The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1993-07-23

              Casino corruption case is Midwest's first
AP, Minneapolis
In the first major'casino corruption
case in the Upper Midwest, a federal
grand jury indicted three members of
the Wisconsin Winnebago Nation
Wednesday on charges of helping an
outsider manage casinos illegally.
Two formal tribal council members
were indicted in Madison, Wis., on
charges of accepting bribes from a
Chicago man to allow him to manage
three casinos without the necessary
approval of the federal government.
A prosecutor said payoffs to the two
men totaled more than $70,000.
A woman was indicted on perjury
charges for allegedly lying to the grand
jury about $21,000 in checks she is
accused of tunneling from the Chicago
man, Glenn Corrie, to tribal council
members.
An FBI probe continues into
allegations involving Corrie and the
Winnebago Nation, and has expanded
to include other Wisconsin tribes that
he had contact with. TheU.S. attorney
in Madison who is prosecuting the
case, said more indictments of
Winnebago tribal members are
possible.
Members of other tribes in the Upper
Midwest have been prosecuted for
isolated, cases of skimming casino
money. Butthe Winnebagocase marks
the first prosecution of what is alleged
to be widespread corruption of a tribe's
casino management, a problem that
Corrie/ See Page 5
'Ironlegs" in Ashland, Wisconsin. 18 days and 250 miles later
Boswell pleads guilty in court to embezzlement/Page 5
Controversy rages on over NAP and Clyde's issues/Page 4
Peltier case is addressed by Senators/ Page 1
MNDNRGEIS hearings continue/Page 1
Corporate American violate Lakota Historical site/Page4
Voice ofthe Anishinabeg
Prairie Island Band wins at Minnesota
Supreme Court
NSP's dry caskstorage proposal to go to the state legislature
i
In an order issued Friday, July
15, the Minnesota Supreme Court
denied to review the petitions of
Northern States Power Company
(NSP), the Public Utilities Commission and the Minnesota
Department of Public Service in
the matter of nuclear waste storage at Prairie Island.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals
decision that NSP must bring the
storage issue to the state legislature stands. The Appeals Court
determined last month that NSP's
dry cask storage facility is perma
nent, and therefore falls under the
provisions of the Minnesota Radioactive Waste Management Act
and requires legislative approval.
The Prairie Island Mdewakanton
Dakota Tribe and the Prairie Island Coalition Against Nuclear
Storage are preparing now to organize a massive statewide campaign
to defeat NSP's proposal in the
state legislature.
"This is a great victory, and a
great day for democracy," said
Tribal Councilmember Edith
Pacini.' 'The laws of this state are
finally being upheld, and the citizens
of this state will at last have a voice,
through their elected officials, in the
critical decision of whether to store
high level nuclear waste on the banks
ofthe Mississippi River."
"We call on all our friends who
have supported us - the many tribes
and tribal organizations, the many
churches and religious organizations,
the citizen groups, and all of the
environmental and peace and justice
organizations in the state, to join with
us again as we prepare our legislative
effort."
The
Fifty Cents
Ojibwe
News
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
Founded in 1988 Volume 5   Issue 4        July 23, 1993
1
A weekly publication.
Copyright, The Ojibwe Mews, 1 993
International Falls Border Crossing rally
scheduled
By Mel Rasmussen
August 5,1993, at 1:00 P.M. there
will be a rally and march on the
Canadian border concerning
International Treaty Rights. The
purpose ofthe rally and march on the
border is in recognizing that there are
international treaties recognizing the
freedom of movement of Aboriginal
People across border lines.
This is the start of several treaty
conferences that are being held
between Indigenous people in the
United States and'Canada confirming
that international treaties would
respect and honor that the existence
of a artificial borderdoes not stop
treaties.
One ofthe more critical issues that
is occurring in the Eastern United
States is in the issuance of so-called
Jay cards to individuals so they can
gain Native American status. This
issue has become a concern as it has
been misused by non-Indians so that
they can become eligible for benefits
that have been set aside for Native
Americans exclusively.
According to Jerome Whiteman of
the Bois Forte Band there will be
several meetings on this side of the
border prior to the rally and march.
The next scheduled meeting willbe at
the Fortune Bay Conference facilities
at Nett Lake on August 28th at 1:00
pm.
Darrell "Chip" Wadena, President
of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe,
stated in a letter to concerned parties
the following: "We are writing to
invite and encourage your
participation in a 'Peaceful
Celebration    of   Our    Rights'
Border/See Page 3
"Ironlegs" is in Iron River, Wisconsin
By Mel Rasmussen
Since Jimmy "Ironlegs" Weaver left
on his walk to Washington, D.C, on
July 4th from Itasca State Park he has
met and made new friends on his
travels eastward. He is presently in
Wisconsin walking along Highway 2
towards Mackinaw Island where he
will turn south on his continuing
adventure.
