By Jessica Tavares
Auburn Journal
My Tribe - the United Auburn Indian Community - has been homeless for 40 years, the length of time Moses wandered the desert in search of the Promised Land. Our reservation - where we were forcibly relocated after the discovery of gold in the 1840s and the theft of our lands by prospectors - was illegally sold and our Tribe officially "terminated" by the federal government in 1958.
In 1994, Congress responded to these past injustices with the Auburn Restoration Act, which reestablished the Tribe's recognition and determined the Tribe could select new reservation land in Placer County. Once we acquire our reservation, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act provides that we can operate a casino if we have an agreement with the State of California. We have that agreement and we have found land for our reservation. We have even gone further and negotiated an accord with Placer County that assures environmental protections and other benefits for residents.
Now, Lincoln, Rocklin, and Roseville, spurred by objections from some self-described "anti-gambling" residents, are demanding that we move or pursue another business. They say we are too close to homes, despite the fact that Placer County suggested the site - land that is industrially zoned, buffered from residential areas, and located adjacent to a landfill. It is a sensible place for a casino enterprise.
As we worked with the State and County, the cities asked us to negotiate similar agreements with them, stating they would provide the same services made available to other area businesses. Instead, we have been refused sewage hook-up by Lincoln and accused of being insensitive to residents' interests.
These attempts at banishment are unfortunately nothing new to Indians, but they are unfair and unrealistic. The site we want and need must attract an investor in order for the Tribe to obtain the necessary funds to purchase the land. Gambling is the one profitable enterprise that attracts sufficient capital.
Those who urge tribes to pursue different ventures, including "refuse disposals" or "partnering with high-tech firms," should know that there are no investors clamoring to get in on these enterprises on tribal land because there are no special benefits. That is why we embrace and assert our legal right to become self-sufficient by pursuing gambling.
Our Tribe cannot be forced from the area. We will be a good neighbor and believe most County residents support us. We have proposed a business that is legal for our Tribe and that creates jobs and economic growth. For us, gambling is an engine to drive economic development so that we can meet the governmental needs of our people - housing, health care, and education.
Californians should have the opportunity to spend their gambling dollars on Indian lands. That is the view of the vast majority of California voters who approved Proposition 5 in 1998 and who will approve Proposition 1A in March 2000. It is what Congress, the President, two California Governors (Wilson and Davis), and Placer County have affirmed in legislation and agreements with our Tribe. City officials should join these cooperative efforts rather than continue to provide Indians with empty promises or try to placate uncompromising naggers.
Jessica Tavares is Chairperson of the United Auburn Indian Community.
Copyright © 1999, Auburn Journal
