A half dozen members of the tribe accused the board of continuing the exploitation of the tribe which they say has gone on for centuries, by denying it the right to use its own property.
Meanwhile the tribe's attorney, George Stankevich, said the town board was wasting its efforts, because state-sponsored gambling -- through a casino, a super OTB parlor or video slots in restaurants -- was an inevitability.
Randy King, a Shinnecock Tribal Trustee, said the tribe was criticized when it tried to clear land for a bingo parlor, but no one complained when thousands of trees were leveled in preparation for the U.S. Open parking areas and on-site facilities last month. And, he added, even as the town opposes the tribal casino "I see casino nights all over as fund-raisers."
Supervisor Patrick Heaney said the town would continue to block a tribal casino because of the traffic problems it would bring and the social destruction gambling would cause.
"It's a parasitic industry," Heaney said. "Decency gets sucked out of the community. You see bankruptcies increase, drug addiction increase ... A lot of bad, nasty things come into a community as decency gets sucked out."
Stankevich, however, told the board at its regular Tuesday night meeting that the town would lose in the end. "This is a gaming state. It's public policy," he said. "That sucking sound you hear is billions of dollars [in casino revenue] going to Connecticut and New Jersey."
What brought the tribal delegation to the town board meeting was a routine budget transfer resolution, which moved $100,000 to the town attorney's office to pay some of the cost of the town's lawsuit to block the casino.
Rumors had spread around the town that the transfer had brought the cost of fighting the casino to $1 million -- Heaney said he had gotten an e-mail to that effect himself -- and Stankevich said it was time for the town to stop and review its position.
Heaney later checked and found the town had spent $582,000 in its legal battle so far.
Donna Collins of the Shinnecock Tribal Council said that white people had been taking land from the tribe for centuries. "It's time for you to give back ... Your ancestors took and took," she said. "This board may not have the power to do everything, but you can do something. If you don't want a casino, what are you going to give us?" she asked.
Heaney said he and others on the town board had visited two casinos to see their impact on the local community, but Lance Gumbs, the tribal board chairman, said there were 310 Indian casinos in the United States, and that it would be unfair to compare the proposed Shinnecock casino with Foxwoods, the largest in the country.
"Fire departments have been funded by those 'bloodsucking' entities," Gumbs said. "And ambulances and hospitals with gaming revenues. Most casinos have built new schools ... how will we be able to take care of our seniors and help our children? ... Before you pass these judgments, you should get the real facts."
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.