KENOSHA – The governments of two tribes in Wisconsin have expressed support for a Menominee casino in Kenosha while the Potawatomi Tribe strongly opposes the endeavor.
“The Oneida Nation has a successful history of working with other sovereign nations to build and support Indian gaming and other enterprises across the nation,” read a statement from the Oneida Nation Business Committee this month. “Oneida can be proud of supporting the common goals of self-sufficiency, economic expansion and diversification and advocation for tribal sovereignty.”
Officials with the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation, whose reservation is adjacent to the Menominee Reservation, expressed support for a Menominee Kenosha casino on Saturday.
“The Menominee are our neighbors and share many ties and many of the same needs as our community,” said Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation President Shannon Holsey in a statement. “We fully support their efforts to find the resources to address those needs, which can only help the larger tribal, regional and state communities.”
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Officials from the Oneida and Mohican tribes cite the fact that the Menominee Nation is one of the poorest tribes in Wisconsin and revenue from a Kenosha casino would allow the tribe to invest in health and education needs and reduce high levels of poverty, hunger and unemployment on the Menominee Reservation.
The Menominee Nation is partnering with Hard Rock International, which is owned by the Seminole Tribe based in Florida, in the Kenosha casino project.
The casino would be on about 60 acres of land on the east and west sides of 122nd Avenue in Kenosha.
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