Opinion

Donna Ennis: City lynches Fond du Lac Band in gaming dispute

Monday, August 10, 2015

Artist's rendering of the new exterior of the Fond-du-Luth Casino in Duluth, Minnesota. The tribe is spending $5.5 million to renovate the facility. Image from Fond du Lac Band

Donna Ennis, a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, accuses local officials in Duluth, Minnesota, of inciting hatred against her tribe as part of a long-running revenue sharing dispute:

Settler Colonialism has best been defined as more of an imposed structure than a historical event. This structure is characterized by relationships of domination and subjugation that has become woven throughout the fabric of society, and even becomes disguised as paternalistic benevolence. The objective of settler colonialism is always the acquisition of indigenous territories and resources, which mean eliminating or assimilating Native people. This was attempted in overt ways in the past including boarding schools and military domination but also in more subtle ways currently; for example, through national policies of assimilation, Reagan’s war on drugs, anti-Indian sentiment, micro-aggressions and blatant racism in our communities.
Currently there is tension between the City of Duluth and the Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa after a federal ruling by the United States District Court that the band doesn’t have to pay roughly $10 million that the City of Duluth claimed in back payments.
It began in 1984 when a revenue-sharing agreement established the first urban tribal casino in the country. In 1994, a revised agreement guaranteed Duluth 19 percent of gross revenues from the casino, which had earned the tribe close to $200 million. Since then, the city and the band have disagreed about the contributions the other has made. The band says it didn’t need the city’s support to operate the casino. The city says it provides the casino services it needs.
In 2009, the tribe stopped paying the city its cut, which was then about $6 million a year and $75 million since 1994.

Get the Story:
Donna Ennis: A Lynching in Effigy (Indian Country Today 8/10)

8th Circuit Decision:
Duluth v. Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (May 8, 2015)

D.C. Federal Court Decision:
Duluth v. National Indian Gaming Commission (March 31, 2015)

Prior 8th Circuit Decision:
City of Duluth v. Fond Du Lac Band (January 14, 2013)