Blackwater tries to bribe Los Coyotes

Mercs Tried to Bribe Indian Tribe … With a Playground

By Dawn LimWhen Blackwater went looking for a place in San Diego County where it could train soldiers and law-enforcement officers in everything from sniper skills to combat-driving around 2006, it ran into a problem. Communities didn’t exactly want the controversial private security company, infamous for questionable killings of Iraqi civilians, anywhere near them.

But one Native American tribe, the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians, was willing to hear Blackwater out. The isolated tribe, located near Warner Springs in California, had been struggling to squeeze out cash from its inhospitable land, reports the San Diego CityBeat. The reservation’s landscape was even reminiscent of the terrain of Afghanistan. And so it was a gold mine for private military contractors that needed training grounds.But then things changed:Kupsch was replaced as the tribal chairperson. And the Interior Department said it would consider allowing Indian tribes to build casinos far from their reservations. The Los Coyotes tribe renewed its old calls for a casino. Now, they want the mercs out: In June, the tribe sent the company a 30-day notice to get off its land.

Over the course of the four-month stand-off, details about the things Eagle Rock used to win over the tribe have started to emerge. They include, according to the Beat, “$25,000 in revenue, a trip to Disneyland for tribal children, iPods for teen members at Christmas and employment for 17 tribal members. The firm also took credit for introducing an aspiring tribal filmmaker to Discovery Channel producers. In total, [Eagle Rock] says it’s invested $327,000 in new facilities and another $101,000 in the promised children’s park.”Comment:  For more questionable business practices, see "Rent-A-Tribe" Payday Loan Companies and Wes Studi Shills for Pebble.