San Diego County Burial Site Desecration

"We will be here as long as it takes"

Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Challenges. Discussion »

FALLBROOK, CALIFORNIA - American Indians are back on the scene of the construction site in this northern San Diego County town to stop further desecration of an ancestral burial site.

The Fallbrook, California Desecration of an Ancestral Burial Site

"Construction workers are pulling up stakes and they put dirt on the human remains to cover them up. They are not supposed to be in the area where the remains were found,"

said Bennae Calac, who is serving as spokesperson and is the Repatriation Officer for the Pauma Band of Luiseno Indians.

"We appreciate all of the support people have been giving us and we don't know how long we will be here, but we will be here as long as it takes to stop this."

This stage of construction involves grading of a boulevard that will lead to a future satellite campus of Palomar College that will be called Horse Ranch Creek Road. The future boulevard is located at the site northeast of the Interstate15 and SR Highway 76.

The road will be owned and maintained by the County of San Diego. Palomar College is funding the road's construction.

Up to 100 American Indians from southern California were on hand to demonstrate solidarity to stop the construction. Various tribes were represented yesterday at the construction site. Among those present were from of the Cahuillam, Cupeno, La Jolla, Pala, Pauma, Pechanga, Rincon, San Luis Rey and Soboba Bands of Mission Indians.

“We tried to avoid this, but no one would listen to us. They keep saying they are doing everything by the book, which is not true,”

stated Mel Vernon, tribal chairman from the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians.

On February 10 the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians filed a lawsuit to stop the construction against the County of San Diego. Yesterday, the Pauma Band of Luiseno, sought to join the lawsuit.

Other development is planned for the area, including three residential subdivisions that will have 844 homes and a commercial area. The homes are being built by Padree Homes.

While construction workers are on the site, bulldozing has ceased for the time being. Calac said protesters were prepared to stand in the way of bulldozing yesterday.

posted February 23, 2012 3:40 pm est