Resolution Draft Targets Michigan AG Amid Tribal Casino Closures

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This week, once again, a multitude of Michigan residents took to the state capitol to demonstrate against Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s actions amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, a state legislator is criticizing the administration’s attempts to coerce tribal casinos into remaining closed.

On Wednesday, Rep. Beau LaFave, a member of the Republican Party, prepared a resolution to confirm the independence of tribal nations. The resolution also criticizes Attorney General Dana Nessel for making a disguised threat towards a Native American tribe that wishes to establish a casino in LaFave’s Upper Peninsula district.

During a conference call this week, tribal leaders and the governor discussed the reopening of tribal casinos, as reported by an attendee who emphasized the importance of future cooperation.

LaFave calls Nessel an ‘agitator,’ Whitmer an ‘emperor’

LaFave targeted the state’s Democratic leaders when announcing the resolution draft in a tweet.

On Wednesday evening, LaFave tweeted that Agitator General Dana Nessel is not satisfied with merely witnessing the emperor’s impact on Michigan’s economy, as she now sets her sights on Sovereign Tribes.

The resolution was transferred to the Military, Veterans, and Homeland Security Committee for deliberation.

Last week, the office of Nessel sent a letter to the Hannahville Indian Community urging them to maintain the closure of Island Resort and Casino in Harris.

According to the letter, even though the sovereign tribe has the legal authority to reopen the casino, it stated that doing so would promote non-compliance with the law among employees and customers.

It states: “Similar to other regions in the State, failure to adhere to the executive orders may lead to potential civil and criminal consequences for individuals.”

The tribe had initially planned to reopen the casino on May 6th but decided to postpone it until this upcoming Saturday. The reason provided for the delay was attributed to unforeseen circumstances rather than a written explanation.

Soaring Eagle official says call ‘went well’

Island Resort and Casino will be the first among the state’s 23 tribal casinos to reopen, assuming Saturday proceeds as planned.

Following Nessel’s letter, the governor’s office scheduled a conference call this week with tribal leaders to discuss the possibility of reopening.

According to Frank Cloutier, a representative of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, the meeting occurred earlier this week and had a favorable outcome, as stated in an email to Playinmichigan.

On Wednesday, Cloutier wrote that the conversation with the governor was successful, and we have decided to collaborate. He also mentioned that the details about the opening of Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant and Saganing Eagles Landing Casino & Hotel in Standish will be shared with the public in the future.

There are no other planned statewide reopenings for this weekend. However, the next scheduled reopenings are the five Kewadin Casinos in the U.P., which are currently scheduled to reopen on June 1.

Whitmer’s order, which will end on May 28, applies to the three commercial casinos in Detroit. However, it may still take several months for Greektown Casino-Hotel, MGM Grand Detroit, and MotorCity Casino to operate at their maximum capacity.

Tribal casinos start to open across the country

During the initial announcement of reopening the Island Resort and Casino, only a few tribal casinos had resumed operations.

According to the American Gaming Association, all 26 casinos that were open on Thursday were located west of the Mississippi River across the nation.

During a video interview for the ICE North America Digital conference on Wednesday, Ernie Stevens, the chairman and national spokesman for the National Indian Gaming Association, revealed that tribal casinos stand as the 11th-largest employer in the nation.

Stevens emphasized that the main focus lies in job creation. He stressed the need to establish a fresh standard and collaborate effectively to achieve it.

In my opinion, we are making significant progress in reaching our goal. The tribes are actively working together to establish an environment conducive to moving forward.

While everyone desires to reopen, the top priorities for Indian country are safety, family, and community. We refuse to compromise the well-being of those in our surroundings, including our employees and customers. Their health and safety must always come first.

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