Stockbridge-Munsee offers support for Menominee casino bid

The Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians has announced it is supporting a neighboring tribe that seeks to build a new casino.

The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin recently announced its partnership with Hard Rock International to open a destination entertainment center and casino in Kenosha. Hard Rock International is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

The Stockbridge-Munsee Community has long supported its Menominee sisters and brothers in their efforts to obtain the much-needed resources for their tribal members, according to its president, Shannon Holsey. The Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Council adopted a resolution in 2012 supporting the Menominee’s prior attempt seeking approval for a casino project in Kenosha. The current council recently confirmed its continuing support for the Menominee’s new efforts with Hard Rock.

“The Menominee are our neighbors and share many ties and many of the same needs as our community,” Holsey said. “We fully support their efforts to find the resources to address those needs, which can only help the larger tribal, regional and state communities.”

The Menominee are ranked as one of the largest and poorest tribes in Wisconsin and regularly report some of the highest rates of poverty and lowest ratings for health outcomes of any area in Wisconsin. The Menominee tribe has announced that resources from the proposed Kenosha casino would allow it to invest in health care and education needs, as well as do more to reduce high levels of poverty, hunger, and unemployment on the reservation.