The Native American Press (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1992-10-09

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Allegations Against Minneapolis Detox Center Continue
By Gary Blair
PRESS sources involved in locating
former patients who were victims of
abuse at the Hennepin County Detox
Center now say that they have located
a non-Indian professional woman who
says she was raped by Detox Center
staff. Joe Big Bear, program manager,
Hennepin County Chemical Health
Division told the PRESS, "We need
the woman to come forward and be
willing to file charges."
For over a month now the Hennepin
county Detox Center located at 1800
Chicago Ave. So. has become the
focus of the Minneapolis American
Indian community. Indian leaders say
the place has become a'' Chamber of
Horrors" for the people who are
brought there for detoxification.
Others say it may have contributed to
many unexplained deaths. One Indian
man said, he thought he was being
taken to the detox center but, moments
later ended up down at the river
fighting for his life. He said, the detox
center drivers who picked him up
tried to drown him.
On Sept. 15th members of the
American Indian community and
other concerned people met at the
Detox Center to hear from two Detox
Center staff about the treatment many
people have received on the third
floor ofthe old Sister Kenny building.
Both Irene Wade, who is an American
Indian and Lynn Fitzpatrick, who is
non-Indian, held their ground as their
boss Paul Norman, Program Manager
for the Detox Center tried to dismiss
their most aggravated charges that
they say happens on a regular basis to
'Detox Center patients.
On October 5th, another commu-
Sioux-operated Bingo Hall not immune
from lawsuit over debts, court decides
Associated Press
The sovereign immunity generally
accorded American Indian tribes does
nor shield the operators of Jackpot
JunctionBingoHallfrombeingsuedfor
alleged non-payment of debts, the
Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled.
In an opinion to be filed today, a three-
judge panel upheld a lower court ruling
that the tribe-operated gambling
operation near Morton, Minn., waived
its immunity because of language in its
corporate charter allowing lawsuits
against it
Appeals Judge James Harten, who
wrote the opinion, noted that the appeal
of the tribe over a lawsuit involving
Jackpot Junction in the Lower Sioux
reservation was the first time the
distinction between tribal government
and its corporate entities hadbeen raised.
The gambling enterprise had been
sued in August 1991 by the owner of
electronic bingo terminals who claimed
Jackpot Junction owed him more than
$46,000 in lease payments.
The gambling hall asked District
Judge David Peterson to dismiss the
suit for lack of jurisdiction because of
the tribe's sovereign immunity.
But Peterson refused to dismiss the
lawsuit, ruling that the Sioux had
waived that defense by including in
its corporate charter a clause allowing
it "to sue and be sued in courts of
competent jurisdiction.''
The tribe argued that for a waiver to
be valid, specific language must be
contained in the lease agreements. It
also asserted that gambling is a
governmental function governed by
tribal constitution, not the corporate
charter.
The appeals court opinion said the
clause at issue operates as a general
waiver of sovereign immunity in
lawsuits between the Indian
community and non-tribal entities or
people.
Indian PACS Dole Out Cash
Political action committees for
two Indian tribes in the state have
handed out more than $28,000 so
far this year. Most of the
contributions went to state
legislators, most of whom are
DFLers who control the House and
Senate, according to reports filed
with the state Ethical Practices
Board. The reports indicate that
Indians continue as major
contributors  to candidates  as
pressure mounts to make inroads
on their casino monopolies.
The reports do not show
individual contributions by Indians
or others connected with casino
operations. During the 1990 election
year, Indian PAC's distributed
almost $60,000 to candidates,
making them, if grouped together,
the eighth largest contributor that
year.
The Fond du Lac Committee of
Political Education reported
receipts of $15,800 for the first
eight months of this year, with
contributions of $14,282. The Fond
du Lac tribe has gambling
operations in Duluth and Cloquet.
The Lower Sioux Political
Education Fund showed receipts of
$20,100 and disbursements of
$ 19,997. The Lower Sioux operate
Jackpot Junction in Morton.
Star Tribune
The Native American Press is the largest independently and privately owned Native American Weekly Newspaper in the United
States. 16,000 copies are distributed weekly throughout the State of Minnesota. If your agency, company, school or tribe needs to
reach the 60,000 strong Native American community in the State cfMinnesots, the Press is the best way to do it.
