by newly elected Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairman Byron Nelson Jr., were hand-delivered to Norton and Hass on Thursday. Norton shared his letter publicly. It stated no reason for termination other than he was within the 18-month probationary period and was terminated at will. Hass also shared information about his termination publicly with the Two Rivers Tribune.
Norton was reprimanded in early July for insubordination following a request for an extension—from one week, to one month—to provide to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s office additional background check information for all 16 of the department’s officers. Norton wrote a rebuttal to the reprimand and Chairman Nelson publicly apologized calling it a misunderstanding. He told Norton he was starting from a clean slate in a working meeting on July 30.
“There’s been a lot of misunderstanding and miscommunication about what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to make this the best police force in the area and cross deputation is important to that,” Nelson said then. “Nobody is going to get fired…I want to apologize for the tone of those letters. They came out not the way I wanted them to. Don’t worry about your record.”
Following his termination, Norton told the Two Rivers Tribune he believes he was fired because of corrupt political promises.
“They wanted me out,” Norton said. “I believe Byron [Nelson] bought votes from Leonard Masten and Bob Kane. It all stems out of me firing one of Kane’s family members. I have experienced nothing but resistance from the Human Resources Department on everything I have done since then.”
Kane was the former police chief who resigned in 2015. He was hired, and is presently employed, at the Tribe’s Human Resources Department to conduct background checks and drug tests on all tribal employees.
Part of the Hoopa Tribe’s strategy to rebuild their department was to continue work on an agreement with the Department of Interior for concurrent jurisdiction. The idea was to improve policing powers and bypass the need for a cross deputation agreement with Humboldt County, by negotiating an agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and training their officers to enforce federal and tribal law on the reservation.
That agreement was formalized on October, 4, 2017 when the BIA Office of Justice Services agreed to issue Special Law Enforcement Commissions [SLEC] to qualifying Hoopa Valley Tribal Police officers. The process was long, and required officers to attend a federal police academy and undergo a federal background check.
“Jurisdiction on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation is complex because tribal, state and federal laws apply. We focus here on federal law,” a November 21, 2017 memorandum from the Tribe’s legal counsel Thomas Schlosser reads. “…While federal criminal law is not comprehensive in its list of offenses, the federal Assimilative Crimes Act applies in Hoopa Indian Country. This law fills any voids in federal criminal law by incorporating state criminal law provisions. That is, if federal law has not made a certain act a crime, but California has, that act is also characterized as a federal crime under the Assimilative Crimes Act. This means that any violation of California criminal law provision is also a violation of federal law.”
Although the November 21, 2017 memorandum attempts to explain the arrest authority of the SLEC powers appointed by the Department of Interior to Hoopa Valley Tribal Police officers, the interpretation of those powers are widely disputed among the Hoopa tribe’s newly elected leaders, tribal police officers and Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal.
Honsal told the Two Rivers Tribune last week that he hopes to have a Memorandum of Understanding in place with the tribe in about a month. Under the agreement, Honsal would require tribal police officers to undergo state police academy, pass a POST background check and complete 720 hours of field officer training with his department.
“This is something that is near and dear to my heart. I want to see a thriving tribal police department,” Honsal said. “Under a cross deputation agreement, tribal officers who meet the required training and pass the background checks would be reserved deputy sheriff’s with Humboldt County—the same as a Sheriff’s Deputy.”
Honsal said officers would have to repeat the police academy at the state level.
“It’s a totally different academy that is not recognized by California standards because it doesn’t teach California law. Federal law and state law are totally different. SLEC officers can’t make a physical arrest on state law. And, there’s no federal jail,” Honsal said. “Merely being federal officers doesn’t handle all of the issues on the reservation. Until the laws change, deputation is the key to the success of the tribal police department.”
Several Hoopa Valley Tribal Council Members also believe a cross deputation agreement is paramount to the continued growth of the tribal police department. And, while some believe an agreement with the county sheriff is necessary, others argue an agreement with the county signals the surrender of SLEC authority and tribal sovereignty.
