Casino news from http://www.eastbayri.com/
EAST PROVIDENCE - Though several voters coming out of last Tuesday's primary verbally opposed the idea of a West Warwick casino, the mood at the Cape Verdean Progressive Center was quite different, as people packed the hall to hear Chief Sachem Thomas Matthew hype the plan last Thursday.
The chief has been traveling throughout the state promoting the Narragansett Casino, which is up for vote on Nov. 7. In East Providence, he seemed to have a lot of support from the primarily Cape Verdean population that came out to cheer his efforts. Live music, a buffet and plenty of pro-casino literature, stickers and T-shirts were also available to anyone who came out that rainy evening, and most people in attendance sported a "Yes on 1" sticker, in reference to the ballot question that will determine the casino's fate.
"The C.V. tribe is here," said Onna Moniz-John, who helped emcee the event.
"Tonight, the chief is going to give you a little bit of the history [of the casino process] that many of you didn't know," she continued.
Ms. Moniz-John said that the time was right for the Narragansett Indians to have a casino in the state, and that waiting was not a good option.
"We all know about 'not now,'" she said to the crowd, the first of several parallels that would be drawn between the civil rights movement and the Narragansetts' quest for a casino in West Warwick.
Chief Thomas spoke briefly on the history of the tribe's efforts to open a casino in the state, a process that dates back to 1993, when the Narragansetts wanted a high-stakes Bingo outfit in Charlestown. They prevailed in court, he said, but in 1994 then Governor Lincoln Almond challenged former Governor Bruce Sundlun's decision, and things have been up in the air ever since. He said the tribe appealed to the General Assembly over the ensuing years, went before various committees and was finally told in 2005 that a casino would require a Constitutional amendment.
"Our rights were taken away," he said.
Chief Thomas said that in 1973, a law made gambling and the lottery permissible, but in 1994, it was determined that any expansions must be approved by the public.
Is it fair?
In response to allegations that their casino, currently backed by Harrah's, a major gambling outfit that owns many casinos throughout America, did not allow for competitive bidding, the chief said other groups had proposed a casino, but dropped out of the running relatively quickly.
"That's not our fault," the chief said.
"Everybody had a chance to come in ... it's more than a monetary issue with us, it's the principle of the matter."
The chief also said they would honor their promise to use fair hiring processes.
"We've been burned, so we know how it feels," he said.
All of the questions asked following his statements were in support of the casino, including someone who asked which representatives had supported the casino, so they could tell everyone for whom to vote. The chief said while he did not know everyone off the top of his head, many area representatives, including Paul Moura, had been very supportive.
"He was real solid," the chief said of Rep. Moura.
A West Warwick resident asked how the reported $144 million in property tax relief would be distributed, and the chief said that a Warren representative had worked out a formula based on population. Cities and towns with higher populations would receive more money than those with smaller populations.
Ms. Moniz-John concluded the evening by encouraging everyone to vote for the casino and bring everyone they could to the polls.
"Don't just go on your own," she said. "Drag somebody if you have to."
In response to the reported criticisms about amending the constitution, Ms. Moniz-John reminded those in attendance that it had been done before.
"A lot of you in this room couldn't vote if the Constitution wasn't changed," she said.
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