Friday, April 19, 2013

Jamul Indian Village: Five Years AFTER Beatings and Evictions, Now closer to Getting Casino

Here is how those beatings went down:


The scene at the Jamul Indian Village on March 10 mixed irony with pathos in a combination that demonstrated the intense emotions that surround the proposal to construct a casino in Jamul (“Despite promise, homes demolished for casino,” Our Region, March 13). Walter Rosales and Karen Toggery sought two things – to preserve their homes, and to show respect for the remains of their ancestors buried on the land. 

According to construction plans, their land, which they have lived on since childhood, and their homes will be bulldozed. Their ancestors' remains will be desecrated by a phantasmagoria of cement and neon that will be erected over their graves. They were evicted from their homes and jeered by the evictors. Dozens gathered to protest the eviction, facing pepper spray and beatings with metal batons to do so

As we stood with Walter and Karen on that Saturday morning, a backhoe loomed in the foreground, obscuring the view of a hillside dotted with crosses from the Indian cemetery. Native American activists have persuaded politicians at the state and local levels to pass laws prohibiting desecration of the remains of their ancestors. Yet, apparently, such laws can be flouted with impunity by those who urged their passage.


NOW, FIGURING THEIR CUSTOMERS WON"T REMEMBER OR CARE about their actions.


The Jamul Indians are one step closer to building a new casino in East County.

The tribe has entered into an agreement with Penn National Gaming, a developer of casinos and racing establishments, to build a Hollywood-themed casino in Jamul. The proposed $360 million casino is significantly scaled back from previous versions, which at one point included a 30-story hotel. The latest plans are for a three-story, 200,000 square-foot casino with bars, restaurants, at least 1,700 slots and 50 game tables. A parking structure would fit more than 1,900 cars.

The plan still needs approval from Caltrans for road access. The community hasn't signed off, either.

The casino has faced staunch opposition from residents of Jamul, which is about 20 miles east of San Diego. They're concerned about the projected traffic increase and potential problems with clientele, impacts on services and the threat to their way of life.

2 comments:

White Buffalo said...

Ironically Pathos

“The scene at the Jamul Indian Village on March 10 mixed irony with pathos in a combination that demonstrated the intense emotions that surround the proposal to construct a casino in Jamul”

It truly is a sad thing when human nature overrides a history of learned behavior namely the lessons from our elders taught us that were passed down from generations of ancestors’. Forgotten is the community, the life blood of the people where safety from enemies and celebrations during good times were found. That is the pathos. The irony is that the leaders who call themselves Indian do so in name sake only, for they are not Indian any more. They are just like everyone else now.

Claim your Indian heritage, for it is hollow, you have emptied and torn your spirit every time you actively worked to destroy another for more profit, or done nothing out of fear of retribution. We are judged by our actions. We all have a responsibility to our brothers and sisters. Our leaders were asked to guide, and we stood by or fought among ourselves because of our own importance and let them the leaders put wealth and power above the needs of the community. There are examples throughout Indian country take your pick. When you choose gold over God, and take the easy path then you have joined those on a highway that is broad and straight. That is sadly ironic.

Anonymous said...

Nothing any of the Pechangan Indians could EVER do could change some of the complacency that has over run the tribe's disunity.
Does it take a German prince from Europe to revive a sense of link to what Pechangans ought to have had from the beginning, or will many more American Indians give into an inferiority complex. Brotherly love and self respect starts with keeping up the gatherings, the traditions, keeping a MINUTE, and maintaining order of tribal members. When everyone claims kingship you are about to have a riot that everyone wants to be CHIEF.
There are good chiefs and others who have no inclination towards tribal integrity and ethics. Will money pollute our people? We ought never to lose ourselves with so many other people out there who have no clue about themselves let alone onto whom they have now encroached upon. When there is enough for everyone means that we have consideration for the next generation to follow the steps of our ancients and not these newly risen wealth who holds to western ideals forgetting much of what no one remembers too much of anymore. We cannot allow any of this to be abandoned. We hold on because we count, because we redeem the land on which our people work and cherish.