Story Archives 2002

by Andrew DellaRocca/PNN MEdia Intern

I had been back in the country for less than a month when the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon were attacked on September 11th. This, however,
does not mean that I hadnít been paying attention to the American political
scene before. From where I lived in Brazil, I had the unique opportunity to
witness the reaction of a foreign country to the joke of the American
presidential elections in November, 2000. "America?" they would ask me,
"How could this happen in America?" A couple of months later, my friend
Sergio asked me why I was bombing the poor folk of Iraq, and I had to
emphasize that it wasnít I who was dropping bombs, that the order was given
by an appointed, not elected, Executive Chief. But the big issue of the
months preceding September 11, for those of us who have forgotten due to the
chaos of the past year, was missile defense. Security was at the forefront
of the political debate before the terrorist attacks. And after those
planes hit the buildings, and I squatted down in the shower for a private
cry, my tears were not just for the victims of the attacks, but for the
inevitable reactionary forces which would come from them, and which would
threaten us all, inside and outside of this country.

Then the issue of missile defense all but evaporated. That does not mean
that the program ended, just that the debate concerning it had ceased. Then
came the Patriot Act which, among other things, allows law enforcement to
search a citizen's home without ever notifying that they had done so.
Government became shrouded in secrecy, and the Freedom of Information Act
was all but destroyed. Meanwhile, the US population has become subjected to
the utmost scrutiny. And the reactionary forces that have been putting
these mechanisms into place have condemned those who wish to debate them as
unpatriotic. The historical defense of weak policies is to retract the
right to debate those policies, because to debate them would open them up to
destruction. Thus, in medieval England ruthless monarchs held onto power
with the abstract mandate of divine right, and in contemporary America,
shaky legislation railroads itself into law with the equally abstract
argument that to even question it is to aide terrorism.

Poor News Network(PNN) assigned me to investigate and report on Operation TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System). TIPS was supposed to have
recruited Americans "in unique positions to see potentially unusual or
suspicious activity," according to the Citizen Corps website, and to report
such activity to government agencies. It is the equivalent of a government
funded citizen spying network, and would have involved truck drivers, letter
carriers, train conductors, and utility workers keeping an eye on those they
come in contact with during their daily routines. PNN took a special
interest in the proposal because such measures have often been used in the
past to oppress advocacy organizations and communities of color.

Information about the program was hard to come by. The official description
of TIPS, which is posted on www.citizencorps.gov is vague, probably
intentionally so. I was tempted to sign up so that they would send me their
literature, but was scared to do so, fearing that my name might end up on
somebodyís list, somewhere, sometime, without my knowledge. I decided to
try to find someone that has been recruited.

I was already angry at my mailman. Multiple times, magazines or large
envelopes that arrived at my house had been torn by his trying to force too
large a stack of mail through my mail slot. To think that soon he might be
keeping an eye on me pissed me off even more, and I thought it appropriate
to speak with the post office to find out what their role in this TIPS
program was going to be. I went to the local post office to get some info.

I walked into the dull, institutionally gray post room expecting to be given
indifferent refusals from workers whose job it was to take people's mail,
not answer questions. At the desk was an African-American woman with hoop earrings and two band-aids on her fingertips. I asked her what she knew about Operation TIPS. She gave me a confused glare. I explained to her what the program was, and how postal workers were going to be recruited "to report suspicious activities of the people in the communities where they work." She cocked her head back and gave me a suspicious look of disbelief, the type of gaze that usually accompanies the expression "no you didn't."

"I haven't heard anything. And I sure as hell ain't going to participate,"
she said.

She told me to hold on, and she went into the backroom and grabbed a book.
Flipping through the pages, she said that it would be best for me to contact
the business office of the marketing department, since they are the medium
of contact with outside agencies like Citizen Corps. She found the number
and gave it to me. I thanked her.

"Good luck," she told me, and I left, surprised at how her hospitality had
brightened the dull walls of the front office.

