The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1995-08-11

              IndigenOUS GameS '95: preliminary reports conflict
By Gary Blair
The 1995 North American Indigenous Games, held at the National
Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota,
ended last Saturday. The nine day
event was the first of its kind locally
and drew over 8,500 athletes from all
over North America.
Some people described the games
as very meaningful, a wonderful opportunity for Indian people to come
together and celebrate their culture.
The opening ceremony moved people
to tears as they watched the young athletes and dancers paraded about in
beautiful costumes only Indian people
could design. One spectator said of
the event, "I've never felt such pride
in my people."
Yet others, volunteers the PRESS
spoke with who worked to coordinate
the various athletic events, said they
were a "disaster" and that they only
"stayed for the kids." Reports of
scheduling problems, a shortage of
personnel and never being able to find
someone "in charge" occurred
throughout the nine day event.
One of the paid employees who
helped organize the Games had this
to say: "I don't want you to use my
name until others are willing to come
fonvard, but there needs to be an external audit as to how the money was
spent. The Games brought in over a
million dollars and no one has accounted for how the money was
spent."
"I don't see how they're going to be
able to make their reports to the
(State's) Attorney General's Office,"
the source continued. "One ofthe staff
complained that the check list showed
he had received checks that he claims
he didn't get."
Ed Lohnes, one ofthe Games' leading organizers, told the PRESS on
Thursday that an audit will be done
and the results will be made public.
He confirmed rumors that the event
ended with a $200,000 shortfall.
"I think things went fairly well, for
the amount of money we had, "
Lohnes said. He commented that some
ofthe bad publicity was coming from
people who were jealous and were
mad because they had their own
agenda to promote which the Games'
budget couldn't support.
Games con'td on pg 5
Games '95, preliminary reports conflict/ pg 1
Ottertail Power pulls plug on housing activists/ pg 1
Grand jury indicts gambling company/ pg 1
Chairwoman refuses to abide by recall vote/ pg 3
After 42 years, honor for Korean War vets/ pg 5
Voice of the Anishinabek (The People)
1
Ottertail Power pulls plug on housing
activists, neighbors
By Jeff Armstrong
Blocking access to public utilities is
the latest in a series of desperate
attempts by the Leech Lake
Resenation Housing Authority to
maintain control over tribal residency.
Despite the questionable legality of
the tactic, resenation Housing has
apparently found a willing accomplice
in Ottertail Power, a Fergus Falls-
based utility which provides electricity
to much of Leech Lake and part ofthe
White Earth Resenation.
Flanked by two Cass County
Sheriffs Deputies, Ottertail Power
employees called out by Housing cut
off power to a four-plex on Leech
Lake July 25. The move was an effort
to force the eviction of Michelle
LaRose, a formerly homeless mother
who began occupying a boarded-up
home on Tract 33 ofthe resenation to
protest what she and many others
claim is discriminator}7 treatment by
Housing. LaRose already faces
possible charges of trespassing for
each day ofthe several weeks she has
lived in the home she claims is hers by
right.
"First I'm a squatter. Now they're
trying to say I'm a thief," LaRose
said. "They're saying I'm stealing
electricity and trespassing, but this is
our land and I tried to hook the power
up in my name and they refused. If
anyone's trespassing and breaking
the law, it's not me."
Caught in the crossfire of competing
claims to ownership is 54 year old
Walter White, a seven-year resident
of the building who lost his electricity
through no fault of his own. White
says he has maintained good credit
with Ottertail, but was cut off by the
power company along with the other
two families residing there. Although
he has been offered temporary
relocation by Housing, White says he
resents being forced out of his home
over a dispute in which he was not
previously involved.
"I've got nothing against the people
next door. I just don't like being
thrown into the middle," White said.
"If they (Leech Lake Housing) want
me to move, they better have a good
excuse. I've been here seven years.
I've been through thick and thin, and
this is the first time I 've ever been told
I have to move."
Resenation activists are planning
to hold a demonstration outside of
Ottcrtail's downtown Bemidji office
on Friday, August 11 at 12 noon to
challenge what they define as the
company's unwarranted interference
in internal tribal affairs.
Pete Wasberg. manager of Oltertail's
Power cont'd on pg 3
The
Fifty Cents
Ojibwe
News
We  Support  Equal  Opportunity Far All  People
Founded   in 1988 Volume 7    Issue 7
■ mL\mw»mmmw-*-wmmmB-w-mimm-mm-mm-—ws-i-*
August 1 1, 1995
■=T|
A weekly publication.
Copyright. The Ojibwe Mews,  1995
Grand jury indicts gambling company
By Cris Ison
A federal grand jury returned the
first indictment Wednesday in a
multistate investigation of a
Minnesota slot-machine company,
International Gaming Management
(IGM), with alleged connections to
organized crime.