Jimmy's last reported location as of
July 21st was 5 miles west of
Ironwood, Michigan. He is expected
to be at the Keeweenaw Bay Pow
Wow on Saturday. He is averaging
approximately eighteen to twenty
miles a day.
Jimmy is carrying a letter to the
President of the United States that
addresses some of the on-going
problems in Indian Country. Jimmy
gave a copy to the PRESS and wants
to ensure that everyone understands
its contents. The letter follows:
Our dreams must tell
what we cannot speak,
like footprints to Ishpeming (heaven).
They become new songs
weaving the winds to sing,
fanning the stars to shine,
lighting the trail to the sacred mound
where we say..."Mountain, you are
beautiful
and I am not afraid."
July 4, 1993
White Earth, MN
President William Jefferson Clinton
Weaver/See Page 3
Bemidji Area Residents watch and ponder the GEIS debates.
Photo by Mel Rasmussen
Timber Study debate rages over GEIS study
By Jim Ortiz
Bemidji State University was the site
of a raging debate over the issue of a
Generic Environmental Statement being
developed by the Minnesota
DepartmentofNatural Resources. There
were many pro and con remarks made
in favor to the statement: But the most
Leech Lake Wild Rice Project Made Priority signmcantwasmadebyaiccaiBemidji
Resident. His speech is printed below.
Mato Awanyankapi was eloquent in his
discussion on Indigenous issues and a
lot was taught to the people in attendence.
By Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, D.C. - At the
request ofU.S. Senator Paul Wellstone
(D-Minn), the Appropriations
Subcommittee on Agriculture and
Rural Development has made the
Leech Lake Reservation Wild Rice
Project a priority. According to the
language of the subcommittee, it
' 'expects'' the $500,000 project to be
funded by the Department of
Agriculture.
"In an effort to provide jobs for
reservation harvesters and processors,
the Leech Lake Tribal Council has
developed a tribally-operator wild rice
marketing program," Wellstone said.
"At a time when deficit reduction is
a top priority, competition is fierce
for limited dollars, the Wild Rice
Project should be funded because it
creates jobs, encourages economic
development and promotes true economic development."
"In the Appropriations process,
money has already been allocated
within the budget parameters for programs like the Wild Rice Project,"
Wellstone said. "Oneofmyjobsasa
U.S. Senator is to assure that Minnesota projects are included when this
money is earmarked."
According to Wellstone, having this
project included as a priority in the
agriculture appropriations bill by the
subcommittee was a major hurdle in
the appropriations process. Having a
project made a priority makes it much
more likely the full Appropriations
Committee will fund that project.
The agriculture appropriations bill
now goes to the full Appropriations
Committee and then to the Senate floor.
The Indigenous People of Northern
Minnesota and Southern Canada have
a cultural and spiritual stake in
preserving our forests. Our forests are
the home of sacred herb gathering sites,
sacredplacedusedforfastingand vision
quests, places that are historical to the
original teachings of our People. We
hope that you are aware that we are not
insensitive to the people who are
dependent on the forest through logging.
We know that their livelihoods and
income are dependent on the forests.
We too, have this concern, for we are
also dependent on the forests for our
Indigenous livelihood and subsistance.
So too, are the many other 1 ife forms and
habitat that depend on the forests for
their survival. We cannot disconnect
the forest as one issue and separate the
forest from the land, the water and the
air. We are here to express our concern
that our Indigenous cultures living in
the affected area of this gEIS document
be provided an oppportunity to speak.
Thesewhitepines and many oftheother
Timber/See Page 6
United State Senators appeal Peltier Case to
Janet Reno
By Mel Rasmussen
United States Attorney General
Janet Reno was sent a letter today
from 4 United State Senators concerning the Justice Departments stand
in arguing against an appeal in the
Leonard Peltier Case. Peltier had recently lost an appeals hearing in St.
