"It is with unity and great passion for our community that the Evangelical Pastors Fellowship publicly objects to the building and operating of a casino within the City of Grand Forks.

During a Nov. 8, 2004, address to the mayor and City Council, Bill Johnson - consultant for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa - said that a casino partnership should be developed with Grand Forks to "create jobs, increase city government revenues, develop a first-class hospitality environment, promote tourism, stimulate economics, reduce tribal poverty and rekindle tribal self-esteem and pride."

We pride ourselves on our community. Yet, all of these wonderful attributes would be threatened by the building and operating of a casino in Grand Forks. Studies prove that wherever a casino is built, there are severe moral and social repercussions: bankruptcies, suicides, divorces, child abuse, domestic violence and crime rates all increase."

Get the Story:
Joe Scheving: GF pastors' group: We oppose casino (The Grand Forks Herald 2/27)