The US Post Office refused to participate with the program, I discovered
with relief. The realization that such a network would be in effect so
quickly, starting in August, prompted a loud outcry from all sectors of
society. George Orwellís 1984 was frequently referred to, as well as former
East Germany's infamous Stasi Police- a smaller citizen informant
organization than the one proposed by the Bush administration, but one which
was much condemned by the ìfree worldî as a tool of only totalitarian
regimes. Both Democratic and Republican Congressman have openly opposed the
program. Dick Armey and Bob Barr, both Republican Representatives, opposed
TIPS, as well as Senate Democrats Patrick Leahy, Edward Kennedy, and Charles
Schumer, to name a few. I am unsure of how our own Dianne Feinstein
approached the debate.

On Saturday, the House passed a homeland security bill which would prohibit
the implementation of such a program. Apparently, this bill will
effectively kill Operation TIPS, to our relief. More importantly, debate
over the measure was not trumped by patriotic rhetoric.

For me, my fear of contacting Citizen Corps should be nothing but
preposterous. Unfortunately, though, the fear was real. With the rubble of
the World Trade Center removed from downtown New York, prohibition against
our freedom to dissent ought to be removed as well, and my hope is that the
reconstruction of Manhattan will be accompanied by the reconstruction of
those freedoms which were stolen from us this past year. The defeat of
Operation TIPS is hopefully an indication of a necessary action against the
reaction.

*Editors Note; We just got this update on the TIPS program from fellow Conscious Citizen, Aya De Leon;

The plan (TIPS) has run into trouble in Congress. The House is moving to
reject the President's program. It is not clear what the Senate will
do,but it is likely to vote on the bill in the coming
days. The fate of
this deeply misguided program could very well rest with the Senate.

Take Action! Your Senators will play a key role in deciding whether
or not Operation TIPS will go ahead. You can read more and send a FREE FAX to
your Senators, urging them to reject this misguided
program, from ACLU's action
alert at:

http://www.aclu.org/action/tips107.html

by Staff Writer

In an attempt to answer the onslaught of pro-Care Not Cash Letters published in the Letters to the Editor section of the San Francisco Chronicle, several conscious citizen's have submitted comprehensive critiques of Care Not Cash to the SF Chronicle Editor, but alas, none of these letters of have been published. Here is an example of two recent letters sent in for publication;

Letter #1

To the Editor;

Gavin Newsom's Care-Not-Cash campaign cites Chicago as a success
story. Chicago implemented a similar program in the early 90s.

I was in Chicago in November, 1999 and talked with homeless advocates.
They described a picture that they said was typical in Chicago.

Many homeless shelters are located next to temporary work agencies.
Early in the morning, shelter occupants walk over to the temp
agencies. The temp agencies drive them to locations throughout the
city, where they work all day at far below minimum wage. In the late
afternoon they are driven back, where they turn over almost all of
their day's earnings to stay another night in the shelter. In the
morning, the process starts over again. So although these homeless
people are part of the regular workforce, they are trapped in a
condition of virtual slavery, with no escape.

That is what Care-Not-Cash will create in San Francisco. By stripping
homeless people of money, Care-Not-Cash will create a captive
no-or-low-wage work group. Right now, these folks clean the streets
and Muni cars and do laundry at SF General Hospital, but who is to say
that Newsom's corporate supporters in the Hotel Council, the
"Committee on Jobs", or the Chamber of Commerce won't decide they are
needed to clean hotel rooms, do telemarketing, or to bus dishes?

Historically, most workers' living standards go up and down with those
of the lowest rung of the workforce. Everyone who works, has worked,
or would work has a stake in defeating this measure.

Thank-you,

Michael Lyon

Emergency Coaltion to Save Public Health(ECSPH)

******************

Letter #2

To the Editor;

It is libelous to assert that homeless advocates have not responded
logically and comprehensively to Gavin Newsomeís Care Not Cash Initiative.