Paul and now has the right to appeal
to the full Appeals Court in Washington, D.C. The four senators were
Senators Dennis Deconcini, New
Mexico, Daniel K. Inouye, Hawaii,
Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Colorado,
Paul D. Wellstone, Minnesota
Following is the letter that was
delivered to Attorney General Reno
at 11:00 am, Wednesday. The Honorable Janet Reno
Attorney General ofthe United States
Department of Justice
Washington, D.C. 20530
Dear Attorney General Reno:
We are writing to express our con-
Peltier/See Page 5
Politics delay efforts for accountability of E|ders meet wjth Unjted Way over pr0blems
MAIC
By Delvin Cree
It now appears that Minneapolis
City Council President Sharon SaylesBelton, a candidate for mayor in 1994,
is trying to back off from a pre-election
controversy for which she previously
showed concern for. In a June 15th
letter to Francis Fairbanks, Executive
Directorof theMinneapolis American
Indian Center, Ms. Sayles-Belton
expressed a desire for Ms. Fairbanks
to provide representatives of the
Native American Press with' 'certain
documentation regarding the
operation ofthe MAIC, such as board
minutes, annual reports, and other
information of a public nature.'' She
went on to state that "this is a
reasonable request and I hope you
would honor it..."
However, on July 9th William
Lawrence, Publisher of the Native
American Press, received a letter from
Ms. Sayles-Belton which reads as
follows:
Dear Mf. Lawrence: I am writing
you as a follow up to the article entitled,
"Mols.  Citv Council President
Supports Request for M.A.I.C.'s
Financial Records," which appeared
in your June 18th edition (Volume 3,
Issue 6).
Since this time I have had the
opportunity to meet with
representatives of the Minneapolis
American Indian Center including
Frances Fairbanks, Executive
Director, and JoAnn Stately, Chair of
the Board. I was informed that they
have provided your representatives
all the information the paper had
requested, except that information
which relates to employee records or
personnel files, which are protected
by Data Privacy Laws.
I have also contacted city staff and
have been informed that the MAIC is
in compliance with its contracts with
the city of Minneapolis. It is important
that the lines of communication
remain open between the press, the
public, and theMinneapolis American
Indian Center.
I hope this addresses the concerns
your representatives brought to my
attention.
On Julv 14wenrovidedMs. Savles-
Belton with a response from Mr.
Lawrence. It reads as follows:
Dear Ms. Belton: I am writing to
you on behalf of the staff of The
Native American Press and other
members of the Minneapolis
American Indian community who
have called for a complete
investigation of the management
practicesat theMinneapolis American
Indian Center.
We were disappointed to receive
your letter of July 2. You stated that
after meeting with Frances Fairbanks
and JoAnn Stately you were satisfied
that they had provided us with all the
information we were allowed to have.
I can only imagine what you were told
by Ms. Fairbanks and Ms. Stately
although I am sure it implied our
interest in this matter was of a purely
personal nature. It would certainly be
to their advantage to take your
attention off of the real issues, but I
can assure you this is not some type of
vendetta.
Belton/SeePaze3
at Indian Family Services
By Gary Blair
It appears the Minneapolis United
Way may be granting funds to Native
American programs that lack service
accountability. On July 14, 1993, Native American Elders Florence
Raisch,Carmen Harlen and Beulah
Roberson met with the agency' s Fund
Distribution Associates, Kenyari
Bellfield and John Bona, to discuss
ongoing problems at Indian Family
Services, a program serving the social needs ofNative American Elders
and thehandicapped.
The agency funds the bulk of IFS'
$165,000 annual budget. Last month
the PRESS carried a story entitled
"Elders look to community for support of mismanagement claims
against IFS." In the article Raisch,
who serves as spokesperson for the
IFS clients, described the mismanagement as a decline in services
brought on by certain staff being continuously involved in what she called
''malenizing'', the feminine version
of "womanizing." Conduct that she
says occurs in the office or takes
certain female staff away from the
office and has caused their program
Elders/See Page 3
PNHTDirectorOwenstomeetwith community
on July 26th
By Delvin Cree >
Since the last PRESS article regarding
the Phillips Neighborhood Housing
Trust [PNHT], one of PNHT's
employees is speaking openly about the
problems taking place within the
organization. This employee has asked
to be kept anonymous forthe time being
due to possible retaliation from
Christopher Owens, PNHT's director.
The employee we talked to said that
she has been with the housing agency
for three years now and hasn't recieved
a raise in pay. When questioned why
she hasn't found other employment,
she stated that she likes working around
here own people. She also said that
there are numerous problems at the
agency that she says relate to
discrimination. The women is African
American.
Another African American woman
contacted the PRESS last fall when she
'
was in fear of losing her job at PNHT.
At that time the women was a caretaker
for one ofthe arpartment buildings. She
explained that she was fearful of losing
her job because she was addressing
some of the problems created by the
management. The next day her fear
came true and she was terminated. Soon
after, her co-worker, who isalso African
American, resigned from the agency.
PNHT/SeePage3