The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1995-11-03

              HOTESS protestors show strength and
organization
By Gary Blair
Problems at the Heart of the Earth
Survival School (HOTESS) located in
southeast Minneapolis continue to
erupt. The latest complaints allege
that school funds have been misused
by school board co-chairman Clyde
Bellecourt. Individual school board
members, former staff and parents
who protested last week at the school,
say they'll ask the U.S. Attorney's
office in Minneapolis to investigate
the school's financial affairs.
Allegations that Bellecourt has
abused the school's funds were leveled
at a meeting held Monday evening at
the American Indian Opportunities
and Industrialization Center (AIOIC)
located in south Minneapolis.
Bellecourt, who was ousted from AIM
last year, was accused of misuse ofthe
school's credit cards and of taking
money for personal use and travel.
The PRESS attempted to contact
Bellecourt concerning the accusations
but he was not available by press time.
On Tuesday, three temporary
restraining orders and one assault
summons were served on three ofthe
demonstrators who protested outside
the school last week. Served were Rita
Rogers, age 72, a longtime HOTESS
board member, her daughters Jean
Rogers and Dolly Rogers Means. Rita
Rogers was also sened a summons to
appear in court for allegedly hitting
the school's new director, Timothy
Woodhull, in the mouth with a pop
caa The incident was reported to have
occurred during a heated school board
meeting. November 7th is the
scheduled court date in the matter.
Dolly Means is the wife of Bill
Means, director of AIOIC, who has
been a longtime Bellecourt supporter.
(Bellecourt is president of AIOIC's
board of directors.) Dolly Means also
serves as a HOTESS board member.
Bill Means recently resigned his
position on the HOTESS board.
Dolly Means told the PRESS on
Wednesday "I am not sending my
children to school with that maniac
still there." Mrs. Means said her
remarks were directed at the school's
director Timothy Woodhull. She
added that one of her children had
attended the school for eight years and
the other for four years.
Signs for the protest were made by
the school's students. Some of the
signs read: "Honk if you don't like
Clyde Bellecourt; No felons; No
more drug dealers; Fire Tim;
Impeach the board."
The latest round of problems at the
school evolved when many ofthe long
term teachers' contracts were not
renewed for this school year. Other
firings and resignations occurred as
well. School board meetings than
became heated and rumors were
confirmed that Woodhull was a
comicted drug dealer who had served
time for "conspiracy to distribute and
possession with intent to distribute
cocaine."
Woodhull served 39 months in a
federal prison at LaTuna, Texas, and
was released November 6, 1992. He
was hired as HOTESS' new director
on July 16th of this year. Rumors that
he had served similar time for similar
crimes with Clyde Bellecourt, at the
Rochester, MN, federal medical
facility, were unfounded.
Those who attended the recent
AIOIC meeting say Woodhull has also
been convicted of larceny and
weapons violations and is considered
dangerous by the Minneapolis police.
They say police officers who were
called to the school during the
protesting told them about Woodhull's
other charges and their feelings about
him. They also say Woodhull, 47,
claims to be an American Indian from
Nebraska and plans to move his
family to the Twin Cities in the near
future.
BIA funding issue stays off the table in
negotiating session
The U.S. Interior Department
spending bill went back to a House-
Senate negotiating committee, but
the panel voted against restarting
debate on whether to give more
money to the Bureau of Indian
Affairs.
The Senate voted earlier this year
to cut more than $250 million from
the BIA's $1.7 billion budget.
The BIA budget is part ofthe $12
billion Interior Department
spending bill, which had been
approved by a House-Senate
negotiating team.
But the House sent the bill back
after rejecting a provision that would
have lifted a yearlong moratorium
on selling mining rights on federal
land for as little as $2.50 an acre.
At the start of Tuesday's hearing,
Rep. Ralph Regula, R-Ohio, the
committee's co-chairman, said the
committee would limit itself to the
mining issue and a few other
provisions so it could get its work
done quickly.
A proposal by Rep. Sidney Yates,
D-Ill., to bring the BIA spending
issue back to the table was rejected.
The Clinton administration has
threatened to veto the bill because
ofthe cuts. But Sen. Pete Domenici,
R-N.M., said "I haven't heard the
administration turn a stitch to try to
help us find some funding for the
Indian people."
Domenici said he is considering
not supporting the committee's final
report when it goes before the
Senate.
Tribe files lawsuit to bar BIA pink slips
YANKTON, S.D. (AP) _ Yankton
Sioux Tribal leaders filed a federal
lawsuit to haltBureau of Indian Affairs
cuts they believe will jeopardize tribal
members' health and welfare.
The tribe filed suit in U.S. District
Court in Sioux Falls on Monday.
Tribal leaders want the court to
follow the lead of a North Dakota
judge who last month barred layoff
notices from going to the Turtle
Mountain Band of Chippewa.
