BREAKING GROUND-From the left, Shinnecock Indian Nation trustees Lance Gumbs, Charles Smith and James Eleazer break ground at the tribe's Westwoods property on Newtown Road in Hampton Bays. A tribe member holds the tribe's flag behind them.

    On Monday morning, at a private and peaceful event on the Shinnecock Indian Nation's Westwoods property in Hampton Bays, tribe trustee Lance Gumbs announced that the tribe would break ground for a casino. Minutes later, Gumbs and the othert rustees, leader Charles Smith and James Eleazer, dug in their shovels and proudly lifted them up to a chorus of yells and applause.

"Applaud yourselves for the hard work you have done, for the hard work you are about to do," said Smith.

The tribe has decided to go forward with the construction of a 65,000-square-foot casino on Newtown Road despite the lack of support from state and local officials. They have submitted the application for federal recognition, which is required to legally build a casino, but do not have that recognition yet, nor do they have the necessary pact with New York State.

Assemblyman Fred Thiele (R-Bridgehampton), a casino opponent, said that the groundbreaking ceremony "is nothing more than a public relations photo opportunity" and that it "doesn't mean much one way or another." He said that if the tribe goes forward with construction it would be "a mistake on their part."

"I would hope that the tribe would be better advised than to do that," he added. In a statement released Monday after the event, Thiele said that "this is the beginning of what will no doubt be a long legal battle. "However the tribe, according to Smith, is "confident in our legal team that everything will be worked out."

On Sunday the tribe was served with a restraining order from New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office prohibiting the tribe from taking any steps towards building the casino. Holding the document up high, Gumbs said the tribe would contest the order in federal court.

"This restraining order will be fought," he said. "We will not succumb to their rules and wishes to keep us subservient."

The restraining order is the product of months of work between the town of Southampton and the Spitzer's office. It is effective only until July 2 when the town will go to court and try to get an extension. At a special town board meeting on Friday, the town voted to hire the law firm Nixon Peabody to assist the town attorney with the situation.

Gumbs stressed that the tribe has always been open to meeting with officials to discuss the casino. He said that recent claims in local papers that the tribe has been secretive and unresponsive are false. "Our doors have been open for 250 years. We have always met witho fficials," he said, adding that the state has "turned their backs" on the tribe.

However, Donna Giancontieri, executive assistant to Southampton Supervisor Patrick Heaney, said the tribe had indeed refused to meet with the town. "We sent them a letter that was signed for. We know they received it," she said. Later, she said, the trustees called to say that the tribe had decided not to meet with Heaney to discuss casino alternatives.

Heaney was out of town on Monday and could not be reached for comment by press time. However, in a written statement Heaney said he would "continue to work with our state officials and our town attorney's office is prepared to offer any necessarya ssistance to prevent the construction of a casino." He added that he is still receptive to a meeting with the trustees.

Both Gumbs and Smith spoke of the tribe's need for economic stability. They stressed the need for independence; to be able to take care of their children and elders. "Every one of our economic endeavors has been taken away from us," said Gumbs. "We are doing nothing wrong. We are joining our brothers and sisters across the country that have gained self-reliance."

He described the actions the tribe has taken in the past to bring in revenue and the alternatives they have looked at. He mentioned the oyster hatchery that was destroyed by the brown tide and other revenue sources that were considered, such as a cell phone tower, a wastem anagement facility and a paint factory. The casino, he said, is the best option.

"We've been trying for years to provide economic development for our nation," said Smith. "We can no longer live on the handouts of the government. The burden is getting harder and harder on each and every one of us."

With the casino, he added, "Everyone wins. There are no losers here, we will make sure of that."

"It is a fact that Indian gaming works," said Gumbs. "This facility would create year-round jobs, rain or shine." He added that local people would be hired to work there and local services would be used to make it run. The profits would "stay within our community."

The trustees produced a large poster board with a drawing of the proposed facility and presented it to the crowd while the tribe members cheered and clapped. If built, the casino will most likely be a Class III facility, with slot machines, game tables, a bingo hall and a food court.

At press time, it was unclear when casino construction would begin.

©Suffolk Life Newspapers 2003