Red Lake Band Details Casino Plans
By Nathan Bowe
The Pioneer
The Red Lake Band of Chippewa
hopes to cash in on the growing popularity of gaming among Minnesotans
by opening a new casino near Thief
River Falls and adding a small casino
to the existing bingo facilities in the
Redlake Humanities Center.
According to Adrien Omen, gaming manager for the Red Lake Band,
the casino in Redlake officially opened
Wednesday evening. It features three
blackjack tables and 50 video slot
machines, but the casino will grow
according to demand, he said in a
telephone interview.
A bigger project is under way on a
7.2 acre parcel owned by the tribe
near Thief River Falls. It will be the
site of an 8,000 square foot casino
that will hold some 250 slot machines
and 10 to 12 blackjack tables, Omen
said.
Construction has already begun on
the new River Road Casino, which is
expected to open Dec. 15. The facility
will be financed, owned and operated
by the Red Lake Band, and Omen
says the Casino will supply jobs for
about 150 Red Lake residents.
The casino's name was chosen Oct.
1 from among 200 suggestions submitted by Red Lake residents in a
name-that-casino contest, Omen said.
The River Road Casino will be located only about 80 miles north ofthe
Shooting Star Casino - operated by
the White Earth Band in Mahnomen
- but it will offer customers at least
one major distinction: it will be alcohol-free. Omen said by tribal policy
all casinos operated by the Red Lake
Band must provide "adult entertainment without alcohol.''
Red Lake authorities recently signed
a gaming compact with the state authorizing the tribe to build up to four
casinos on tribal land.
In addition to the two new casinos,
the tribe for several years has operated the Lake ofthe Woods Casino in
Warroad, which now has 250 slot
machines and nine blackjack tables,
Omen said.
The Warroad casino started out with
150 slot machines and five blackjack
tables and has grown with demand,
Omen said. The River Road Casino
will be expanded on the same basis.
But there are no immediate plans
for a fourth casino as authorized by
the gaming compact. "We aren't looking at that at all," he said.
Before discovering tribal land near
Thief River Falls on which to locate
the new casino, Red Lake authorities
looked into several possible off reservation sites, including East Grand
Forks and Thief River Falls.
Those plans were axed when Minnesota Gov. Arnie Carlson, who has
placed a moratorium on expansion of
all types of gaming, refused to allow
the tribe to build on non-reservation
land.
The 7.2 acre plot on which the
casino is being constructed reverted
to the Red Lake Band because the
original homesteader failed to file for
ownership.
nity meeting was held with administrators from the Detox Center at the
Waite House. Bob Olander, Director
of the Chemical Health Division for
Hennepin County answered most of
the questions for his group which
included Joe Big Bear and Joe Whalen
of his staff. Clyde Bellecourt, who in
the past has spearheaded concerns for
the Indian community finally took
time out from his mascot protests to
join the group.
American Indian community members involved in investigating the
abuse of patients at the Detox Center
were once again given a chance to
hear Detox Center staff Irene Wade,
and Lynn Fitzpatrick, tell even more
about what has happened to people
who become Detox Center patients.
Fitzpatrick said, when asked by the
PRESS if she has ever found people
having sex in the bathrooms, she
answered, "YES." When asked if
these people come under the vulnerable Adult Act, she also answered,
"YES."
Under that law anyone having
sex or abusing a patient with this
type of status could be charged
with rape or felony abuse. Richard "Chops" Beaupre, who was
also in attendance at the meeting
then asked Fitzpatrick, if Indian
women were involved. To this she
again answered, "Yes." As
Fitzpatrick spoke, neither
Olander, Big Bear or Whalen said
anything.
There are now plans for a protest in front of the Detox Center
on October 15th. More meetings
will take place as a result of last
Mondays meeting at The Waite
House.
By and For the Native American Community
i
I*! Native
fr
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American
Press
We support Equal Opportunity For All People
A Weekly Publication
Founded in 1991
Volume 2 Issue 22
October 9, 1992
Copyright, The Native American Press, 1992
"World Peace Begins at Home,
j*
By Mel Rasmussen
On Saturday, October 3rd a very
special and dedicated group of women
gathered to honor their dream. The
Women of Nations 10th Anniversary
Traditional Pow-wow started and
honored all who attended and shared
their dream.
