YUMA — The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe is demanding an in-person public apology from Imperial County Supervisor John Hawk after he said he felt he was being “scalped” during a meeting with tribal members, KAWC reported.
About 75 tribal members attended a recent transportation commission meeting to press for action on bridge closures near the reservation. Hawk described the exchange as “brutal” and used the remark, which the Quechan Tribal Council says relies on racial stereotypes.
“Our people have lived along the Colorado River since time immemorial. We are not a punchline,” the council said in a statement signed by Tribal President Joathan E. Koteen. “We are neighbors, taxpayers, employers, voters, and a sovereign Nation.” The council stressed that its complaint is not partisan or tied to the November election.
Tribal members went to the meeting to raise concerns about the Picacho Road Bridge, closed since March 2025. The detour sends traffic over the Arnold Road Bridge, which county supervisors previously declared an emergency. The tribe says families, school buses, patients headed to the Fort Yuma Health Care Center and emergency crews rely on those routes daily.
Along with the apology, the tribe is asking the county for a full infrastructure action plan.
Sources: KAWC. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: George Baker / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
