Jessie "Little Doe" Baird, the vice chairwoman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts, apologized for comments she made at a casino hearing last week. Baird referred to opponents as "xenophobes" and "skinheads" and "NIMBYs" at a Bureau of Indian Affairs hearing on Tuesday. The comments sparked outrage in Taunton, where the $500 million First Light Resort and Casino has seen support. "On behalf of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, I want to convey my sincerest apology to anyone who was offended by my comments at the DEIS hearing at Taunton High School," Baird said in a statement, The Cape Cod Times reported. "No offense was meant toward casino opponents, the people of Taunton, or city officials. I was referring to the types of comments other tribes' land-into-trust applications have received in the past. The comments were directed to the Bureau of Indian Affairs regarding the land-in-trust comment process, which lasts 45 days." The Citizens for Equal Rights Alliance, an anti-Indian group, opposes the casino. Get the Story:
Tribe's VP apologizes to Taunton (The Cape Cod Times 12/7) Some Opinions:
Hal Brown: On the Mashpee Wampanoag controversy: What Jessie “Little Doe” Baird left out (The Barnstable Register 12/9)
Frank Lagace: Apology can’t erase underlying hatred and racism (The Taunton Daily Gazette 12/7) Federal Register Notice:
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Fee-to-Trust Transfer of Property and Subsequent Development of a Resort/Hotel and Tribal Government Facilities by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (November 15, 2013)
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