Press  Releases

 

Tribe and Taunton Seek Support for the “Good Fight” with Bluhm Gone

 Mashpee, MA (September 13, 2019)  On Thursday, September 12, 2019, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (Commission), by a vote of 3-1 issued their second public rejection of the project proposed by Massachusetts Gaming and Entertainment (MG&E), and its chairman Neil Bluhm.  MG&E, a subsidiary of Bluhm’s Rush Street Gaming, had previously proposed a $677 million resort casino at the Brockton Fairgrounds, but was soundly rejected by the Commission in 2016 by a vote of 4-1.  The Commission’s vote on Thursday effectively doubled down on its prior rejection of Bluhm’s proposal by dismissing MG&E’s demand for an automatic casino license contrary to existing law.  The Commission confirmed that it had the authority to reconsider Bluhm’s project, but made it clear there are not “sufficient grounds” to grant any such reconsideration for Bluhm.  In response to his second public rejection, Bluhm erupted to proclaim he was walking away from Brockton.  “I can’t hang around.  I’ve been doing this for more than five years”, spouted Bluhm.

Chairman Cedric Cromwell of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, who was quick to point out the irony in Bluhm’s frustration, states “With two flat out rejections of Neil Bluhm by the Commission the reality is pretty clear that Bluhm has not been honest with the people of Brockton and has no real ties to our Commonwealth.  Steve Crosby, the former Chairman of the Commission had it right back in 2016 when he said Bluhm’s proposal for a casino in a school parking lot had “a downside of actually undercutting economic development rather than lifting economic development.”  

“From the moment Bluhm arrived in Massachusetts he has done nothing but subject Southeastern Massachusetts to constant delay preventing Region C from benefitting from the economic and job creation that the Tribe’s reservation in Taunton would otherwise already be bringing to the area”, added Chairman Cromwell. 

 
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Mashpee Wampanoag Conduct Housing Lottery for “First Light Wampanoag Homes Development”

On Sunday, (April 14, 2019) an historic and undoubtedly emotional moment will take place for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Community.

Tribal members will learn who will be selected by lottery to live in the First Light Wampanoag Homes Development located on Meetinghouse Road in Mashpee.

On March 30, an Honorary Partnership Ceremony took place at the site where the 42 unit housing structures will soon be constructed. Sight preparation has been underway since February.

Mashpee Wampanoag Provide Testimony Supporting HR312 Before House Subcommittee

On Wednesday, (April 3) the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, represented by Vice Chairwoman Jessie little doe Baird, provided testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples of the United States, to the urgent need for passage of HR312 “Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act.”

“The damage done to our Tribe during the years in which the status of our reservation has been thrown into doubt is beginning to reach catastrophic levels.

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will produce 42 units of affordable housing

BOSTON, MA – December 27, 2017 – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced a $1 million award and state and federal tax credits to support the construction of Mashpee Wampanoag Village in Mashpee on land owned by the Wampanoag Tribe. The funding will catalyze a new affordable housing development, featuring 42 rental units, including 13 units reserved for very low-income families and individuals.

MASHPEE WAMPANOAG WORK TOWARD DECISION ON TRIBE’S LAND STATUS

MASHPEE, Ma. (April 28, 2017) – The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe announced today that it hopes to fully remobilize construction crews in Taunton, Massachusetts this summer for its $1 billion First Light Resort & Casino project and have doors open by summer 2018.

The Tribe’s announcement comes on the heels of information from the U.S. Interior Department that it will issue a new decision on the historic Tribe’s land status on or before June 19, 2017.

Mashpee Tribe Applauds Decision in Cowlitz Case

(MASHPEE, MA - April, 3, 2017) – The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is applauding a major victory for the Cowlitz tribe today over Indian casino opponents in Washington State. The Cowlitz Tribe has been working to bring a casino to its tribal land for several years and has faced stiff opposition from several groups.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition to review a lower court decision that upheld the U.S. Department of Interior's authority to take land into trust on behalf of the tribe, rebuffing a series of legal challenges filed by tribal casino opponents.

JUDGE CLARIFIES DECISION MASHPEE TRIBE WILL SEEK REVISED RECORD-OF-DECISION ON LAND

MASHPEE, Ma. (October 13, 2016) -- Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal leaders are applauding Federal District Court Judge William Young’s decision today that clarifies his initial ruling on the historic Tribe’s land status and provides a legal path forward.

“It is no violation of the Court's order should the agency wish to analyze the Mashpees' eligibility under the first definition of ‘Indian,’” Judge Young’s ruling reads in part.

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