The Bear Growls @ Fanatasy Springs, Riverside County Sheriff

#1
Of course this casino is under Tribal Law, silly Bear! zg

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The Bear Growls: Riverside County Sheriff’s Office refuses to get involved in criminal abuse of patron by Fantasy Springs Casino

Long-time Las Vegas-based advantage player, casino critic, and frequent BJ21.com contributor LVBear offers his opinions on things that sometimes go wrong in the world of casinos. Current and past growls can be read and comments posted at LVBear's website, TheBearGrowls.com

By LVBear
[email protected]

A friend was recently accosted by casino guards and physically forced into the backroom of Fantasy Springs Casino near Indio, CA. His cell phone was grabbed from his grasp by casino guards while he was trying to call 911 for help, and he was subsequently handcuffed. The thugs eventually released him.

The victim tried to file a crime report with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, but was told he had to speak with the tribal gaming commission, even though the Riverside County Sheriff has criminal jurisdiction over this Indian casino. The sheriff’s office refused to recognize that a crime was committed against the player, stating that the Indians “probably made card counting a crime,” which of course is nonsense. How can it be a crime to think?

Under the Sheriff’s reasoning, the victim then would have allegedly committed a crime by thinking, so the casino thugs were justified in detaining him. Of course, even if thinking had in fact been outlawed in this casino, the fact that the thugs descended upon him within minutes of his arrival precluded anyone there from making a valid determination that he was counting cards in their casino. But that didn’t matter to the sheriff’s office. Mind boggling.


xxx
 
#2
zengrifter said:
Of course this casino is under Tribal Law, silly Bear! zg
"Tribal law" is an utter myth. It's true that they don't have to follow state law, but all federal law applies as much as anywhere (which includes any act of violence, etc.) The sheriff should be ashamed of himself, and I'd hope that this victim gets a good lawyer, and goes after this crap. Call the Feds?
 
#3
joe42 said:
"Tribal law" is an utter myth. It's true that they don't have to follow state law, but all federal law applies as much as anywhere (which includes any act of violence, etc.) The sheriff should be ashamed of himself, and I'd hope that this victim gets a good lawyer, and goes after this crap. Call the Feds?
The tribe is an independent nation, seperate from US federal governt. zg
 

shadroch

Well-Known Member
#4
joe42 said:
"Tribal law" is an utter myth. It's true that they don't have to follow state law, but all federal law applies as much as anywhere (which includes any act of violence, etc.) The sheriff should be ashamed of himself, and I'd hope that this victim gets a good lawyer, and goes after this crap. Call the Feds?

The Sheriff has no jurisdiction over federal law,so what would he have to do if a Federal crime was committed?
 
#5
shadroch said:
The Sheriff has no jurisdiction over federal law,so what would he have to do if a Federal crime was committed?
The sheriff may have been misinformed; in many states they do have jurisdiction over the reservation, and enforcement abilities. It's most likely the sheriff just didn't want to deal with it.

The first thing he should do is talk to a lawyer, who will probably advise filing a complaint with the Federal Marshals or the FBI if local authorities are not responsive.

But the better recourse is a civil suit against the casino management, which can easily be filed in federal court, and has zero to do with any mythical sovereignty.
 
#6
The last playable game at Fantasy Springs was almost 2 years ago. What was he doing there in the first place unless he was helping himself to a sloppy dealer.

gg
 
#9
Gordon Gekko said:
Is there an attorney that specializes in casino "Tribal Law" in the so cal area? It's worth a slot in my Blackberry.
Yes, contact my friend and tribal law legal expert -
Chief Wampum Good Two Dogs F**king (email address sent).
He's the man to know! Make sure you get him drunk! zg

 

21forme

Well-Known Member
#10
I read something recently about that "Indian" who was in a number of TV commeicials about littering, etc. over the years. He wasn't an Indian. He was Italian.
 

ihate17

Well-Known Member
#11
Not quite apples and apples

zengrifter said:
The Sherrif can't have it both ways. See - Soboba Casino Under Fire zg
The Fantasy Springs episode is a cardcounter kidnapped by employees of the tribe owning the casino. Even the police in the company town of Las Vegas do not seem to know, want to know or really care at all that this is an illegal act by the casino and it's employees, so it is no wonder if the Riverside County sheriffs office is just as ignorant.

The Soboba spisodes are calls placed to the sherrifs office from people in the reservation about incidents in the reservation where upon the police showing up they took gun fire and properly responded. These incidents did not happen in the casino, were only between tribal members or tribal members and police and were life threatening as several tribal members were shot. The message to Riverside county auithorities in this case is very clear. Shots fired and then shots fired at us.

The two crimes are not the same and of course it is up to both our federal government and the state to make it clear where jurisdiction is and they have been an utter failure at this. We might say that only the federal government has policing power in an Indian Reservation but when tribes make compacts with states worth hundreds of millions of dollars, states instead of just salivating over the few percent that they get back should look out for the safety and welfare of those non tribal members who lose their money on tribal land. Just making anything a tribe does to a player a civil matter and telling the offended party that he must sue in tribal court is just a very sick joke that should not continue.

ihate17
 

mdlbj

Well-Known Member
#12
zengrifter said:
The tribe is an independent nation, seperate from US federal governt. zg
They will at the minimum kick you arse.. Its a hit a and run situation when playing Indian casinos...
 

N&B

Well-Known Member
#14
In some cases States have an agreement with Indian Casinos... meaning State Police and or Militia have authority upon specific request. Generally, without such an agreement it is under Federal Jurisdiction. Local Police and Militia are usually excluded from these agreements. Here in CT we see State Police directing traffic and performing perimeter security: not locals.
 
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