In the July 30 meeting, now fired chief Norton said, “SLEC is very important to understand. It gives us authority to work side by side. We are currently under a dictatorship about how we are to operate a judicial system on our own land.”
A number of concerns around a deputation agreement crop up when discussions arise about issues of restraining order enforcement, jailing, transportation, prosecution, and the treatment of community members by outside agencies, firearms qualifications and more.
Although Chairman Nelson declined to comment on the termination of Norton and Hass saying it was a confidential personnel matter, he echoed tribal police’s concerns about domestic violence issues, county recognition of tribal court issued restraining orders and cultural sensitivity when responding to calls on the reservation. He said he wants to lay everything out in the MOU with the Sheriff.
In the meantime, Chairman Nelson has appointed Leonard Masten to serve as the Interim Police Chief while the tribe continues negotiations with the county on a cross deputation agreement (See the press release below.)
Here are Tribal Police Statistics since 2015.
2015
Calls for Service 2,368
Reports Taken 265
Arrests 60
Citations 54
2016
Calls for Service 1,749
Reports Taken 11
Arrests 8
Citations 45
2017
Calls for Service 2,936
Reports Taken 152
Arrests 44
Citation 124
2018
Calls for Service 4,084
Reports Taken 140
Arrests 57
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Press release from the Hoopa Tribe:
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Navigating family politics is hard even for those raised in it. Like every small town, if you step on one toe, their 4th cousins over on the other side of town cry out. Then the family that has a feud with the first family blames them. There is no safe middle ground.
JUST SAW A LOW FLYING BLACK HELICOPTER IN MATTOLE VALLEY WEST OF HONEYDEW
Maybe we should return 50,000 acres and see if that helps?
It wouldn’t. Native Americans are unfortunately now just stupid , greedy modern humans like the rest of us. There roots to Mother Nature and Native sustainable ways are LONG gone. Everyone just wants the easy way out with free stuff…… it’s a millennial thang. Want to see what socialism looks like? Visit an Indian reservation.
🕯🌳Not the nicest way to put it it is the blunt truth. 👍🏽🕊
Blunt. Yes. I’ve also been called a pessimist. The way I look at it is….. I’m just a realist. What has become of the native Americans is a very sad set of events, starting with genocide.
In addition, most of the claims of “genocide” in California are made for political leverage and gain some advantage. These accusations amounting to a contrived “race card” are either totally false or greatly exaggerated and if anyone disputes those faux claims, they are accused of racism, “insensitivity” and anti-Indian in order to shut them up. If they complain about any of the illegal, unconstitutional or improper practices of any so called Indian or tribe the are deemed to be “politically incorrect” and “racists” while the truth they speak is flagrantly ignored!
Really? You aren’t that troll I’ve been playing wack-a-mole with since yesterday, are you? You don’t write in all caps and you spell correctly but…the sentiment is the same–so I’m unsure. Have you read any of our history here? Because my family has been here since the 1850’s and I know of at least one extended group of whites massacring Native Americans that at least one of my ancestors was involved in. https://kymkemp.com/2007/12/16/the-eel-river-rangers/
No Troll here Kym Kemp. Rather than “sentiment” (or politically correct folklore) I suggest you rely upon facts. Read for example the 1993 study of the claims of “genocide” of California Native Indians written by Margaret Fields which can be found in the archives of the University of Massachusetts in Boston. It is a thorough analytical study of the claims of mass intentional genocide of California Natives often promulgated by those with an agenda or seeking sympathy to gain some advantages.
In fact, if you take the time to study the subject, you will find that current claims of “genocide” of most Indians in the United States, based on current accusations, about events going back to the 14th century, were nothing more than the advent of communicable diseases in North America that were inadvertently transmitted to natives by traders, explorers and those who came to America looking for a new life and settle on this continent. Their incidental contact with Native peoples over the centuries communicated and spread diseases for which the natives had no immunity nor any modern medical treatment available, resulting in many deaths.
Here’s a list of a few in Wikipedia. You can look at the sources of the article by clicking on the numbers in blue. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Genocide
My family was involved in Jarboe’s War.
