Official Offers Casino Project Opinions
(forwarded to the Grove Observer by local citizen Ben Hynum)
I want to offer any informational resources or assistance our national group may have, to the citizens of Grove who oppose yet another, massive tribal casino.
As you probably know, the pattern when pushing for an off-reservation casino is to announce the subject as though it is some foregone conclusion, or a "done deal." Let me absolutely promise you, that if the project is truly "off" the reservation, and if the land has been acquired by the tribe but not yet placed into federal trust...then your community group can flat out stop the project, regardless of whether you have the support of local elected officials or not.
Communities such as Rohnert Park and Plymouth, California; Cascade Locks, Oregon; La Center, Washington; Lynden, Washington; Lima, Ohio; Lynwood, Illinois - all have community groups that are nicely undoing the "done deal" that was announced when a big Class III casino was proposed to be plunked down into the middle of these communities.
In a separate email I will send you information about how the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) and the National Enviornmental Policy Act (NEPA) work, and how your citizens can insert their voices formally into the process.
In the meantime, you may wish to explore our national website: www.citizensalliance.org - click on the Gambling link, and/or browse our website for any information that may help your group. Our website gets high marks from legal counsel who refer to it consistently.
There's a particularly new U.S. Supreme Court case, in which CERA filed a persuasive Amicus Brief, that will also help you in Grove. The case is City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation, ruled on March 29, 2005. This case has knocked out all (over a dozen) major land claims that New York tribes had filed, placing "clouds" on the titles of over 840,000 homeowners in Upstate New York. The tools of this case, that are very, very helpful to community groups that oppose a Class III Casino are:
1. Mere acquisition of fee property by an Indian tribe does not make it "Indian Country."
2. Well-settled communities have a justifiable expectation to not be parceled into separate tribal "patches".
This powerful case was written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in an 8-1 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. It has been successfully applied in many off-reservation casino projects, as well as other jurisdictional conflicts between local areas and tribal governments.
There's much more to share, Ben - but I wanted to start getting a few things to you. If you send me your mailing address, I'll also put a book in the mail to you that I wrote, as a result of a 6,000 mile road trip I took with a videographer across 17 Indian reservations from Washington State to New York. The books is called "Going To Pieces..." and reflects the voices of tribal members, farmers, bankers, elected officials, sheriffs, teachers - all kinds of folks who live within or near Indian reservations and describe truly disturbing conditions and issues. The book is a good overview of what's happening across the country, so you'll truly know that Grove is not alone, and that there are thousands of resources available to help your community.
Elaine D. Willman, National Chair
Citizens Equal Rights Alliance
P.O. 1280
Toppenish, WA 98948
Phone: 509-865-6225
Fax: 509-865-7409
Email: toppin@aol.com
I want to offer any informational resources or assistance our national group may have, to the citizens of Grove who oppose yet another, massive tribal casino.
As you probably know, the pattern when pushing for an off-reservation casino is to announce the subject as though it is some foregone conclusion, or a "done deal." Let me absolutely promise you, that if the project is truly "off" the reservation, and if the land has been acquired by the tribe but not yet placed into federal trust...then your community group can flat out stop the project, regardless of whether you have the support of local elected officials or not.
Communities such as Rohnert Park and Plymouth, California; Cascade Locks, Oregon; La Center, Washington; Lynden, Washington; Lima, Ohio; Lynwood, Illinois - all have community groups that are nicely undoing the "done deal" that was announced when a big Class III casino was proposed to be plunked down into the middle of these communities.
In a separate email I will send you information about how the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) and the National Enviornmental Policy Act (NEPA) work, and how your citizens can insert their voices formally into the process.
In the meantime, you may wish to explore our national website: www.citizensalliance.org - click on the Gambling link, and/or browse our website for any information that may help your group. Our website gets high marks from legal counsel who refer to it consistently.
There's a particularly new U.S. Supreme Court case, in which CERA filed a persuasive Amicus Brief, that will also help you in Grove. The case is City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation, ruled on March 29, 2005. This case has knocked out all (over a dozen) major land claims that New York tribes had filed, placing "clouds" on the titles of over 840,000 homeowners in Upstate New York. The tools of this case, that are very, very helpful to community groups that oppose a Class III Casino are:
1. Mere acquisition of fee property by an Indian tribe does not make it "Indian Country."
2. Well-settled communities have a justifiable expectation to not be parceled into separate tribal "patches".
This powerful case was written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in an 8-1 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. It has been successfully applied in many off-reservation casino projects, as well as other jurisdictional conflicts between local areas and tribal governments.
There's much more to share, Ben - but I wanted to start getting a few things to you. If you send me your mailing address, I'll also put a book in the mail to you that I wrote, as a result of a 6,000 mile road trip I took with a videographer across 17 Indian reservations from Washington State to New York. The books is called "Going To Pieces..." and reflects the voices of tribal members, farmers, bankers, elected officials, sheriffs, teachers - all kinds of folks who live within or near Indian reservations and describe truly disturbing conditions and issues. The book is a good overview of what's happening across the country, so you'll truly know that Grove is not alone, and that there are thousands of resources available to help your community.
Elaine D. Willman, National Chair
Citizens Equal Rights Alliance
P.O. 1280
Toppenish, WA 98948
Phone: 509-865-6225
Fax: 509-865-7409
Email: toppin@aol.com
Labels: Casino
posted by Editor | 1:58 AM
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