Letters

Kudos to Michael Iasilli and Tommy John Schiavoni, who now serve on the Southampton Town Council and the New York State Assembly, respectively, for voting against suing the Shinnecock Nation for building a gas station on their own territory [“Southampton Town Will Sue Shinnecock Nation To Halt Hampton Bays Gas Station Development; Tribe Vows Defiance,” 27east.com, December 19].

In recent Letters to the Editor, people lamented the tearing down of trees and the harmful effects the construction will have on animals who live in these woods. We wonder why we do not hear the same outcry from people when trees are torn down, and wildlife homes are decimated, to build hideously large McMansions that dominate the once pristine fields and woodlands of the East End. The Shinnecock Nation has been here for thousands of years, and their land was taken from them by many of our own ancestors. We need to acknowledge that all of us on the East End live on usurped land.

In the January 2 issue of this paper, Lance Gumbs, vice chairman of the Shinnecock Nation Council of Trustees, makes an excellent argument for the economic gains that native tribes across our country have made through gas stations, casinos, gaming and hotels. He wonders why people who purchased and live on property adjacent to Indian land are indignant that the Shinnecock are building on their own property.

Instead of preventing our Indigenous neighbors from developing ways to enhance their economy, we should be celebrating them for their hard work to protect our waters. The Shinnecock Kelp Farmers are working hard to reseed the bay and get rid of the toxins in the water. This effort is badly needed given the ongoing pollution of our oceans and bays.

PEER (Progressive East End Reformers), an organization we belong to, is a multi-issue grassroots organization committed to advocating for issues that impact working families on Long Island. At every meeting, we start with the following statement: PEER recognizes that our members are fortunate to live on the ancestral territory of the Manhasset, Montaukett Indian, and Shinnecock nations.

Perhaps we should all recognize our good fortune and respect the rights of the Shinnecock Nation to have authority over the small remnants of land that they still own.

Tina Jacobowitz, Ph.D.

Nicholas Michelli, Ed.D.

Water Mill