The ongoing efforts of Game Won, a
”
reservation shopping
”
group of casino promoters, is a clear call to action for
residents of San Benito County and the entire Central Coast. The
message from Thursday’s community meeting is likewise clear:
reservation shopping is beatable. If we stand united in opposing
it, we can win.
Dear Editor,
The ongoing efforts of Game Won, a “reservation shopping” group of casino promoters, is a clear call to action for residents of San Benito County and the entire Central Coast. The message from Thursday’s community meeting is likewise clear: reservation shopping is beatable. If we stand united in opposing it, we can win.
When a non-local tribe tries to establish a new reservation in an area where they have no historical roots, this is referred to as “reservation shopping.” Reservation shopping usually happens because a tribe and its investors are seeking a financial advantage, typically a better location for a casino.
Reservation shopping is repugnant for two reasons. First, it is an affront to the indigenous peoples who already reside in our area. Ann Marie Sayers, the leader of the Indian Canyon Band of Ohlone calls reservation shoppers “aboriginal intruders.” Valentin Lopez, tribal chairman of the Amah-Matsun Ohlone, maintains that the attempted encroachment is a violation of ancient tribal law. Both Ms. Sayers and Mr. Lopez spoke eloquently on the subject at Thursday’s meeting.
Second, reservation shopping is an egregious misuse of the law. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, wrote clearly of this in a letter to Gale Norton, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, dated 10 June, 2003:
When Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, they did not intend to authorize “reservation shopping” by Indian tribes…. However, some Indian tribes are apparently attempting to take advantage of IGRA’s provisions and move into lucrative casino markets far from their reservations and lands where they have a historical connection.
For her part, Secretary Norton has said, “I am extremely concerned that the principles underlying the enactment of IGRA are being stretched in ways never imagined by Congress when enacting IGRA.”
In order to move the casino forward, the Miwoks need to buy land and then convince the federal government it should be deemed a reservation. To do this in San Benito County, the Miwoks have to prove that they have tribal roots in our area – a tenuous claim at best.
Phillip Thompson, the casino’s East Coast attorney, made the outrageous statement in September, “You look in the history books, and you find…the Ohlones and Miwoks were basically the same people, spoke the same language.” Mr. Thompson’s jingoistic “they-all-look-the-same-to-me” attitude demonstrates he understands neither history nor Native American sensibilities.
This reality is further underscored by the fact that nobody from the casino project has attempted to contact the local tribes. Had they done so, they would have learned, as we did at Thursday’s meeting, that although the Ohlone and Miwok languages share a common distant root, they are no more closely related than English and Russian.
Some people feel we are powerless to oppose the casino. They say the best we can do is minimize the damage to our community. This is simply not true. Other counties have withstood reservation shopping gambling interests and we can, too.
If we stand together, it will be “Game Over” for Game Won.
Steve Merrell, chairman, Casinos Represent a Poor Solution– www.nosbcasino.org