The 28-count indictment, expected
to be the first of several in the case,
alleges that Nevada Novelty Inc. of
Reno illegally transported 523 video
gambling machines to seven indian
casinos in Michigan before such
machines were legal there. Documents
were falsified to show that the
machines were being shipped
elsewhere, including to Duluth and
the Twin Cities, according to the
indictment.
Authorities say IGM, of St. Louis
Park, made more than $6 million
leasing the machines. That money
could be subject to forfeiture.
Two Twin Cities men affiliated with
IGM helped organize the illegal
shipments, according to search-
warrant documents previously filed
in the case. But the illegal shipments
are only a small part ofthe case that
has connections in New Jersey.
Louisiana and other states. And the
main target appears to be Jerry
Polinsky, a Duluth native now living
in New Jersey, who authorities say-
ran IGM from behind the scenes and
allegedly was affiliated with an
associate of Nevv York's Genovese
Mafia familv.
Neither Polinsky nor anyone else
from IGM has been indicted, and
Polinsky7 has denied wrongdoing. The
company's St. Louis Park offices, as
well as Polinsky's Nevv Jersey home,
were searched in July 1994. The
search-warrant affidavit alleged
racketeering, money laundering,
securities fraud and other violations.
A more recent affidavitalleged bribery
and stock manipulation.
Though the company's stock
plummeted after the searches, it is
still operating in St. Louis Park. Its
stock price has dropped from $ 1.50 a
year ago and as high as $11 two
years ago to around 18 cents in
recent weeks. Dan Zacharias. the
company's new chief executive
officer, said recently that
executives named in the federal
documents have stepped down and
that the company is cooperating with
authorities.
The slot machines involved in
Wednesday's indictment were
shipped from Nevada, New Jersey.
Florida and Pennsylvania. They
were used by seven tribes in
Michigan. The indictment charges
Nevada Novelty with violation of
federal gambling laws, interstate
transportation in aid of racketeering,
mail fraud and money laundering.
No one answered at the company's
Reno office late Wednesday.
Reprinted with permission of the
Minneapolis Star Tribune, A ugust 10,
edition.
Women on Leech Lake are claiming the right to a home for their families by reclaiming abandoned tract
33 homes. Submitted photo
Hospital seeks money from native men
Federal cuts biggest challenge for Indians,
BIA Director says
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ The
hospital that treated two American
Indian men who were awarded
$100,000 each in damages for being
transported in a police car trunk wants
the men to pay for hospital senices.
Hennepin County Medical Center
said the men must pay $24,286 for
bills that date back to 1989 and cover
hundreds of visits since then.
Last month, a jury found that the
rights of the two men, Charles Lone
Eagle and John Boney, were violated
two years ago by two police officers
who found them intoxicated outside
an apartment house and drove them
to the hospital in the trunk of their
patrol car.
"As far as I am concerned, they
have no third-party coverage, (so)
thev are responsible for their own
bill," said Roger Balagot, the
hospital's chief financial officer, on
Thursday.
Larry Leventhal, the men's attorney,
received a letter late last month from
a senior assistant Hennepin County
attorney telling him to "arrange" for
the $24,286 payment.
Leventhal responded that a check
of   court   records   showed   no
outstanding judgments against either
of his clients and asked for an
itemization of the bills. Leventhal
said both were indigent when
hospitalized.
But Leventhal stopped short of
saying that his clients won't pay the
bills.
"If it's established under law that
they owe the county money, I'm
confident they'll pay it," he said. "On
the other hand, if it turns out, as I
believe, that they owe nothing, then
Boney and Lone Eagle will consider
making a donation in appreciation of
Hennepin County services rendered."
KESHENA, Wis. (AP) _ Federal
budget cuts being considered by
Congress are the biggest challenge
facing the country's Indian tribes,
Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Ada
Deer says.
The upcoming budget could reduce
funding to tribal governments by 35
percent, affecting education on
resenations and other programs', said
Deer, a member of the Menominee
tribe of Wisconsin.
"These cuts are devastating," Deer
said. "They will negatively impact
the lives of tribal people every day."
The cuts are reminiscent of failed
legislation ofthe 1950s that sought to
terminate tribal funding, she said.
"Ironically, this Congress has not
learned from prior mistakes," Deer
said. "Their rhetoric is nevv, but the
message is the same."
The proposed cuts are unfair and
will break the Indians' trust and faith
in the federal government by
compromising its treaties and
commitments, she said.
"But cutting this funding as well as
other types of funding for the poor
and disadvantages, we are creating
nevv problems for our society," Deer
said. "These budget cuts are taking
away from the neediest."
Deer said her main priority as an
assistant secretary of the Interior
would be to get Republicans and
Democrats to work together in
establishing a kind ofMarshall Plan for
the country's Indian tribes.
"What I would like to see is a
bipartisan, long-range plan for Indians
that will provide a substantial investment for the next 10 years," she said.
"Some tribes like the Menominees
have made real economic
advancement in the past couple of
years and I think the country really
needs to look at its priorities before
these cuts are made."
