When Republican Sen. Scott Meyer and other lawmakers backed legislation that would authorize the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa to develop a casino and resort near Grand Forks, they were met with fierce opposition that contained a dollop of racism.
Sen. Diane Larson, a Bismarck Republican, suggested that the tribe’s project might be backed by “cartels.” Rep. Lawrence Klemin, another Bismarck Republican, likened the initiative to the controversial Fufeng corn milling plant, which was ultimately nixed over the Air Force’s concerns about that company’s ties to Chinese communism.
The legislative authorization for the casino project, which is needed under our state’s gambling compact with the various tribes, ultimately failed, with the last gasp being the defeat of an amendment to the budget for the Department of Commerce.