The BIA plans to implement a 10
percent cut that means eliminating
116 South Dakota jobs. That includes
10 positions in the Yankton agency.
Named as defendants are the U.S.
Interior Department; Ada Deer, U.S.
Interior Department assistant
secretary; Hilda Manuel, Indian
Affairs deputy commissioner; and Joe
Walker, acting director of the
Aberdeen Area BIA office.
The cuts will affect vital services to
the tribe, said tribal lawyer James
Abourezk of Sioux Falls.
"Both the tribe and its members
will suffer irreparable harm because
the downsizing in the agency will
directly affect the tribe's ability to
provide for the health, safety, welfare
and   economic   securitv  of its
State-Indian issues aired
By Joe Kafka
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) _ There will be
little economic development on South
Dakota's Indian reservations until
tribal officials adopt codes of civil
laws, Goy. Bill Janklow told
legislators Monday.
Businesses that may be interested
in locating on reservations will
hesitate to do so because of uncertain
legal status, he said.
"That's a tremendous limiting factor
... for economic development," the
governor told the State-Tribal
Relations Committee.
The panel's ongoing duty is to help
foster better relations between state
government and South Dakota's nine
Indian tribes.
Officials from each tribe were
invited to the session. Only one
showed up, and another tribal leader
sent a letter.
Some tribes, such as the Yankton
Sioux, have used gambling casino
profits to branch out into other
business ventures, said Rep. Jim
Putnam, R-Armour.
"Once one sees success, how can
one not try to do the same thing in
their area? They have solved some of
their own problems."
But Mel Lone Hill, vice president of
the Oglala Sioux Tribe, told the
committee that gambling casinos are
not as lucrative as some think.
"Casinos are not the saviors of this
country or tribes," he said.
While reservation casinos in the
more populated area of eastern South
Dakota are doing well, others are
struggling, said George Valentine,
who has lobbied for many Indian
tribes.
"When you get out here in western
South Dakota, you don't have any
customers. You have to go get them,"
Valentine said.
Buses must be used to bring
customers from long distances, he
said.
Some progress is being made as
state government continues working
with Indian tribes over divisive issues,
Janklow7 said.
KESHENA. Wis. (AP) _ The leader
of a conspiracy to sell cocaine and
marijuana on the Menominee Indian
Resenation is the wife of a recently
fired tribal police detective, authorities
said Friday.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Mario
Gonzales said investigators have ruled
out for now that the former officer
hadany role in Patricia Brisk'salleged
drug operation.
In an indictment issued this week
by a federal grand jury in Milwaukee,
Brisk and 15 others were charged
with conspiracy to deal cocaine and
marijuana on the resenation and
throughout northeastern Wisconsin.
The indictment, made public
Thursday, identified Brisk, 50, as the
"principal leader and organizer" of
the operation that began last year.
James B. Brisk Jr., 19, who
according to court documents "resides
with" Patricia Brisk, and four other
women identified as relatives of the
woman were also charged in the
investigation.
The indictment names 10 people
from Keshena on the resenation, two
Tribal sovereignty more illusion than real/ pg 4
HOTESS protestors show strength & organiza./ pg 1
Anish. Maadaadiziwin: Peoples' New Journey/ pg 5
BIA funding issue stays off the negot. session/ pg 1
Report cites tribal casinos' econ. benefits/ pg 1
Voice ofthe The People
1
"There is a willingness by tribes,
some more than others, to really sit
down and resolve these things," the
governor said. "We've got to work
them out."
Jurisdiction over fish and wildlife,
law enforcement and taxes are the
most difficult issues to solve, he said.
The governor said he preferred
working out differences with each
tribe rather than trying to reach
agreements all would find acceptable.
Tribes are not the sovereign
governments they claim to be, Janklow
said. A U.S. Supreme Court decision
said tribes are "akin" to sovereign
nations, he said.
Michael Sprang from the South
Dakota Peace and Justice Center
suggested that the state and tribes
attempt to reach an accord, or
diplomatic agreement, as a start
toward improved relations.
If state government is really serious
about harmony with Indian tribes, it
would return sacred lands that were
taken from the Sioux manyyears ago,
he added.
Authorities say drug ring leader is wife of
fired tribal detective
from Chicago, two from Milwaukee
and one from Green Bay. One person
had no address.
The U.S. attorney's office said the
arrests involved the largest ever in
terms of quantity of drugs dealt on the
resenation. but no specifics were
available.
"They generated a substantial
amount of money during this period,"
Gonzales said.
According to the indictment, some
of the defendants used "coded
language" in telephone conversations
to complete drug deals.
Native
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members," Abourezk said.
Regardless, the tribe should be
consulted before the BIA makes cut^
he said.
The tribe wants a federal judge to
order the BIA to consult with the tribe
before making any changes.