The corporate media, which dominates information in the bay area, has chosen
to ignore arguments by opponents of the Care Not Cash initiative. This does
not mean that a rational response has not been designed. Organizations such
as POWER, the Coalition Against Increased Homelessness, the Coalition on
Homelessness, and POOR Magazine, have all released material that
dissects Newsomeís initiative, and finds it dangerous. Likewise, a
comprehensive alternative proposal has been floated by the Coalition Against
Increased Homelessness. These organizations, which lack a PR budget
comparable to Newsomes, have only been able to find voice in alternative
media outlets such as the Street Sheet, The San Francisco Bay View and PoorNewsNetwork Perusal of these publications will reveal to the public the true failure of the initiative.

If Care Not Cash successfully addressed the issue of homelessness in the
city, Newsome would have the backing of the advocate community. Persons who
devote their lives to the study of such problems do not ignore the
implications of proposals designed to further their cause, nor do they work
to defeat them, should those proposals be sound in their efforts.
Unfortunately, Care Not Cash fails on both points, and has therefore earned
the condemnation of those who are truly devoted to the eradication of
homelessness.

Andrew M. Della Rocca

by Joe B.

Today is Tuesday, July 30, 2002.

Today’s topic is not about Sup. Gavin Newsom and his 23 or whatever numbered plan for supposed caring for houseless and working poor by keeping most of the General Assistant or G.A. from people who need it most.

The "Care Not Cash" Plan or initiative (CNC) though on the surface is help wean most homeless alcoholics and drug users there’s one small catch…

I’ll wait for readers to figure it out.

Have some readers gotten a whiff of clues to the glitch

Give up? Times up folks.

1) A small, little, infinitesimal flaws that becomes a gaping error is.

The majority of working poor, home/houseless folks work at dead-end low minimum or sub minimum wage jobs.

2) the same hard working two or more jobs to make ends meet are non-drug or alcohol users.

It’s an out of state stereotype and scare tactic hype.

Most of the population now without homes are not on drugs or mental cases.

There are many but the majority population are clean of drugs.

3) The so called 80% percent seen publicly is less than 20% fraction but get all the negative news shown about them and then its projected on the rest of honest citizen’s in San Francisco or people in other cities.

I’m sure a few hundred always clean and sober homeless and working poor folk showed to speak to these half-truths and bald faced lies the story changes dramatically.

Now for a more personal problem facing me.

Today my place is being check for critters by exterminators.

Between that and appointments to visit, be visited, by the San Francisco Housing Authority is nerve racking.

One time my asthma acted up as I rode the bus the Van Ness office.

What does one do when they cannot rest misplaced the inhaler, gulping gasping at air, and wet from perspiration?

I’m drinking mint tea, sucking mentholated cough drops, and hitting my chest trying to hold down shallow-breath-panic.

It was worse because I also had to work and half the day couldn’t gulp a full breath to save my life. I was spent and tired as if I had ran two marathons, back to back, in the Sahara Desert, on the hottest day of the year.

Now, my place is being checked for real bugs, roaches, and flies.
There are two plans for this plans

Is clean up, toss out trash, light up some incense just before inspectors or exterminators are inside. Then there’s my alternate plan A1.

A1’s plan, cover everything from bed, table, desk, and floor with clean blankets, sheets, or a quilt, open windows, and light up some incense sticks. My alternate plan is now in progress.

So you see folks this take precedence over Mr. G-N’s aspirations.
The personal is political probably but losing my S .R. O.[Single Room Occupancy] shelter is my politics and as for Newly, Newel, Newt, or whatever who might cause more problems than helps.

I figure watch, learn, report results, then as truth dawns and as the real deal is known people will vote without the smoke screens of ads, smiles, cult-of-personality charisma foolishness.

In the final reckoning its up to voters knowing the facts doing, they’re civic duties. Right now I’m more worried about cleaning my place, paying rent, phone bill, so my PC can enter the net while Newsy, Newby, whatever his name makes his play for another office.