Yeah and Hitler was nice to the Jews too, right? [edit]
“Senator Al Gore cited a nineteenth-century speech from Chief Seattle, patriarch of the Duwamish and Suquamish Indians of Puget Sound, as evidence of the Indians’ concern for nature… The trouble for Gore is that the version of the speech he cites is a fabrication, drawn up in the early 1970s by screenwriter Ted Perry. ”
“Environmentalists who have cultivated the myth of the environmental Indian who left his surroundings in exquisitely pristine condition out of a deeply spiritual devotion to the natural world have done so not out of any particular interest in American Indians, the variations between them, or their real record of interaction with the environment. Instead, the intent is to showcase the environmentalist Indian for propaganda purposes and to use him as a foil against industrial society.”
https://mises.org/library/were-american-indians-really-environmentalists”
It is so wearing to have outsiders (and now through repetition, even insiders) endlessly trying to make saints or demons out of Indians. They are neither. Just human beings who were at an evolving stage of developing their technology and understanding of the natural world. And coping fairly well with it. Just as pre industrial Europeans, Asians and African did at that stage in their technology. And frankly are now since most of us here can’t understand much of our own technology.
And before all the pseudo technophiles start in, technology is still struggling with things like spiritualism, Satanism, mythology, animism, witchcraft, etc after almost almost 300 years after the start of the industrial revolution. It is a natural part of humanity to try to understand the world in those terms. Calculus may be a pleasing concept but not too many find it an easy one.
I like calculus because it is the pure and unequivocal truth. Other than that, in terms of making value judgments and distinctions between what is and is not the truth, I couldn’t agree more with your comment – it seems closer to the truth than most.
Fuck al gore
Spot on!
Moderator! Please remove this racist and offensive bit of name calling. I’m native and we have been oppressed for far too long in society!
Just a warning to everyone else: Not everyone who claims to be something on the internet is…
Tactfully put…
Wow now, but I claim to be smart!
Baby Cha-Cha is REAL! I seen it on the interwebs.
Very true. Just as many of these tiny California groups or families claiming to be “Indian”are comprised largely of Mexican and Spanish ancestry and including Filipino, African American and other ethnicities who were accepted or enrolled in the group attaining federal “tribal” status. In the end, whether they are to be acknowledged as an “Indian tribe” is up to the federal bureaucracy at the Bureau of Indian Affairs a fairly corrupt federal agency made up of person who are either of real Indian ancestry, or claim to be, or have just simply been enrolled in a tribe whether they really have any Indian ancestry or not. The federal government makes no attempt to verify the authenticity of claims of “Indian “ancestry” they leave that up to the so called “tribe” once the putative “tribe” has been acknowledged or officially recognized by the B.I.A. and the “enroll the person” “becomes Indian”. That is the mistake the Indian pretender, Senator Elizabeth Warren made, she tried to claim she was of Cherokee ancestry to qain advantages as a “minority” without getting some tribe to enroll her! The system is beyond inaccurate and rather is patently biased and corrupt !
Rolls eyes.
The European fixation on “blood purity” has redefined what “Indian ancestry”is.
If a Black woman and her child are adopted by a tribe in the 19th century, adopted into clans…then according to that tribe they are part of that nation. It really isn’t up to you to say otherwise.
Let me put it in a way you may understand. “American ancestry” shouldn’t include the Irish, because they aren’t part of the “pure” American people (you know, the Pilgrims and Jamestown), or the Italians, or the (insert whatever nationality you choose here).
