The Sault Tribe Operates the Kewadin Casinos in Michigan
The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, a Michigan Native American tribe in the Upper Peninsula, is buying land in Lansing to build a casino near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The new gambling resort will cost $245 million to build an go on three acres of land near downtown Lansing, says the tribe, which is often called the Sault Tribe. The casino is expected to be just over 125,000 square feet.
Huron Township in Wayne’s County is expected to be the location in Lansing, over a 71 acre lot. The casino will be well-positioned in the area, about 25 miles southwest of Detroit’s city center, south of the airport.
Economic Impact Report to Be Commissioned
The exact size and scope of building is yet to be determined. The Chippewa Tribe will commission an economic impact report to determine the optimal plans for the site.
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
The tribe in question is the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe. Though they are located in the Upper Peninsula, the tribe has sought the ability to build a gaming venue in the Greater Detroit Municipal Area. It took a federal appeals court ruling in December 2013 to give the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe the right to move ahead with the current project. Since then, the tribe has been preparing for Wednesday’s announcement.
Opposition from Michigan’s Administration
All along, the state of Michigan has opposed the project. The Michigan Department of Justice had fought the tribe in court to keep the casino from being built, but State Attorney General Bill Schuette withdrew a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court last week. This ended the lawsuit process.
In another key Michigan casino case, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that the Indian tribes have “sovereign immunity”. Such status prevents the tribe from being sued in such cases. Michigan’s leadership saw the writing on the wall and ended its lawsuit, knowing it would do nothing but cost the state’s taxpayers money.
Bureau of Indian Affairs Filings
Meanwhile, the Sault St. Marie tribe filed Mandatory Fee-to-Trust Acquisition applications with the U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs. These filings took place jointly in Sault St. Marie, Minnesota and Washington D.C. For well over a century, the Bureau of Indians Affairs at the Interior Department has handled relations between Native American tribes and the U.S. federal government. Where in the old days, the Interior Department worked with the U.S. Army in removing tribes to reservations, now the bureau mainly handles casino gambling.
Statement from the Sault Tribe
Aaron Payment, Chairman of the Sault Tribe, made a statement to the Westport News after hearing the state’s decision. Mr. Payment said, “Our Tribe is within federal law and our legal rights to pursue these opportunities to create thousands of new jobs and generate millions of dollars in new revenues that will benefit our members, the people of Lansing, public schools in Lansing, the people of Huron Township, and the entire state.”
The tribal leader went on to state that the Lansing casino would create 1,500 permanent new jobs. While the gambling location is being built, it will generate 700 construction jobs. When completed, the Huron Township casino will generate enough revenue to provide services for Sault tribe members throughout the Detroit area.
Where the Money Goes
The Sault Tribe’s community services program is called the Anishnaabek Community and Family Services. The AFCS manages 30 different grant contracts. Traditionally, these grants are funded by a labyrinthine combination of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the USDA, the U.S. Department of Justice, the state of Michigan, and the Sault Tribe itself.
The tribe’s contracts have three main focuses: Direct Assistance, Child Placement, and Advocacy Resources. Direct Services helps those tribal members having financial difficulties. The Advocacy Resource Center helps victims of crime in a “culturally competent manner”. Child Placement improves the safety, well being, and residential permanency of children in the program. The Child Placement people work closely with Adult Protective Services office of the state of Michigan.
The Sault Indians have argued that their plan would bring fifteen hundred new jobs to an economically depressed Detroit cityscape. Michigan’s leaders have argued that the casino over-saturates the market and could prey on the economically challenged. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in a similar case takes the decision out of the hands of the Michigan’s leaders. While it might look like a defeat in public perception, they were able to take a stand against an expansion of gambling, while still getting a big casino near the state’s most pivotal urban area.
