Broken Arrow City Council Gets Earful From Residents Over Casino

The latest Green Country casino could be going up in Broken Arrow. It would be the city's first.

The Kialegee Tribal Town--which is a branch of the Creek Nation--wants to build its casino just north of the Creek Turnpike.

12/20/2011 Related Story: Broken Arrow Residents Angry Over Casino Construction

But lots of folks are fighting to keep the casino from moving in, and packed the room at Tuesday's city council meeting in Broken Arrow Tuesday night.

Residents said they were stunned to learn that the casino is being built in Broken Arrow. They say nobody knew about, and it was almost kept a secret.

The city of Broken Arrow says they can't do anything about it, but some residents say that's not good enough.

The dirt is already moving at the construction site barely a day after the city of Broken Arrow learned it was getting its first casino.

The Broken Arrow City Council says there is nothing they can do; the land is a sovereign nation. It's owned by the Kialegee Tribal Town.

"It is a fact that when gambling casinos move in to exploit a community, crime levels go up. Casinos attract desperate and decadent people," De Etta Hughes told the council Tuesday.

"I'm horrified. We do not want a casino in Broken Arrow," said Broken Arrow resident Lori Pettus.

"We don't want the filthy, evil criminal element that will be brought in by gambling. We do not want a casino in our city," said Broken Arrow resident Lori Pettus.

"The last thing I thought was that a casino was going to go up right where my children are playing," said Jared Cawley, who bought a house in Broken Arrow just a year ago.

Cawley is an attorney who studied tribal law. He told the city council he would offer his services pro bono to fight the casino construction.

Most agree the city can't stand on the sidelines.

The city attorney said they are still researching to make sure everything is handled appropriately.

"The city is not helpless here, there's plenty they can do. We are just hopeful that they do something," Cawley said.

People at the meeting say they are organizing and plan on writing letters and contacting congressmen. They say they are determined to do everything they can to stop the casino.