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What effects, both positive and negative, did the introduction of the Casino have on the Aurora community?
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On the positive side, there’s the fact that it brought in income and jobs for locals who desperately need it. The casino brings in big bucks (millions) and busloads of people from other cities and states. Every Anishinaabe tribe member in the area gets several thousand a month, and any Native American could get a job there. It also employed people involved in construction.
There’s an environmental impact. There’s a huge gas station, a big parking lot, and a building, put right next to a cherished fishing river, although Cork describes that the developers took pains not to disturb the fishing river behind it.
On the flipside, the casino also brings a terrible level of corruption that Cork unveils when he finds out the Judge’s scheme in relation to the GameTech scam. The money scammed from the casino (and Native American community) is turned back against them through propping up support for the racist militants of the Brigade, greedy real estate developers, and cover-up of Joe John’s death etc. And the money was also used by the Judge to corrupt many locals. The Judge gave bribes to Sheriff Wally Schanno, Sigurd Nelson, Stu Grantham and others who were then in his pocket and could be manipulated into doing him favors. These favours had negative outcomes that led to multiple deaths.
It’s sad to see too that Russell Blackwater, who is shown as a fierce protector and trailblazing rights advocate for the people, falls sway to embezzling funds, which ultimately leads to his death.
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In some ways, Russell Blackwater is the most tragic figure in this for me for the reasons you mention. He traded a reputation as a genuine and selfless leader of The People for pilfered profits from the casino. And the manner of his death is more gruesome even than the shootings. He struggled to survive and must have known how this would end for him.
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Cork finds roads plowed of snow on the Iron Lake reservation, a benefit of the Chippewa Grand Casino. “Every household belonging to the Iron Lake band of Ojibwe received a monthly allotment of several thousand dollars from the casino profits. Any Native American wanting work could find a job at the casino.” New road maintenance equipment, plans for paving roads, a new tribal council building and a school. In an example of sheer hypocrisy, Russell Blackwater extolls to Cork the benefits of the casino that he supports, reduced unemployment and high school dropout rates, a free health clinic, a drug and alcohol rehab clinic run by The People. The casino has brought the Anishanaabe economic resources that provide the means for improving their lives and autonomy. In an area where the economic base depends on outside visitors, the benefits spill over to the entire area. This is the same Russell Blackwater who is part of a network that includes powerful individuals and interests in the larger community skimming casino profits for their personal pockets or funding illegal activity. Gambling operations have a long history of being fertile ground for criminal activity, activity which is not limited to Tribal nations. Some people in Aurora become caught up in that, at the risk of personal reputations. Joe John pays with his life when he confronts the criminals. The casino becomes, for a time, a welcoming habitat for those who would be Windigos, greedy for money and power.
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It appears to be a good thing at first, injecting much needed cash into the community for schools, healthcare, jobs, etc. The developers took pains to protect the fishing river and environment. But there are busloads of outsiders coming to the area, a big parking lot that contrasts with the beautiful wilderness surrounding it. So the casino comes across as a bit of a monstrosity at odds with the natural world and small town. As the book goes on it becomes apparent that the money has attracted a cancerous corruption that not only affects the Blackwaters but also the entire community through the Judge’s embezzlement and blackmail. It’s only Cork who is determined to root it out and get to the big pile of crap – he uses a stronger word to describe it 🙂
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The corruption is seen in the description of Russell Blackwater’s office: the artwork, the big desk the wooden sculpture and the expensive gray suit, white shirt and blue tie. “Busy night,” Cork observed. “A good night,” Blackwater said. Cork replied “For those who win.” The winning is not all for the People.
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Agree, so powerful a contrast with what is valued by The People.
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