Time for someone else to… In fact there should be relief women, men as in relay race so as people begin to burn out can be replaced so there is always someone to ask and answer Newsom’s point counter point on his and other policies and truths real and harried activists (excluding myself)
won’t burnout, get rest and can jump into the breach again.

This is N.N.N. the Non Newsom Net.

I only care how he effects policy I care nothing about the guy at all.

Got to get home and uncover everything. Bye…

by Valerie Schwartz/PNN Media intern

I was at a San Francisco Hospital last week to go to my physical therapy appointment. I decided after the appointment that I would go and see what the hospital library was like. As I hobbled towards the old red brick building and entered through the automatic electric doors into a large empty hallway, I noticed it was stark in contrast to the newer buildings at the hospital. It was dimly lit and for some reason, it felt somewhat spooky. To my immediate right there was a wide area before the beginning of the hallway that led to the library. There was a white sign about the size of a sheet of paper with dark blue letters that said, PATIENT RESOURCE LIBRARY. As I was looking up at the sign I recalled a recent conversation I had with a woman about the hospital library and its security/police. Fresh in my mind, as though we were still talking, I could still hear her saying...

" I am in shock and I don't feel good, he didn't have to do what he did to me" In a recent conversation with an elder houseless woman I was told a frightening story of abuse, injury and arrest at this same San Francisco Hospital by the San Francisco Institutional Police who used excessive force. Her crime: using the computer-lab in the hospital's library while waiting for her prescriptions to be filled, and… "looking homeless"

I remembered reading her expressions that were like a tome of chronicled journals on the plight of a poor woman . I couldn't help but notice her gentle demeanor conveying an innate wisdom as she sat and adjusted the red scarf around her neck and told me what had happened, that at first in the library's\computer room no one had approached her for awhile, that she had been working on graphic design slides, and web designs, and had also checked her email. "Then it happened," her words rushed out in tense pockets, "the librarian came in to the area and said, Will everyone please put up their badges".

She continued, "I didn't see any badges and I don't think anyone had any, I'm not good at fending for myself. I tried to explain that poor people have computer skills too. It was not obvious that I was in a place I shouldn't have been. The librarian then told me to go to the public library."

Her words filled my head as I continued my walk through the scene of the "crime", the Patient Resource Library, I noticed a large desk area for the library staff, no one was seated at the desk. There was a huge copy machine, also not in use. I moved further into the room which was divided into sections of what appeared to be mostly medical texts and medical reference books. The first section had two computers that were hooked up to a printer and although it looked like it was probably for printing research articles, so far I saw no information posted as to who was allowed to use these computers. I continued into the library passing section by section of huge medical books. No one seemed to be aware of my presence or much less concerned if I needed any help. I meandered through looking for any kind of pertinent information that might be posted as to who is allowed to use the library. Silly me I thought to myself... the sign said "Patient Resource Library ". Continuing on I finally saw a sign suspended from the ceiling that said: MICROCOMPUTER CENTER.

I looked to my right and noticed two other stations and three to my left. They were separated by small walls in between the stations. On the wall above four of the five-stations there was a sign posted on a standard size sheet of paper. These signs said: Effective January 24th, the Microcomputer Center is limited to faculty, staff and students affiliated with the University of California or the Community Health Network". Unfortunately if the stations had all been in use the signs would not have been seen, except by the people sitting at the computers. Remember... I was looking for them.

In the aisle between the stations there was a wooden door with a glass window, it was ajar and it opens up into a another computer room/lab that has nine-stations. In this room there are no signs posted anywhere in reference to who is allowed to use it. As I left the room I noticed another sign the same as the others posted on the wall near the fifth-computer in the first -computer stations, it is on a bulletin board that is about two-by-two. This once again is not posted in the most visable place but if you are on your way out and are looking to the right you might see it.

As I looked around, I was brought back to the conversation with the elderly woman who’s hand was bandaged and was wearing a large stiff neck cast.. "What happened next, " I asked.