If grouping humans as a whole makes me a racist….. than so be it. 95% of the world population is being oppressed! Rise above and stop making excuses.
you forgot the most important part, it is all subsidized by the american taxpayers. for example, they burn down the school, who pays to rebuild it?
please allow me to VIOLENTLY DENY ur remark even close to calling our counrties best resource of knowledge, the Native American whose land my desendents (i’m only 20 % NA my best part -I HAVE A HUGE HEART LIKE NATIVE AMERICANS WHO GIT SLAUGHTERED BY MY 80% BAD PART IN OPEN FIELDS WHERE THE BROTHER WARRIOR GENIUS WERE luckily LURED INTO BY THE NATIVE AMERICANS TRICK THEY THOUGHT OF BACK WAY AFTER ASIAN BLOODS …PLEASE MY APOLOGIES! IT IS NOT IN ANY WAY ACCEPTABLE TO SPEAK OF THE DEAD <VBUT WILL NEVER FORGET AND THE 80% OF ME CRIES <<along with the other white clothed partials (((as much as i hate my ugly old faced looks i only pray to MY UNIQUE HIGHER POWER (creator and punisher) i don't believe in the devil i believe the native american geniuses and they are not at liberty for you to listen especially elders and the na woman – the nicest and smartest ppl i ever met. Richard B Bratton pale skinned fat belly (smart and succesful looking forv ugly na woman since ugly ashley keeps hurting my feelings, i like to shop im smart, i dress well and i am only Ashley sexual until she decides and hand me over my phone im 62 love the na americaan ppk ive been studying and come to find were geniuses the iroqs and Hoopa i will not say who my favorite is so i put them last HOWEVER i judge every one by thier heart and my higher power sees good hearts over bad hearts and i believe the devil does niot exist tghe creator select where what to do with the bad hearts ()thank god my higher power i will come back NA oir the most beautiful NA wo/man who cares IM NOT GAY I LOVE a woman who is beiing confused by bad hearts evil spurits is a stereo type and i will fight any white bread [edit] THAT DARES GHURT AANY OF OUR PRECIOUS NATIVE AAMERICn who helped me solve the national debt SEE how nice native americans are higher Don Trump if u don't accept our solition to the national debt every one that supports you now and we like your power to stand up against different races that u percieve as being lazy —u try to see how much work it takes whenvur native amnerican and you start to berlieve that they are inferior! RuichardBratton is much more infereoior and thyat is why my power loves NAs so much, they are poor victims of what happen over white man coming to america to show NAs his crap[py robin hood bows and arrows and wen our NAbrothers were not bimpressed my slfish ancestors (89%) got jealous over ecverythging about NAmen it hurt thier feelings so these cry babies came back in anger to prover they were smarter, remember they had older estasblished huge cities and were not like the native american genius who had to move depending on season and climate . NOW DO MY 80 PERCENT UNDERSTAND HOW SMART THESE NA GENIUSES HAD TO BE, TRY LIVING OUT SIDE AND SLEEPING ON COLD GROUND THESE NA MEN WERE STRONGER THAN A YOUNG HORSW and smarter than they can even understand and there is a very strong rumor going around with the elders that have infomed my website that therew will be alot of great gifts and this can not be taken word for word but NAs allo over the continental US that were effected by this slaughter of our great hero whom merely were defendinding thier precious families against outsiders they did not know EXACTLY LIKE THE WHITE SETTLERS DID TO GIVE THIER FAMILIES A BETTER CHANCE AGAINST A KING THAT WAS KEEPING AKLL THE GOLD WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR GREAT COUNTY RIGHT NOW. THE RICH HAVE 97% THEREFORE WE ALL NEED TO PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER AND I RICHARD BRATTON HGAVE A PLAN EITHER THE RICH SHARE OR THEY GET THE F OUT OF OURVGREAT COUNTRY. THERE IS $250 TRI8LLION DOLLARS IN US BANKS WHICH IS JUST SITTING THERE DOING NOTHING AND THE FERDRAL GOVERNMENT CAN TAKE $25T OUT TO PAY OFF THE DEBT, THGE WORLD KNOWS THE UNITED STATES IS THE MOST TRUSTED COUNNTRY NOW WE NEED