more on the Double Eagle fiasco

Double Eagle Casino fights back
Wednesday, November 2, 2005 10:10 AM PST

Employees of closed casino stage rallyBY SOPHIA ALDOUS
S-E Staff ReporterAfter the recent closure of the Double Eagle Casino in Chewelah by the Spokane Tribal Gaming Commission, 19 former employees of the casino along with friends and family, held a rally last Thursday in protest of the tribe’s ruling.The group gathered at the Double Eagle off of Highway 395, holding signs that read “we want a fair hearing” and “give me back my job”.“It’s hard for these people to lose their jobs, especially at this time of year,” said owner Buzz Gutierrez, who built the Double Eagle in 1986. “These people are hard workers who want to earn their living. They don’t want to have to apply for welfare.”The closing of the Double Eagle comes after the tribe removed 250 “slot machines” from the casino in September. Shortly thereafter, Gutierrez installed 104 Class II electronic devices that simulate bingo, which the Tribal Gaming Commission claims were installed without its consent. The STGC also says that the Double Eagle has not paid its annual assessment to the National Indian Gaming Commission, an accusation that Gutierrez denies.“I am in compliance with all rules and regulations, tribal or otherwise,” Gutierrez claimed.Gutierrez filed suit against the tribe in September, contesting a breach of contract after the tribe removed the electronic gaming devices from the Double Eagle. The tribe is attempting to have the lawsuit dismissed by claiming sovereign immunity from such arraignment.As of yet, there is no court date for the lawsuit or Gutierrez’s appeal of the Tribal Gaming Commission’s order to close the Double Eagle.“There has already been a list of 10 to 12 qualified judges presented to the Tribal Counsel, but I still haven’t heard from the court administrator,” said Gutierrez.Let these people continue to work…Gutierrez believes the tribe has shut the Double Eagle’s doors because of political issues he has with the tribal government after his efforts this summer to recall three members of the Spokane Tribal Business Council who were charged with misappropriation of tribal property, abuse of office and intimidation. The charges were dropped in August after three legal officials linked with the case were either forced out by the Tribal Council or left the tribe’s service.Now Gutierrez, who lost re-election to the council in June, says the tribe is using politics against him, and that the people who depend on the Double Eagle for their livelihood are suffering because of it.“The need for these people to go back to work is great,” stressed Gutierrez. “We should be able to settle our legal disputes in a court of law and let these people continue to work and support their families.”Monica Simeon, manager for the Double Eagle and Gutierrez’s daughter, asserted that the Double Eagle is a “grandfather” gaming establishment because it was built before 1988 passage of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The IGRA allows individually owned casinos to function as long as they pay 60 percent of net revenue to the tribe and pay an annual fee to the NIGC.Simeon said that the Double Eagle has made $25 million for the tribe over the past 12 years, and that the tribe’s accusation that the Double Eagle is sidestepping its financial obligations is a falsehood.“The Spokane Tribe independently audits the Double Eagle every year,” said Simeon. “They know full well what our financial operation is.”Act in good faith…Simeon said that the Double Eagle employees are entitled to a fair hearing in court in order to retrieve their jobs, and that this is no longer just a tribal matter.“These people might not be tribal members, but that’s not an issue,” Simeon said. “To have 19 people out of work is devastating to our area, because there aren’t a lot of jobs. The Spokane Tribe regulates the gambling industry in this area, and as such they should act in good faith to neighboring communities.”For Shannon Paluck, a Double Eagle employee since April 2001, or “the tail end of the glory days,” the sudden loss of a job has left her family in a fiscal lurch, not to mention the feelings of sadness and frustration.“One of the main issues is that we won’t get a fair hearing, and we need one to get back to work,” Paluck said. “We know we are under the jurisdiction of the Spokane Tribe, but who governs them when they are stepping on our constitutional rights?”Jory Fields, who has worked at the Double Eagle exactly a year to the day it was closed, said that with gas prices being what they are, it would be hard for him to commute to Spokane or Deer Park for employment to help support his fiance, who is pregnant. Despite his financial fears, he expressed admiration toward Gutierrez for being mindful of his employees.“You don’t work in many places where you boss is right alongside you,” said Fields. “That really means something.”Tracy Kieffer, who worked for the Spokane Tribe for 17 years, stood outside the Double Eagle last Thursday in her support for Gutierrez, citing alleged corruption in the Tribal government as cause of the Double Eagle’s closing.“We need justice, but the system has been manipulated, so we have no justice,” said Kieffer.During the rally, as passing vehicles honked and waved to employees and their families in a show of support, Gutierrez called on the Tribal government to appoint a fair judge and to give the Double Eagle a fair hearing.“We should be able to set aside our political differences and resolve this,” Gutierrez said. “The Spokane Tribe owes the neighboring communities due process and that has failed in the closure of this casino, but we are confident we will prevail.”


I am so glad that this is all coming out in the open. Please call the number in the picture and tell them to give us a fair hearing! All we want is to work and support our families. There are at least 11 children whose parents work at the Double Eagle and they need their jobs to feed and clothe them. This is not about gambling or politics or pettiness. This is about people who are out of work in an area where there is no other work. All we are asking for is to be heard in court.