"The librarian went out and came back with security. I wasn't asked to leave the building. In a instant he was manhandling me, twisting my wrists. I felt my rib pop and he threw me to the floor, handcuffed me, and then jerked me up off the floor. I have Osteoporosis ans Osteo-Arthritis... I was afraid for my bones. My thumb is broken... they said I resisted... He lied, he used a submission hold".

I asked her how much time had elapsed from the time he entered the room and the time he grabbed you? "I dunno, it was very fast. I found it offensive that it was the librarian's call. They humiliated me, absolutely humiliated me. They took me through the lobby in cuffs. He said I threw myself on the floor and she backed him up...I knew I was in trouble". She then told me that she was taken to jail and cited out. When she appeared in court the following morning her charges were dismissed. She then went to another hospital where she was treated for a broken thumb, a sprained neck, and a possible bruised rib.

I was curious to know if in fact the security at this hospital was a part of the SFPD even though in the past several different times, when receiving treatment at this hospital the security staff has told me that they were a part of the SFPD when I asked them. After a few phone calls I was told in no uncertain terms that they weren't. I spoke with a Sgt. at Southern Station-SFPD. I asked him if the San Francisco Institutional Police at this hospital was a branch of the SFPD? He answered, "Not actually, they are just institutional police however they are merging with the Sheriff's Department any day now".

I then called the hospital library and asked the librarian:" Who is allowed to use your library?" She replied, "Anyone can come in and use the library, but you must be a Staff member to check out books". I then asked, "What about your computer room?" She answered, "It is for Staff only".

I called the Administration office at the hospital and spoke to a woman I had been put though to by the switchboard. I asked her, "Does your hospital have a stated policy on how people are to be arrested on hospital grounds?" She answered, "You'll have to call Administration." I explained to her that Administration had put me through to her and she then said, "You'll have to call security."

So now I was feeling that I was chasing my tail I called the Hospital’s Institutional Police and talked to the Watch Sgt. I asked him, "May I ask what your stated policy is on arresting people on hospital grounds?" He said, "We just follow the laws of the laws of the State of California". I wondered if that meant that if a person wasn't literate of the laws of the state would they be in danger of being arrested?

I then mulled over what seems to be a never ending double-standard; preferential treatment, i.e., how people are treated, or should I say mistreated because of the way they appear or "look" and the way they are then stereotyped. I think about the time my thumb was broken by SFPD when using a submission hold and question why would an already disabled elder throw themselves on the floor to resist arrest for using a library computer is claiming, especially when then have Osteoporosis and Osteo-Arthritis? As I seek out a seat in the disabled section of the crowded bus leaving the hospital I wonder how many people are harmed by abuse of authority, especially poor elders and homeless folks, and how many of them are afraid to report it for fear of repercussions. I remember asking the woman who was still in shock from her experience, "Why do you think they made an example out of you?" She answered sounding as if still in disbelief and angered, " I had been singled out because I looked poor and didn't fit in".

Valerie Schwartz is very low-income, poverty scholar and recent graduate of the New Journalism/Media studies Program at POOR. She did original research for this piece for another student at POOR who because of fear of repercussions did not want exact names or places mentioned in this article We are currently seeking an attorney to help with a possible lawsuit based on the facts presented in this story.

by Jewnbug

Rita preferred Rene

daddy left early in da game

poverty brands fate

housin authority interrogatez

beaten wit word of painz

petite ebony stands stained

bold mental frame

focuses on wut she needs 2 gain

no helpin… parents strung out

belt weltin… screams

she dug route, wit slender midnight claws

articulated jawz

chilled outsyde da skool walls

fallz

in arms of no goodz man

shackin up pit in stomachs erupts plans

escapes again

fleein da scene… flesh. spirit. seed.

blessed young laydee continues 2 read

b tween lines conscious of tymes

she perservers not yieldz

turnz obstaclez in 2 wheelz of steel

stackin developing skillz

2 succeed in competitive field

spills her guts

bandages cuts

buildz friendship

suppresses luv

breaks stereotypes up

gives birth 2 Afrikan, Puerto Rican,

Pinay princesses

braids hair

backs bone

makes family builds home

bi barely makin endz meet

she iz Mama, daughter, sistah, niece!

by A. Faye Hicks

LL Chappelle is survivor, suffering everyday

Light skinned, medium tall afro brother

Dressed in the style of his generation

Shaved head black knitted cap

Pants Jailing, designer shoes

No money in the Pocket

Been smoking dope before he could walk

In the streets of Oakland

Coke Town U.S.A.