POLITIANS TO STOP VOTING FOR THIER OWN RETIREMENTS AND START VOTING THESE IMPORTABNT LAWS IBN PLACE OR WILL VOTE OUT TRUMP AND PILOSI THYEY BOTH ARE NEGATIVES AND EXTREMELTY SELFISH AND TRUMP DSHOULD SPEAK MORE RESPECTIVELY TO THE GENIUS ASIANS WHICH ARE RUNNING CIRCLESC AROUND US THEY ARE TAKING OVER OUR UNIVERSITITES AND SOON IFV WHITES DOENT GET GOOD HEARTS I PRAY NA GENIUSES WILL BEGINB TO SHOW HOW SVBART THEY REALLY ARE TRHEY HAVE ASIAN DESENDENTS THOSE TOYOTAS ARE FAR BETTER THAN ….I WILL NOT SAY IT I LOVE MY AMERICAN MADE VOLT THE BEST CAR WE EVER MADE BETTER THAN TOYOTA IMO AND IM STUBBORN I WILL ALWAYS FAVOR HILLBILLY / NA BIG AMERICAN MADE TRUCKS . do not read my wwebsite until the documentation has been completed and approved by NA elders…..all opinionss within should not be taken lerally word for word- it was written by me Riuchard Bratton of Eureka Ca out of kindness of heart to try to unite two all races to help our countries great and most precious beatufl NA people whom went through so muxh horrible events thar devesttated families that were slaughtered over greed by the rich funding the expeditions and poor white people trying to find a better lf just exactly kike our brothers abd sisters are strugglinh for today.I insist on giving native americacn a high quality of life so they can gain back thier directuion that was disturbed and broken over 200 years ago. i promise if the rich help native american and get quality teachers with excellent presentation skills bcause let me show you an wxample of how smart native americans have n them, watch "stand and deliver and how east la native american from thaat settled in warmer parts old mexico, i love New Mexico most more NAs then u can imgine its so cool !!Pueblos mainly. NAs need to learn how wonderful there peoiple are the Shawnnee, AMAZING to maany tribe you have tp understand every race are thier ownbworst enemies now that UR SELF IMAGE HAS MADE U EVEN STRIONGER, (I WISH I WAS UGLIER, IT MAKES U SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE BUT THAT I THE PARADOX OR IRONY (?) OF BEING NATIVE AMERICAN, THEY ARE BOTHE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND THE SMARTEST AND I CRTY TO KNOW gOD KNOWS THEY DONT HAVE ANY CLUE ABOUT THIS AND THAT IS HOW NAs are going to get super smart, ALWAYS LET THE OTHER MAN TAKE CRDIT (WHY) GOD HATES ARROGANT KNOW IT ALL ALLS AND I TURNED AND CRIED AS SOON AS NIONE SAW ME JUSR REART EYED NEN WERE NEVER ALLIWED TOO CRT INJ PUBLIC IT SHOWS WEAKNEWSS BUT S EAL MAN DOOES NOT CARE WHAT ANYONE THINKS, AS LONG AS THETY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR FAMILIES AND OUR COUNTRY (WE NNED RO GET THOSE SELFISH POLITIANS OUT THAT SOLEY VOTE FOT THIER PARTY INSTEAED OF WHAT WILL GET THIER PARTY REELECTED. TRUP BETTER SHOW SOME HEART OR THINGS WILL NOT END WELL AFTYER HE DIES – QUYIT HURTING PEOPLEW FEELING YOU SELFISH BAFD HEARTED PEOPLE OR THIS COUNTRY AND MY HIGHER POER THE CREATOR MIGHT TURN THE SSWITCH OFF EVERYBODY WITH A BAD HEART, DEFINITLY ASHLEY HAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT,, MY BEST FRIEND ADAM AND HIS GOOD THERE ABEL AND MOST OF ALL GODS AND MY FAVORITE AND MY GOOD HEART THE BEAUTIFUL NATIVE AMERICANS SRTEST PEOPLE AND BEST HEARTED FOT SHARING THIS BEST REAL ESTTE ON EARTH BY WHITE TAKERS THAT DID NOT EVEN ASK PERMISSON TO SHARE INSTEAED THE DUMB MEN LIKE MYSELF GOT THIER EGOS IN THE WAY AND TRUED TO SHOW THE BEAUTIFULER MUCH MUCH SMARTER NAs who were massacre for trying to save thier families from bad hearted rich (the root of all this distruction and huge set back for the best of the best
please accept my apologies for not wroting the fore going document correctly. Every word which i spoke was to educate the white people of our great Nation and to open up thier hearts and pocket books if it is more convenient because please send money for our best of thier best children (with adults if they want to learn advanced placement calculus and make money in thier sleep with the stock market. Education is simply done much more efficiently if it is presented in an easy efficient manner the way NAs have done from the beginning of time.