Deer, appointed in 1993 by
President Clinton, made her
comments Sunday at a breakfast
meeting at the Menominee Casino.
Senate   committee   approves   Indian
gambling law changes
WASHINGTON (AP) Legislation
to boost the federal government's
role in regulating Indian casinos
won approval Wednesday from a
Senate committee. But neither the
tribes nor the nation's governors
were satisfied.
Tribes were solidly behind the
original version of the bill, which
was designed to resolve gambling
disputes that have arisen between
states and tribes.
That bill would have allowed
tribes to appeal directly to the U.S.
Interior Department if they could
not reach agreement with states on
gambling compacts within 120days.
The nevv version, approved
Wednesday by the Senate Indian
Affairs Committee, mirrors current
law, which allows the Interior
Department to be brought in only
after a tribe takes a state to court for
failing to negotiate in good faith.
"Depending on the ultimate shape
ofthe ... (Senate bill), we may have
to oppose" it, Richard G. Hill,
chairman of the National Indian
Gaming Association, wrote to Sen.
John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of
the Senate Indian Affairs
Committee.
The bill now moves to the full
Senate for consideration, sometime
afterthe August recess. In the House,
a bill that would impose tougher
restrictions on Indian gaming is
pending.
Judge orders new trial for former tribal chairman
Prairie Island Dakota want to build casino in Arden Hills
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (AP) _ The
Prairie Island Sioux have formally
asked the Minneapolis office of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs to buy the
site of an Army ammunition plant so
that the tribe can build a casino there.
Tribal leaders have discussed
building a casino at the 2,370-acre
site in the past, but have never
submitted a request in writing to the
bureau.
The tribe might have to wait for
some time before acquiring the land,
however. The Army isn't expected to
release the land until hazardous waste
sites in the area are cleaned up. That
process could take 50 years and cost
$200 million.
"We were aware through sources
that they've been continuing to pursue
it," said Dennis Probst, mayor of
Arden Hills. "But we didn't know
they had filed a request."
The request emphasizes that the
tribe is willing to presene open space
and wetlands in the area.
Tribal counsel Robert Grey Eagle
said tribal leaders want to meet with
residents to describe the mutual
benefits of a casino.
Grey Eagle said building the casino
makes sense because it will help tribal
members become financially self-
sufficient. Documents filed with the
bureau suggest the tribe is concerned
about the economic viability of its
Treasure Island casino near Northern
States Power Co.'s Prairie Island
nuclear power plant.
"The public who come to game at
the tribal business enterprise have
concerns about the safety ofbeing so
close to a nuclear power generating
plant and high-voltage power lines,"
the request said. "The road access on
and off Prairie Island is limited, and
this could cause serious problems if
there were a disaster, whether natural
or manmade."
But many residents of Arden Hills
and surrounding communities said
they are opposed to having a casino in
theirarea. Agroup called the Citizen's
Reutilization Committee meets
Saturday to discuss its own plans for
the site.
By Matt Kelley
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) _
Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux tribal
officials sought to determine the fate
of an election Monday after a federal
judge overturned the conspiracy
conviction of a former tribal chairman.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence
Piersol ordered a nevv trial for Russell
Hawkins, saying a U.S. Supreme
Court decision several weeks after
Hawkins' June conviction required
the reversal.
Piersol's decision caused more
confusion in the tribe's volatile
political situation. An election to fill
the remainder of Hawkins' two-year
term is scheduled for Tuesday. Tribal
officials tried to determine Monday
whether last week's ruling from
Piersol will affect that election.
"We'll just have to wait and see
how this all washes out," said Lorraine
Rousseau, a former tribal chainvoman
and candidate in Tuesday's election.
A federal jury' convicted Hawkins
June 2 of plotting to lie to a government
agency and steal from the Seminole
Tribe ofFlorida. The charges stemmed
from a scheme to illegally resell
surplus government equipment
obtained for Indian tribes.
On June 19, the Supreme Court
ruled that juries, not judges, must
decide whether false statements to
the government are "material." In
other words, the jury must ponder
whether the statements could have
influenced a government agency's
decisions, not just whether they were
true or false.
Piersol, following an earlier appeals
court ruling, had decided that question
for the jury. Piersol told jurors that
statements made by Hawkins associate
Roger Raether were material.
Raether, a Twin Brooks
businessman, was convicted of
conspiracy and lying to the General
Senices Administration. Piersol also
ordered a new trial for Raether.
A date for the second trial has not
been set.
The Sisseton-Wahpeton tribal
council, meanwhile, ousted Hawkins
three days after his conviction.
Tuesday' s election will determine who
will replace Hawkins as chairman of
the 10,000-member tribe.
Now that Hawkins' conviction has
been reversed, he could ask the tribal
council to reinstate him as chairman.
Hawkins did not return a telephone
message seeking comment Monday.