The Verifiable Truth: BIA to review Barwest/Los Coyotes off-reservation casino plan again

Monday, June 09, 2008

BIA to review Barwest/Los Coyotes off-reservation casino plan again

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is giving an off-reservation casino in California a second review after it was rejected by former assistant secretary Carl Artman. This latest off-reservation scheme is another attempt by Detroit-based casino syndicators to establish gambling in Barstow, CA.

In a notice published in the Federal Register on 6.06.08, the BIA said it will prepare another Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the off-reservation casino sought by the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians and its partners at Detroit-based Barwest LLC (Marian Ilitch and Michael J. Malik, Sr.). Ilitch and Malik were behind the push to establish gambling in Detroit, MI; and Ilitch is the owner of Detroit's MotorCity Casino. For more than a decade, Malik has been trying to push plans through Congress for another off-reservation casino in Port Huron, MI.

According to the Notice, the Los Coyotes tribe seeks to acquire 45 acres in Barstow, more than 100 miles from its reservation. The 45-acre parcel, and at least another 50 acres or more, are currently controlled by Barwest's Michael Malik.

Through Barwest, Malik and Marian Ilitch would transfer title over the property to be held in trust for the San Diego-based Los Coyotes tribe. In exchange, the casino syndicators get the exclusive rights to develop and manage the future casino and resort. Malik and Ilitch could take as much as 30% of the tribe's annual casino earnings back to Detroit.

Artman rejected the Barwest/Los Coyotes project in January because he said the gaming site was too far from the reservation. However, the Los Coyotes tribe, encouraged by its financial backers, renewed the proposal.

The Big Lagoon Rancheria was part of Barwest's previous proposal for a dual-casinos resort project in Barstow but the Rancheria is no longer seeking an off-reservation casino. That previous dual-casinos plan would have split the 45-acre parcel between the two tribes.

Now, Barwest seeks to transfer its entire 45-acre Barstow parcel for the exclusive use of the Los Coyotes tribe. A Municipal Services Agreement (MSA) between the Los Coyotes tribe and the City of Barstow allows for a Los Coyotes casino resort project not to exceed 20 acres. This latest scheme is more than twice that size.

In 2004, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected plans for a Los Coyotes stand-alone casino on 20-acres in Barstow. And in 2006 & 2007, the California Legislature failed to approve plans for the proposed dual-casinos resort.

The 6.06.08 Federal Register Notice gives the public until July 7th to comment on "what should be covered" in the new EIS.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...: Once you've put who knows how many $Millions$ of dollars into a project I guess you've pretty much given up on that old saying concerning 'beating a dead horse'.
Clearly, the Govrnor would not give them a compact in 2004 and even the "partnership" between Los Coyotes and the Big Lagoon was predicated upon the successful ratification of the Big Lagoon compact; if Big Lagoon failed then Los Coyotes immediately failed as well.
Now that the Big Lagoon are out of the picture, BarWest wishes to put their full 45 acres into the stand alone Los Coyotes project; something that the City of Barstow had refused to do earlier holding the Los Coyotes to a 20+ acres only footprint.
Add to their failures over the last 5 years to get a compact or to get ratification of their proposed compacts Carl Artmans letter denying their Fee-to-Trust transfer of land. These two issues really go hand in hand as they go to the question of ancestral, historical land usage of the Barstow area. Los Coyotes has none; they are not mentioned in the Barstow General Plan as one of the 4 principal Tribes who have that nexus to the Barstow area and for that reason will not get the support of Indian organizations such as the Tribal Alliance of Soveriegn Indian Nations (TASIN)or California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA).; June 11, 2008 at 9:54:00 AM PDT
Anonymous said...: I agreed with Anon all the way up til Anon made the totally laughable post about the Barstow General Plan. Barstow was carved out of the Western Shoshone Homeland, no other tribe short of a Shoshone one should of ever have been considered. All parties on all sides know about the Treaty of Ruby Valley and the extent of the Shoshone land claim yet all sides refuse to even mention it because it would destroy their chances. Don't pander false and misleading information, if you want to know the truth get on google and search for the Western Shoshone, get on the Library of Congresses website and search for the Treaty of Ruby Valley as well.