Twenty-six now and walked off the Bart Train With me

Slept on a hard cement sidewalk with me

Lives ina Homeless Shelther

Stand St. Anthonys Food Line

Fills out a Job Resume

Struggling to go to work and to school

Even in Whiteman’s Hell

County Jail



He once sold crack on Telegraph ave in Oakland

With the rest of his Crew,

Some survied and some did’t

In the Penn or 6feet under



He went to Continous School Like is mother

Worked at MacDonald’s

But couldnot live on median wages



But recently he was released from San Bruno

Locked up for a misadeaner

He handed me his G.E.D certificate

Studied in a Jail Cell

Wore A Cap and a Gown Because he has love for is mother.

by Staff Writer

HAND GROWN FROM

CONCRETE

GREY POUPON

CHITLINS

SHELTERS

STREETS

BEACH

HOME

MIGHTY HAND GROWS

MIGHTY OAK HAND

WIND BLOWING

HAND SWING

CATCHING

I WILL

CHOKE

OPPRESSOR

by Staff Writer

BORN INTO POVERTY.

3 OF 3 LIVING SONS.

WE WERE POOR

AND

I’M

GETTING OLD

STRANGE I NEVER FIT

" ANYWHERE"

I UNDERSTAND

IT’S NOT MY FAULT

I WAS NOT

DESIGNED " TO FIT" .

I PUT ON MY SILK ROBE

DRINK TEA BY THE CANDLE LIGHT

JOB TO JOB

PANTING

DISHWASHER

CAR-PORTER

CAR WASHER

BOOT LEG COOK

PIZZA MAKER

I LOSE TRACK

DO I HAVE MORE JOBS

OR MORE BIRTH DAYS .

STATS SAY THE STATE GOT POORER IN THE 90’S

I SAY , I GOT TIRED OF THE

EMPTY LIFE

OF THE

EMPTY JOBS

OF THE

EMPTY S.R.O.’S

ROACHES CROWING IN MY NAKED BODY

THERE’S A HOLE IN MY BUCKET

THEY GAVE ME THIS BUCKET

I’M JUST TRYING TO PUT MY DREAMS IN IT

SUICIDE RUN

I’M IN CALIFORNIA NOW

by Michael Vizcarra/PNN media Intern

My left arm is on fire. I can barely breathe because the air is so
heavy and hot. Beads of perspiration appear on my forehead. I try not to
worry about my arm. I should have put on sunscreen earlier. It sucks not
having air conditioning in my car, but there’s a breeze blowing through my
open windows. At least the scenery is beautiful up here in the Capay Valley
of Yolo County. The curving two-lane road, the rolling green hills, the
farms and farm animals, the quiet towns, all bring back memories. I’m on
Highway 16 just off of Highway 505. I used to drive through this valley at
least once a year every summer to go river rafting. But one familiar site
that I always passed and never paid much attention to is the Cache Creek
Indian Bingo and Casino, a big structure located smack dab in the middle of
these small towns and farmland. I never had much concern for the casino,
until now.

The Cache Creek Indian Bingo and Casino is expanding. In fact,
they are planning to increase the size of the existing casino by almost 500%
(from 113,000 sq. ft. to 530,278 sq. ft.), transforming it into a major
destination resort. This has raised more than a few eyebrows from local
farmers within the Capay Valley, who are trying to do whatever they can to
stop the expansion before their concerns are dealt with.

