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Florence Concerns Left Out
of
Reparations Debate
August 4, 2003
Arnold Buchman, PACT Spokesperson
A casino in Florence? Supporters suggest that the
Confederated Tribes are entitled; reparations, if you will, for what
was wrongfully taken from their ancestors.
The shameful history of America’s westward expansion echoes in these
suggestions as would similar histories of conquests of every people
whose lands had been
invaded through the sad course of mankind’s recorded sins.
But, does acknowledging past injustices by the grandfathers mean that
their sins must be visited upon the grandchildren?
Apparently, these casino supporters believe so. Why else are they so
keen to assess a penalty that falls unevenly upon those “grandchildren”
whose fortune or fate brought
them to live in this place at this time? It is only right, these casino
supporters seem to
say, that the descendents of the victimized be allowed to feast on the
proceeds of a casino placed in
the midst of the descendents of the oppressors. And only right that
they do so without regard to
laws for health, safety and well being by which their neighbors give
order to the peaceful
enjoyment of their lives. These community concerns apparently have no
place at the reparations banquet.
Nor does observing the table manners of basic honesty have a place. For
casino supporters, reparations in the form of a casino evidently
justify the
misrepresentations made to the Department of Interior and the
surrounding communities on the way to
dinner. The first step was obtaining trust status for the Hatch Tract,
giving it sovereign
immunity from state and local law.
The Confederated Tribes Tribal Chairman Greg Norton announced
that the
land was “…a significant part of the Indian cultural history, and
stressed it would
be used for cultural and historical purposes,” adding that “no specific
buildings have been
planned for the site, and the land has not been identified for the
purposes of a gaming casino or any
other economic
development.”
This was reiterated in a letter to the Secretary of the Interior, where
the Tribes’ attorney stated that, “at no time relevant to the trust
acquisition did the Tribes have
any plans to introduce gaming under IGRA on the Hatch Tract”.
Lane County Commissioner Bill Dwyer put it bluntly. “In a meeting with
the Tribal leaders when they were interested in adding this land to
their tribal status they
told me to my face that the intent of the purchase was NOT to put a
casino on this land. I
asked them specifically because I led the fight to keep this casino out
of Springfield. They lied.”
One result of these misrepresentations was to deny the “descendents of
the oppressors” meaningful consideration of their concerns. It’s as if
Congress, the
Department of Interior and the federal District Court have conspired to
decree that the people of
Florence are tainted with the crimes of those who came before and,
therefore, must pay – deceit
to the contrary
notwithstanding.
What reasoning do these casino supporters offer that the
current
residents of Florence must be denied “due process” and held responsible
for the abuse done the
Tribes’ ancestors? What is the logic that justifies inserting a
sovereign, gambling-funded nation that
answers only to itself in the middle of an established community?
For casino supporters, retribution for century-old sins replaces
reason, as they are quick to cry “racism.” Concern for the community’s
character, economy and way of
life put at risk are dismissed as bigotry. They ignore that non-tribal
gambling interests,
having discovered loopholes in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of
1988, are cashing in on the
“reparations.”
The result is “reservation shopping” by gambling interests for casino
sites, communities shut out of the site selection process and, thanks
to the accusations of casino
supporters, civility falling by the wayside leaving “we” to become
“them and us.”
That may be normal between sovereign powers. But, there should be no
place for this divisive wedge among Americans.
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