However, if the North Dakota case
is any indication, a federal judge may
make little difference. After U.S.
District Judge Rodney Webb of Fargo,
N.D., decided it was premature for
the BIA to send out pink slips, the
agency disregarded his view and
decided to go ahead with the notices.
Deer Season opens Saturday November the 4th.   Good Luck!
Former tribal official sentenced
Staff photo by Rainbird
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A
former Cheyenne-Arapaho tribal
official was sentenced Monday to 15
months in prison for her part in an
embezzlement scandal.
Juanita Learned, 65, was the last of
four former tribal officials who were
convicted in July of fraudulently filing
for salary advances, travel expenses
and other items.
U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron
also ordered Ms. Learned to pay $400
in restitution to the tribe and serve
two years of probation when her jail
term ends.
Cauthron ruled the former business
committee chainvoman caused the
Concho-based tribe to lose more than
$23,000.
Ms. Learned was convicted on eight
counts of taking funds from salary
advances and travel expenses. The
judge ordered her to report to sene
time by Nov. 27, and she must
complete 208 hours of community
senice upon her release.
Three others named in a 32-count
indictment issued last March already
have been sentenced. They are former
state Sen. Mike Combs, a former tribal
business manager; Viola Hatch, ex-
tribal treasurer; and Mike Shadaram,
former tribal finance director.
Combs and Hatch each received
one-year terms, while Shadaram was
sentenced to 15 months. Each
defendant was convicted of converting
tribal money to their personal use by
filing falsified claims for payments.
The judge' s rulings and prosecutors'
allegations state the tribe lost
$67,213.26 in all from the illegal
activities, which occurred between
1989 and 1991.
The figures include alleged
payments that were not part of formal
convictions but which may be included
under federal sentencing guidelines.
Report commissioned by tribe cites
casinos' economic benefits
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ A report
commissioned by a Minnesota Indian
tribe concludes that tribal casinos,
rather than hurting local economies
as critics suggest, have prompted
significant business growth in many
rural areas.
The impact of casinos on the growth
of rural businesses "is not dramatically
huge, but it's pretty substantial," said
Stephen Hoenack, a professor at the
University of Minnesota's Humphrey
Institute of Public Affairs. Hoenack
conducted the study for the Mille
Lacs Band of Chippewa.
According to the report released
Sunday, communities within 3 5 miles
of seven Minnesota casinos
experienced an overall increase in
businesses from 1990 to 1994, when
tribal gambling grew rapidly in the
state.
Communities within 35 miles of
seven other casinos saw a decline in
businesses during the period, but the
study attributes the drop to long-term
economic problems unrelated to
casinos. Instead, those casinos spurred
the creation of businesses that
prevented the decline from being
worse, the report says.
"People say we're killing Main
Street," said Doug Twait, an attorney
for the Mille Lacs Band. "We are
afraid that mentality _ that we are
benefiting at the expense of others _
has taken hold in Congress and the
state Legislature." Proposals to tax or
othenvise curb casinos have been
made both in St. Paul and Washington.
New businesses opened in response
to a market created by thousands of
people spending money at casinos,
the reportsaid. Theenterprises include
large motels, convenience stores, fast-
food establishments, gas stations and
retail stores; together they employ an
estimated 3,400 people, the report
says.
The impact of tribal casinos on
surrounding non-Indian businesses
has been a hotly debated topic in
Minnesota ever since high-stakes
casinos opened in 1991 in the state.
Non-Indian business operators have
long complained that casinos divert
leisure money from surrounding
businesses and enjoy a competitive
advantage because they typically are
exempt from property taxes. Forty
Report cont'd on pg 3
Casino-funded schools' executive fired
MILWAUKEE (AP) _ An Indian
school supported by gambling revenue
fired its chief executive officer and
seven employees and had them
escorted off the grounds by security
officers.
Loretta Ford, who also sened as
head ofthe Indian Community School
board for 11 years, said the dismissals
during a board meeting Tuesday were
a surprise.
"I was unaware of any
reorganization that was taking place,"
she said. "If they thought there was
something wrong, I should have been
given a chance to correct it."
The urban school has about 200
students and 89 teachers, controller
Jim Green said.
"Basically what you're looking at is
a reorganization of the school," Green
said.
The school on the city's west side is
supported by revenue from a
downtown Potawatomi casino.
The tribe and school get 60 percent
ofthe profits while 40 percent goes to
a management firm that financed
construction ofthe gambling hall.
Five people were dismissed and two
suspended in October in the
Potawatomi gambling operation.
Ford said she was fired because she
suspended a principal Oct. 20 in
response to "serious problems at the
school," declining to elaborate.
The principal, Fred Bartelt, was
reinstated Tuesday, she said.
Also fired were the school's
directors of security, culture and
engineering, its student advocate, a
clerk, a secretary and a security officer.