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Tribe Pins Dreams on Casino7 July 2000JAMUL, CALIFONIA -- July 7, 2000 - As reported by Associated Press: "They may have just 56 members and 6 acres of land, but the small band of Jamul Indians has dreams for the future that only money can bring. "…Carlene Chamberlain, vice chairwoman of one of California's smallest tribes, recalls life on the reservation, 20 miles east of San Diego, with her four young children, relying on welfare and sharing a dirt-floor home with no indoor plumbing. Now she thinks of what could be done with the $5 million to $7 million the tribe's planned casino could bring in every month. "…Yet many of her non-Indian neighbors are demanding that the Jamuls (pronounced ha-MULS') find some other enterprise. "A main concern is the matter of size: Two of the Jamuls' six acres are taken up by a cemetery. That leaves only a parcel the size of three football fields for a gambling hall that is to be four to 10 stories high. "…`This is a unique situation because other tribes have hundreds of acres to deal with,' resident Rick Hennen said. `Jamul has six acres in a residential area with a creek running through the property and a school bus stop in front.' "…Near the Barona Indian Reservation, residents of Lakeside fear water being used to irrigate a new golf course will deplete the town's supply. "…Since striking the gaming compact earlier this year, developers have given the tribe a monthly stipend of $100,000. Once the casino begins operating, project backers Kean Argovitz Resorts of Texas and Minnesota's Lakes Gaming stand to share one-third of its profits for five years. "…Politicians who back the opposition voiced by Jacob, the county supervisor who lives in Jamul, acknowledge that they can do little. It's a matter for the tribe and the federal government -- one sovereign nation to another, said state Sen. David Kelley, R-Idyllwild..." |