Women of Nations is a group of
women who have given hope and service
to battered women and their children.
They have provided a safe place and
shelter during times of crisis. Their
roles are many and varied within the St.
Paul community. This extends from
their Community Advocacy Program,
the Eagles Nest Shelter, and the
volunteer program.
Ten years ago four women shared a
vision of peace in the home. That it
would always be a place of safety, nurturing and love for the family. These
founding mothers are Norma Haider,
Eileen Hudon, Leslie Snow, and Wanda
Weyaus. These women were honored at
this event. Their dedication and perseverance along with the ongoing support
of numerous volunteers over the years
have created an enclave of trust for
women and families that are in trouble
because of domestic abuse and violence.
June 3rd, 1992 marked the first year
anniversary ofthe Eagles Nest Shelter.
The Eagle's Nest, in St. Paul, has provided crisis interventionand emergency
shelter to over 175 women and 261
children. This emergency shelter can
handle 26 women and children who are
choosing to leave an abusive relationship. The facility is staffed by advocates
who provide support, emergency transportation, housing options, resource and
referral services, along with a spiritual
guidance that enables women to make
clear decisions in their lives.
The pow-wow, feast and give-away
were the expression of a strong sense of
community spirit and thanks. Bear
Runner was the host drum at this traditional pow-wow accompanied by 11
omerdrumsandover90dancers. Crowd
estimates were judged to be around 500
to 600. Throughout the event it was
apparent that the energies were good
and the people were truly honored and
respected. Comments were made as to
thesenseofcommumtythatran throughout the event and the people. A special
thanks should be given to Georgia
her tireless work and worry over the last
few months to make this day possible.
Yvonne Leith, Executive Director,
states it best in her description of the
organization. "Finally, as we begin the
next ten years ofthe organization, we
acknowledge the beginning, remember
thepastandinthepresentbeginto share
thevisionheldby all ofwhohave passed
this way with us, 'Family life without
violence...World peace begins at
home..
Mayotte, the volunteer coordinator, for
New World dreams are Shattered/ Minnesota's American Indians at bottom of economic order
St. Paul (AP)- It's no secret that
American Indians will have little to
celebrate next week when America marks
the 500th anniversary of the arrival of
whites in the New World
But that is especially so in Minnesota.
American Indians in the state are not only
at the bottom ofthe economic order in the
1990s, they are more likely to be poor
than in most other states.
In addition, a look at employment,
income, crime and family figures shows
that in some ways conditions for the
50,000 Indians in Minnesota worsened
during the 1980s, sometimes to a greater
degree and for more puzzling reasons
than for other minorities.
And experts say that even the seeming
bonanza of gambling casinos is having
less of an impact than might be expected.
Minnesota blacks and Asians also
ended the 1980s doing poorly compared
to their counterparts in the rest of the
country.
That is partly due to the migration of
Asian refugees and poor blacks to the
Twin Cities area, a movement that helped •
swell the state's Asian population by
nearly 80 percent during the 1980s.
In contrast, the state's American Indian
population grew only 43 percent during
the decade.
Some American Indian leaders say that
Indians in Minnesota lost ground in the
1980s because they were overshadowed
by the growth of other rninoriry groups.
"The system was challenged," said
Laura Waterman Wittstock, president of
Migizi, an American Indian educational
organization. "There was competition at
the bottom of the economic scale, and I
think the Native American people didn't
fare as well."
Richard Manuel, acting director for the
St. Paul American Indian Center, also
said Indian groups have not been able to
compete as well as other groups for
resources.
"Anytime they have a cut in money, it's
the Indians who are always cut" he said.
He also said many people believe
American Indians no longer need help
because of jobs and revenue from casino
gambling.
Although studies have shown
improvement for those living in areas
with casinos, Manuel said most Indians
aren't receiving money from the casinos.
"Everyone is assuming that every
Indian has got a check coming in," he
said. "It's changed some numbers, but it's
not drastic at all."
"It's not that you have a casino last year
and everything is rosy this year," said
Leonard Prescott, chairman of Little Six
Inc.
Poverty
Nearly 44 percent of the state's
American Indians lived below the
poverty level in 1989, making them the
state's poorest minority, and one of the
poorest groups of Indians in the county.
Only six other states had a higher
poverty rate for American Indians. The
national poverty rate was 31 percent in
1989. For a family of four that year, the
poverty line was defined as a household
income of $12,575.
