Fate of controversial casino site heads to voters

Tribal members vote early next month to decide the fate of the Quechan Indian Tribe's plans to build a casino on land that some elders insist is sacred.

Some of those elders contend, however, that the vote is simply a hollow gesture from tribal leaders who have already made up their minds to continue work near Pilot Knob west of Yuma.

"I don't think it's going to matter anyway," said elder Vernon Smith.

Elder Preston Arrow-Weed agreed. "It seems useless to take a vote on something that's already been decided. There's no way of stopping them."

Smith and Arrow-Weed have opposed the current site near the Algodones exit off Interstate 8 in California. They and a handful of fellow elders have led several meetings and protests against the casino plans, including an ancient healing ceremony at the building site. A tribal family was arrested and hauled away from the site during preparation for another protest.

Calls to Tribal President Mike Jackson were not returned Thursday.

Tribal councilman Emilio Escalanti said he opposes building near Pilot Knob because the area is "culturally significant." Escalanti stressed that it's not impossible for the tribe to find another building site, although an alternative has not been chosen and work would have to start over from scratch.

"A lot of people are going to think it's too late, but it's not," the councilman said. "It might cost us a contractor and things like that, but it's not too late."

Tribal leaders at one point said they may reconsider the building site after artifacts of cultural significance were found.

Arrow-Weed said that with decisions shifting back and forth, he worries that tribal members "don't know what to believe. They believe one thing and then it changes. I predict that not many people will vote anyway, and those who do won't know any better and will vote to OK it."

Escalanti agreed that voters will likely give the existing plan a green light in October.

"I think a lot of people are saying that with all the negativity and all the strife caused by this, the casino should go someplace else," he said. "But I think the majority will ultimately say it's too late to change, so let's just move forward."

Arrow-Weed added that confusion will only grow greater because of a question over the upcoming vote's language. He said it's not clear if the vote will ask only if current work should continue or if a new site should be found.

"We don't even know what the vote will mean," he said.

Escalanti blamed the council, on which he serves, for not getting a better gauge on the public's opinions before going ahead with construction.

"If more planning had been done before the groundbreaking and moving ahead with contracts, I think all of this could have been avoided," the councilman said. "I think there has been a rush to 'let's hurry and do this' instead of the planning needed to get around those issues."

Elders such as Smith and Arrow-Weed have stressed their fears that if the Quechan Tribe builds on its own sacred land, the tribe will lose all credence in its long-standing legal battles to stave off such development.

"This really could hurt us," Arrow-Weed said. "We will really be hypocrites."