Couple of important points to know, i am a horrible writer so any points thast have hurt anyones feeling (made them angry i send my deepest apologies for such horrible mistakes !!! My ultimate goal is to help NAs, please allow me to express my dramatic event in life which gave me the genius to see these find the hidden treasure of super knowledge from our best of our best. Please also note i even gain knowledge from the homeless bECAUSE my higher power loves people that go through horrible drasticlc bad event . sometimes what i write will not be organized if you dont like it stop reading it and read something else and write down my mistakes so other ppl can add to it i dont care and EVERYTHING I WRITE IS IN HOPES OF BETTERING NAs BECAUSE IN MY BELIEF SYSTEM THIS COUNTRY HAS IGNORED THIS GIGANTIC ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM INVOLVING NAs which live in sub standard living conditions if you dont like whast im saying or doing READ SOMWTHING ELSE AND WRITE UR COMMENT DOWN TO MAKE WHAT I SAID CORRECT IN YOUR EYES!!!!!!
MY GENIUS HAPPEN IN 2015 WHEN A BLACK GIRL CAME TO MY DOOR CRYING CLAIMING THESE MEN WERE AFTER HER THIS STORY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY WAY I SEE IT ( THIS WAS I BELIEVE THE SMARTEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL PERSON IN REAL LIFE, THE FIRST PERSON I MET AND THE INTRELLIGENT WOMAN I HAVE EVER MET WHOM I LOVE SO MUCH AS MY BEST FRIEND).
ON JANUARY 9TH, 2015 A BLACK WOMAN KNOCKED ON MY DOOR CRYING SAYING THESE MEN WERE AFTER HER. sHE LOOKED FAMILAR SO I TOLD HER TO WAIT INSIDE AND ILL RUN THESE MEN OFF. I WALKED DOWN STAIRS THESE 3 AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN OBNE TOLD ME TO HAND HIM ALL MY MONEY I HAD I HANDED HIM MY WALLET AND SOMEONE HIT ME IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD LOF THE HEAD WITH A BASEBALL BAT. SO HARD EASIY ENOUGH TO KILL ME. I BECAME A GIFTED ACCIDENTAL OR AQUIREDSAVANT GENIUS ( MY THOUGHT ARECTHAT BLACK WOMAN REPRESENTED THE MOSTV IMPORTANT THING I HAD TO COMPLETE BEFORE I WAS HONORED TO JOIN MY LOVED ONES IN THE SKY. IN MY EYES THAT WISE WOMAN WAS ASKING GOD TO HELP OUR NATIVEVAMERICANS AND IN MY EYES IF WE DONT MY HIGHER POWER THE CREATOR (IN MY OPINION ) WILL PULL THE SWITCHBOBN EACH AND EVERYONE OF US. IM SO GLAD ITS RAINING FAIRLY DECENTLY WHICH IS VA VGGOOD SIGN FOR A MUCH BETTER LIFE FOR OUR BEST OF THE BEST and that will traslate to a TRULY GRAT AMERICA AGAIN. I BELIEVEVIN MR. TRUMPS FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE TO OUR FINANCIAL SOLUTION TO THE NATIONAL DEBT. DIGEST VTHIS AS I SUM THIS ALL UP —EUROPEAN SETTLER SLAUGHTERED NAs armed with guns vs NAs (much better than european bows and arrows robin hood made) so a miscommunication resulted because NAs genius were wondering why are they were looking at simle a standard (robin hood) european bow and arrow and what how are they suppose react to this when these warriors didnot know when they were used to makingv high tech better trajesctory. so as universal throughout all men get there feelings hurt and get mad. NAs did not live in big cities yet itvwasvstill all wilderness. So out of excitement to show thier new impressive friends many men werexso jealous but it was thevrich that biult this gisnt wooden vessels thought boy there is alot of land lets justv go grab some where they ca knew where n. Now to show obvious NA genius the fery few NAs the supergenius knew where only the smart rich looked and said those were the obvious places people will colonize into giant cities which they became mainly on the east . im sorry forvthe many errors that pleaseccorrect any if anything i wrote made anyone uncimfortable please dsregard or write a more acceptable coorection. may god bless the USA
That’s one of the most racist comments I’ve heard in a long time.
