San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob has written the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs asking for an investigation into the demolishing of two homes at the Jamul Indian Village last week.
She also wants the feds to look into the force used by the Jamul Tribal Police when they evicted two casino opponents from the reservation. She writes:
I respectfully request that the Bureau of Indian Affairs conduct a full investigation into these troubling allegations and hold accountable any parties who may have violated the law. I also question the jurisdictional authority of the Jamul Tribal Police and its officers’ use of weapons.
But such an investigation is unlikely. Gary Garrison, a BIA spokesman, said the feds would only investigate excessive force allegations if the officers were contracted by the BIA. Similarly, the feds won’t review an agreement signed between Jamul tribal chairman Leon Acebedo and casino opponents, which promised to delay demolition until last Friday.
“A tribe is considered a sovereign nation,” Garrison said. “If it’s violating an agreement, that would be between the parties that signed the agreement. I don’t think the BIA would have anything to do with it.”