Anthony Pico is both a statesman and a spokesman for Indian gaming. As the chairman of the Viejas Band of the Kumeyaay Indians in San Diego county, Pico has directly shaped his nation’s dramatic economic growth and increased political clout.
In the following interview, we ask Chairman Pico to describe how gambling has affected his tribe’s prospects as well as their plans for the future. Not surprisingly, Pico is thinking big:
Seven generations from now, [I want to see a situation] where our people will be able to have a place to stand which is their own land, and to be able to contribute back to the larger community, not only Indians but the larger community, and to be able to prevail, culturally, spiritually, economically.
- Interview with Anthony Pico, Easy Money, Frontline, PBS
- Viejas band of the Kumeyaay Indians, official web site
- How The Viejas Came To Be, Viejas Kumeyaay, Kumeyaay.com
- Native Threads Profile: Anthony R. Pico, NativeThreads.com
- From League of California Cities Executive Director Chris McKenzie: Governor Issues Key Indian Gaming Proclamation Opposes Future Urban Casinos and Insists on Local Government and Community Support Outside Urbanized Areas, Association of Bay Area Governments
- Schwarzenegger Looks to Build Ties with Indians, All Things Considered, NPR
- Tribal Warfare, LA Weekly
- “Indian Burn: How the recall election broke the back of California’s Indian tribes,” Slate
- “Putting Indian Realities in Context for the Media,” by Anthony Pico, Indian Country Today via Truthout.org