Sounds like Byron Nelson Jr. has had his feelings hurt, and is striking back. I guess he is the only voice on the Tribal Council. Firing the Chief and the one officer is completely uncalled for. They are in need of a good police force, and this is the wrong way to establish one. With their firing record they are going to have a hard time finding replacements, and it serves them right.
Show me one example of a good police force? They are all criminal organizations. Run by criminals who extort taxpayers to fund their fiefdoms. EVERY police force in the states has at least one known criminal in their ranks, ans the rest of the blue-line-of-conspiracy and perjury protects the criminals within their ranks. Hoopa is no different, fire them all and replace ’em with girl scouts.
Well said old timer . Why is everyone not acknowledging Dana’s addiction to steroids ? Just because he was chief of police he can abuse these illegal drugs?
I believe Dana Norton and I caution anyone from outside the community against taking a job out there. The corruption in Hoopa is at a level that most people wouldn’t believe.
If these people want to run their lives as they see fit then let them do it on their own. You will not be thanked for your service out there and you will always be an outsider.
Sounds like the corruption is getting cleaned by getting rid of these fools
But Real question is what does Brunhilda think about old Dana Snorton ?
Pretty sure there was some heavy steroid involvement, couple DUI’s and crime involvement with this guy and the prior Chairman. Recipe for a good leader???? Sounds like the new Chairman in this case has what a lot of leaders are lacking…..integrity. About time someone cleaned up that Tribe’s mess, keep that ball rolling!
Integrity?! Ha! That is one thing he is lacking for sure.[edit]The hoopa chairman and council is flat out stupid! No intelligent life can be found. The whole thing was set up because 1. Lil’ Bob Kane didn’t get the job. They let him apply even though he didn’t meet the qualification. But in hoopa and about who you know and who you blow. And 2. Leonard Masten didn’t get back in council so he needs something to do with his time and money to cover all his beer, boat costs, and fishing trips. He’s as smart and useful as a wet paper bag.
Simple facts, sounds like Byron is following the footsteps of the previous Chairman? Feel bad for the blowers involved.
Lmao. I love honest and bold comments. People too sucked up into what family they should suck dicks with first
Well said old timer. No one wants to talk about Dana’s drug abuse .
So they want to limit the police force to friends and relatives?
There are always two sides to every story. His is only one.
There’s a couple of ex cops from Rohnert Park probably looking for work. They’ll make the tribe lots of money.
The new “old” Chairman is splitting the community apart. What about the $75,000 he was paid eight years ago to produce the sequel to the “Our Home Forever” book Nelson was to prodice. It was never produced. That’s corruption.
Then how did he win election?
Rezdog, maybe he realized it was “Our dysfunction forever” and is taking a stand until he and many others can call it “Home”again. I sure and hell wouldn’t want to live in a crap hole like that with a police force with the competency of an infant. Sounds like more people need to be fired other than these two rejects. Like I said, keep the ball rolling Byron!
Old Timer reveal your identity so we can personally invite you to the community meeting being held tomorrow in Hoopa. Then you can address these issues to the individuals themselves and not just the comment section of this article.