Let me back up a second to give a little background to the area.
The original residents of the Capay region were the Wintun tribe and other
related tribes living along the valley’s waterways. In the early 1800s with
the introduction of white settlers, the Patwin Indians (as the entire group
of tribes were called by the U.S. government) were nearly wiped out by the
diseases brought on by the settlers. Things didn’t get any better when the
Gold Rush hit. The gold miners took their lands and enslaved, infected,
starved and massacred the Native Americans around the area. This treatment
continued well into the late 1880s when even the state of California paid a
bounty for Indian scalps.

By the 1920s the Federal government had established rancherias for
surviving tribes and part of the Wintun tribe was placed in Rumsey, a small
town in the Capay Valley. In 1942 the Tribe moved to a 56-acre site just 15
miles north of Rumsey. They were able to purchase a 118-acre site and made
that into a trust parcel (meaning they put the land “in trust” to the
Federal government, which is necessary in order to have gambling). The site
is also where most of the homes and business enterprises for the Tribe are
located. Shortly after the completion of the Casino in 1985, the Rumsey
Band were finally able to reunite their scattered members and bring them
back home.

I spoke with Frank Rose, a hay farmer in the Capay Valley and
advocate for the farmers against the expansion. He says the main concern of
the farmers is the amount of traffic the expansion is going to bring into
the valley. “The two-lane highway [Hwy. 16] is the lifeline for farmers,” he
says. And since the valley is heavily populated with agriculture, the
increased flow into the valley would hinder the movement of farm equipment
and produce shipments. He also states that the proposed expansion (outlined
in a document called the Environmental Evaluation (EE) prepared by the
Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians and their consultants) makes no showing of
compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, or Endangered
Species Act, which are among the Federal laws that apply to tribal lands.
He says the farmers want the Governor to stop the expansion until their
concerns are mitigated. The farmers also want the Tribe to do an evaluation
that is accurate.

“I mean, we’re not against Indians,” Mr. Rose says, “We voted for
them to have a community center down the road, but this is too much. What
more do they want?”

Does this sound like NIMBYism to you?

I also spoke with Mr. Howard Dickstein, the lawyer for the Tribe.
He says the accusations that the EE relies on inaccurate assumptions and
baseline data are “vague criticisms and inaccurate”. “None of the State
Agencies had concerns, only the county [Yolo], which is politically driven,”
he says. “But the County Land Use Ordinance and Regulations do not apply to
Indian Tribes.” Mr. Dickstein also said the Tribe is having meetings with
Yolo County supervisors and would consider additional mitigation. They
would study the concerns and would act in good faith. “But the tribe will
not subject economic self-sufficiency to a veto by Yolo County or any
individuals,” states Mr. Dickstein.

I think Mr. Dickstein has a great point. It boils down to being
self-sufficient. Before the Casino, many of the Tribal members earned a
living working as farm laborers and many were receiving public assistance.
Now, all tribal members contribute and are compensated for helping run
Rumsey Rancheria and none are receiving any outside assistance. Where Mr.
Rose said the two-lane highway is the lifeline of the farmers. Well, Mr.
Rose, the Casino is the lifeline of the Rumsey Band. Not only does the
Casino provide self-sufficiency for the Tribe, but also it provides year
round jobs for more than 1,500 people. They contribute annually to support
regional needs in education, community health, arts and humanities,
environment, community development and social services.

It’s weird when I hear the words, “It’s not fair,” coming from the
mouths of these farmers, especially when they’re referring to a group who
has brought themselves up from economic hardship to a better way of life.
But these are the words I continue to hear. Mr. Rose has only been in the
valley for four years. Four years! I can only speculate how long the
Native Americans have been in the Capay Valley, but I’m definite it’s longer
than four years. The farming industry is the most subsidized industry in
the nation. I don’t think I hear many people saying, “That’s not fair”.
The next time I drive through this valley I will expect to see the familiar
sites of farmland and small towns. But I will also hope and expect to see a
bigger Cache Creek Indian Bingo and Casino Resort.