Also the only reason they wouldn't get any support is because they are opposed by the big gaming tribes. As long as Barstow continues to deal with a non-shoshone tribe they will have a reduced chance to get a casino, that is if they even have a chance anymore. The principles behind Barwest have shown at least from what I have read on this site that they are perfectly willing to wait years upon years in the hopes that a few million invested will turn into hundreds of millions in returns down the road. Ahhh to be rich and bored.; June 12, 2008 at 11:38:00 AM PDT
Anonymous said...: I have read with some interest the posts of splixx over time and agree with most of what he has to say. What I don't understand is his complete denial of any other Tribes other than the Western Shoshone. Barstow was a common area to various Tribes; among them the Chemehuevi, Kawaiisu, Serrano and Mojave. AND of course there were the Vanyume first and foremost. This can be seen at the "monument" in front of the Mojave River Valley Museum and in the Barstow General Plan.
Add to this fact that the Chemehuevi have used the Newberry Springs, Calico, Daggett, Yermo, Barstow, Silver Lakes, Victorville, Stoddard Valley, Apple Valley, Lucerne Valley, Adelanto and Hesperia areas for thousands of years. Most of these cities are built on the ancient village sites and cemeteries of native peoples.
There is the large and ancient village site and cemetery found at 'Lane's Crossing' on the Old Spanish Trail; present day Oro Grande. The "last Indian battle" in Southern California history is said to have occurred at Chimney Rock in the Lucerne Valley involving a reported 150 to 200 Chemehuevi, there were battles in the Rodman Mountains and the famous Camp Cady campaign against the Chemehuevi. There is the grave of Maria Chapula a renowned Chemehuevi basket maker who was born in Atongaibit (now Victorville/Hesperia) and died there in 1960 at the age of 104, but remembers having lived a short while in a Chemehuevi village in Barstow during her life.
There is the burial site in the Ord Mountains and the Chemehuevi Cemetery near Zyzxz at Soda Lake. There were three cowboys killed n 1856 by 20 to 30 Chemehuevi at the old Duncan Ranch which was known as the ancient village of Guapiabit; now known as the historic a Floras Ranch in Summit Valley. According to the US Federal Census there were 44 Indians living in Hesperia through 1900 to 1910; further research has shown that 37 were Chemehuevi and the remaining 7 were Kawaiisu. Lastly many modern ethnohistorians believe it was the Kawaiisu and Chemehuevi who inhabited the present day location of Ft. Irwin. Given all these facts you can be assured that Chemehuevi lived in and around the present day city of Barstow.; June 13, 2008 at 4:28:00 PM PDT
Anonymous said...: You know what I traveled through Europe, that does not mean that my ancestors can claim any ties to the area. The ultimate authority is the Federal Government, it is they that say whether or not a tribe is in fact a tribe. The Federals signed a Treaty with the Western Shoshone outlining what the US government recognized as the Ancestral Homeland of the Western Shoshone. It would not matter if other tribes have traveled through, fought battles or lived in the Shoshone Homeland, it is still the Shoshone Homeland.

What I don't understand is how people like you that now obviously know the truth are still living in denial and trying to cling to other tribes having some claim to the Barstow area. In fact there was someone a while ago spouting the same BS that ANON is using, weird. You like all others that are on the side of one of these potential gaming tribes can bluster day and night about how they can lay claim because of some trivial event. Ooooooo so and so died or fought a war they have a claim, that would be the same as saying every American family that lost someone in Vietnam or Grenada, or Lebanon, or Iraq or Afghanistan can somehow lay claim to that country, it is beyond preposterous and bordering on laughable.

As usual people can point to trivial events and huff and puff about how it gives one tribe a claim and I will continue to point at the Treaty of Ruby Valley and laugh. I have always said if I am wrong I will freely admit it, however so far 5 years later no one has proven anything other than they can find useless information and try to spin it into something significant. It is blatantly obvious that ANON is on the side of the Chemehuevi and therefore incapable of seeing the real truth.
By your own admission if I had an ancestor living in another tribes area I could lay some kind of claim, guess I better quit bantering back and forth and look for that ancestory so I can move onto my new land.; June 13, 2008 at 7:53:00 PM PDT
Anonymous said...: Splixx,
1st] the Treaty of Ruby Valley exerts the Western Shoshone southern boundary is "on the south by Wi-co-bah and the Colorado Desert". So, their boundary stops at the Colorado Desert and does not extend across it. By this example their path to Barstow would be blocked by the Kitanemuk, Kawaiisu and Chemehuevi.
2] if you read history you will see that the Chemehuevi are southern Shoshone.
3] Your quote is "the ultimate authority is the Federal Government". Since you rely so heavily on the US Government to establish who is and who is not Indian and their claims as to land, how do you explain the ruling by the US Supreme Court supporting 'United States vs Dann'which said "the Shoshone's aboriginal title has been extinguished [470 US 39, 1985."; June 16, 2008 at 10:53:00 AM PDT
Anonymous said...: Wicobah is the Shoshone word for the Joshua tree basically, also do a search for Colorado desert and see where it is. You will find that it is down by 29 Palms which is....DING.....south of Barstow.

As far as I know Chemehuevi are Southern Paiutes, least thats what they claim they are.

You should really do more research before you try to bring any of the multitudes of legal briefs into the argument. I mean really read the briefs and documents before posting as you will make yourself look foolish. I am not going to hold your hand and spell it out for you. You wanna play with the big dogs then research.

I will say that the Government says the Treaty was abrogated almost after is was signed by the "gradual encroachment of "White Men". Kind of funny since the treaty specifically allowed for "The White Man" to enter and live and prospect and whatnot within the Shoshone Homeland. As far as the claim being extinguished nice how you glossed right over the fact that they used the basis that the Federal Government accepted the money on behalf of the Shoshone and the money still sits untouched in the Treasury as no Shoshone will accept it. You completely left out everything in between, and since we know the no court ever gets anything wrong then you must be right. LOL But for arguments sake it really doesn't matter if the Treaty is still valid or abrogated or its status in dispute, it still clearly states where the Shoshone Homeland is and Barstow is still within the Shoshone Homeland.

Like I said you are atypical of the people that plague the Barstow casino. You are so obviouslly a puppet of the Chemehuevi that you only post the one thing that will help your argument and leave out the thousands of things that won't. Nice Try

NEXT; June 16, 2008 at 11:17:00 AM PDT

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Monday, June 09, 2008

BIA to review Barwest/Los Coyotes off-reservation casino plan again

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