Ryan Jackson was the worst, most corrupt chairman the valley ever saw. He fired or forced resignations from many good employees. He allowed employees to bully other employees just so he could shift powers to him. He sidestepped tribal ordinances, when it was convenient and allowed his “friends” to violate labor laws and tribal laws. He had no experience in budgets and completely mismanaged the tribe. HIS election was a popularity contest. Just because he had a big family, he won. He’s just butthurt he can’t reap all the perks he had as chairman. You rarely heard from the guy when in office. Now he’s running his mouth all over the internet frantically trying to keep his name relevant. He’s not relevant and never has been. He was the corrupt chairman, not Byron Nelson Jr. And all of this is from my personal observations and experience, not based on valley gossip. The best thing for hoopa was getting Jackson out!!!! He’s a hack. Everything about him was fake including his transparency. What a joke.
Can’t they get some real journalism out there? Kym why are you using Allie hostler for your site? Shes not objective. She the mouthpiece puppet of the tribe. She regurgitates what she’s told to. She only presents one side, her side. The two Rivers Tribune is the lamest “newspaper” ever. Nothing she writes seems original anymore. She should have been replaced long ago. Is she still the tribes public information officer and author of all their press releases. Talk about conflict of interest. Just another perfect example of tribal mismanagement. No one cares to hear her boring, subjective yellow journalism. Maybe the new chairman can fire her as well.
Did you read the article?
Corruption in Hoopa? I’m shocked! Say it ain’t so!
Sometimes a person has to simply clean house and start fresh. It’s not our place to decide what goes on within the natives land, let’s not forget who’s is what and who’s got the right, it’s not yours it’s theirs and we are all guests within their land that was stolen. Sometimes things have a way of working themselves out from within. Leave these people alone and just maybe things will get better for them.
Nobody’s forcing you to stay on “their” land. And last time I checked, nobody on the res is complaining about federal subsidies or access to modern utilities, medical care, and transportation.
“Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian.” Henry Ford
~nobody on the plantation is complaining about federal subsidies or access to modern utilities, medical care, and transportation, either.
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residence
residential
HAHAHA — I PICKED UP A HOOPA HITCHHIKING ONCE NEAR WILLOW CREEK — HE WAS CHEWING PEYOTE — TRUE STORY — I ASKED HIM IF HE COULD TURN US ON ??
[edit] peyote isnt even from here! And with a comment like that I find it very hard to believe you’d be kind enough to pick up any hitchhikers, especially one from Hoopa jackass. But please, come on back through I’m sure a couple of us druggie Hoopa’s would love to take a ride with you!
I’ve worked in Hoopa for over 30 years and I can say without a doubt the swearing in of Byron Nelson Jr. was a mistake
~~~~~ALL I CAN SAY IS THE WHITEMAN STARTED THIS!!!~SAILING OVER HERE!!!~TAKING THE NATIVE AMERICAN BY STORM!!!~KILLING A 100 MILLION NATIVE AMERICANS!!!~TAKING THEIR LAND!!!~AND FORCING THEM ON TO RESERVATIONS!!!~WOW!!!~MIIGWECH~PAZ~AHO~NAMASTE~RUDEBOY
I have been harassed time and time again by tribal police and to me, most “peace” officers are legalized gansters which is the general consensus among most of the people here. More often than not, most citizens, good or bad, are afraid of the police cuz they can take you out on a hunch or hit you with their suv and make you a paraplegic for life without thinking twice. They will always justify their actions and be high-fived by their peers. In addition speaking of corruption, to me, it is corrupt when tribal police have drones out every single night and don’t let the citizens know or have a say as to have their privacy and arguably if these drones are helpful in catching criminals and here to keep the citizens safe, why did [edit] get away with robbing the two restaurants up town and are still free to rob, ambush and rat pack disabled persons. At the time, was the person monitoring the cameras watching someone undress in front of their window or maybe they had it on x-ray mode and were watching the intimate lives of their neighbor?? I think they all should be let go or they should take lessons on how to a stay human and be a “cop” and they need to look up nepotism in the the dictionary and everyone knows how it goes here in all levels of this tribe’s government. These issues are shameful and makes hoopa not “home” any more. To all supporting this behavior shame on you including Byron who is the so called “Cheif.” And no I won’t leave my name so I can get harassed more cuz that’s what they do and it is known by all.