07/16/2003

The following statement was delivered by the governor yesterday:

Good evening, I want to report to you on the events which led up to the incident at the Narragansett Indian reservation which took place yesterday.

Over the weekend, I was informed that the Narragansett Tribe was selling cigarettes without the proper state documentary tax, and without collecting sales taxes.

I consulted with Attorney General Lynch, in his capacity as the state's chief law-enforcement officer, and my staff. I was advised by Attorney General Lynch that this activity was unlawful, and in fact, criminal in nature.

I contacted Chief Thomas numerous times and asked him to cease the illegal activity.

He refused to do so unless I would support casino gambling in this state, which I refused to do.

I consulted again with Attorney General Lynch. He advised me and my staff that the appropriate process was to serve a search warrant on the chief and the tribe.

Following that advice, I instructed the state police to attempt to serve the warrant under the explicit condition that if any resistance was encountered, the state police were to withdraw.

There would have been no incident had Chief Thomas simply accepted the service of the warrant.

He did not do so. I am dismayed and deeply saddened by the events that transpired. I did not expect that to happen.

To the extent that this failure resulted in any physical injury or harm to any person, I apologize to the people of this state.

I have directed Colonel Pare of the Rhode Island State Police to conduct an internal investigation into the incident and to ascertain why my instructions were not followed and who, if anyone, is responsible.

I have also asked him to determine whether the conduct of the state police officers was proper under the circumstances. I have directed Colonel Pare to deliver his report to me in 10 days.

Additionally, as I indicated this morning, I intend to appoint a panel of three to five persons to review the entire incident and to make recommendations on what actions should be taken to avoid future incidents of this nature.

Specifically, this independent review panel will be charged with looking at the full complement of police reports, affidavits, search warrants, video tapes, law-enforcement protocols and civil-rights issues to measure the nature and appropriateness of the response.

I intend to recruit recognized and respected individuals to lead this fact-finding endeavor. It is incumbent on me to ensure that an impartial, dispassionate review of yesterday's action is conducted fairly and swiftly.

I intend to make these appointments within the next 72 hours and ask the panel to report back to me within 30 days.

I remain committed to trying to find a solution to the economic problems confronting the Narragansett Indians. I have met with the chief on several occasions. I instructed Michael McMahon and his economic development team to devise an action plan with specific initiatives to enhance the overall economic condition of the tribe.

We will continue our efforts in this regard.

I am equally committed, however, that casino gambling is not one of these initiatives. I strongly believe that a casino is not the right course for the tribe or the state.