The Minnesota rate represented a
dramatic increase over the previous
decade.
The poverty rate was 29.9 percent in
1979, making the state's American
Indians about three times as likely to be
poor as white Minnesotans, about the
same as the national ratio.
Then years later, American Indians
nationwide were still about three times as
likely as whites to be poor. In Minnesota,
American Indians had become five times
more likely to be poor than their white
neighbors, a larger gap than any other
state in the country.
The poverty rate was even worse for
American Indian children and Indians
living in the cities of St. Paul and
Minneapolis.
About 55 percent of American Indian
children were poor in Minnesota in 1989.
In Minneapolis, two out of three
American Indian children were poor in
1989, the highest rate recorded among
large cities, according to a study recently
conducted by the Children's Defense
Fund
In St. Paul, about 46 percent of
American Indian children are poor.
Income
Median household income for
American Indians nationwide was
$20,025 in 1989. In Minnesota, it was
$15,434.
Nationwide, American Indian median
household income dropped 2.5 percent
after adjusting for inflation between 1979
and 1989.
Median household income in
Minnesota went down 15 percent during
the same period.
That gave Minnesota, the eighth-worst
median household income for American
Indians in the country in 1989.
Minnesota American Indian households
have half the income of white
households, the third largest gap between
white and Indian incomes in the country.
Employment
The census reported that American
Indians were more likely to be
unemployed in 1990 than people from
any other race in the state.
Minnesota's American Indians also
are more likely to be unemployed than
their counterparts nationwide.
For example, in 1990, nearly one in
four American Indian men was
unemployed in Minnesota, the seventh
highest rate in the country.
Nationwide, one in six American
Indian men was unemployed in 1990,
according to the census.
Education
Education is one bright spot for
American Indians in the state.
American Indians are more likely
to have graduated from high school
than their counterparts in the rest of
the country.
But they are still doing worse
than any other race in the state. And
American Indians in Minnesota are
less likely to have a bachelor's
degree than American Indians
nationwide.
Just more than two-thirds of
American Indians 25 and older
graduated from high school in
Minnesota, compared to more than
fair-fifths of whites 25 and older.
One out of four American Indians
between the ages of 16 and 19 in
Minnesota was a high school dropout
in 1990, a higher rate than any other
race in the state. But that was better
than 1980, when one-third were high
school drop-outs.
Family Structure
Single-parent families became the
dominant model of American Indian
families during the 1980s, putting
more children at risk of being poor.
About half of American Indian
families in Minnesota were headed by
a married couple in 1980, and about
half of American Indian children in the
state lived with both parents.
Ten years later, only one-third of
American Indian children were living
with both parents. Married couples
headed only 40 percent ofthe families
with children.
The percentage of Minnesota
American Indian families headed by a
married couple is about the same as
black families but much lower than
whites and Asian families, where more
than 80 percent of families with
children are headed by a married
couple.
The situation is even worse in the
Twin Cities.
In Minneapolis, less than one in five
American Indian Children lived in a
two-parent family; in St. Paul, fewer
than 30 percent
Nationally, 60 percent of American
Indian families with children have two
parents.
Crime
American Indians were nearly seven
times as likely to be arrested for
serious crimes as white Minnesotans in
1990. They were four times as likely to
be arrested as American Indians
nationwide in 1990 for a felony, such
as murder, rape, burglary and arson.
American Indians in Minnesota were
nearly twice as likely as those
nationwide, and more than 10 times as
likely as white Minnesotans, to be in a
state prison in 1990.
One out of 195 American Indians in
Minnesota was in a state prison in
1990, compared to one out of 381
nationwide and one out of 2,172 white
Minnesotans.
They also were more likely to be
murder victims than whites or blacks
in Minnesota in 1990.
That year, American Indians Were
killed at the rate of 46 per 100,000
residents. Blacks were killed at the rate
of 41 per 100,000 black residents.
Health
Nearly 72 percent of American
Indian babies born in Minnesota in
1990 were born out of wedlock,
compared to 69 percent of black births
and 17.2 percent of white births.
The infant mortality rate for
American Indians in Minnesota was
12.4 per 1,000 live births in 1990,
compared to a white rate of 6.6 and a
black rate of about 20.