Letters

The people of Southampton should understand exactly what their town government is doing when it appeals the federal government’s recognition of the Shinnecock Nation’s Westwoods property [“Southampton Town Takes Department of Interior to Court Over Status of Tribal Land in Hampton Bays,” 27east.com, August 14]. The town is effectively saying that Westwoods is not sovereign or indigenous land at all — that it is simply another parcel of real estate, subject to local zoning and local property taxes, as if the Shinnecock Nation’s history and rights do not exist.

That is not just wrong — it’s offensive. It is a continuation of the same centuries-long pattern that stripped Indigenous people of their land under the guise of legal maneuvering.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, under the U.S. Department of the Interior, has already ruled that Westwoods is sovereign Shinnecock land. Instead of respecting that, the town has doubled down, hiring expensive Washington, D.C., lawyers to keep fighting a losing battle. They are wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on an appeal, etc., that they have little chance of winning. This money could fix roads, hire police officers or address workforce housing.

And, for what? If, against all odds, the town were to prevail, the result would be to strip the Shinnecock Nation of federal protections and to place their land under town control — zoning laws, tax rolls and all. In other words, the town is asking a court to erase Indigenous sovereignty in 2025. That should disgust every resident.

Southampton residents deserve to know that their government is spending our money on an indefensible attempt to deny our neighbors their most basic right to live and use their land as sovereign people.

When history looks back on this, it will be more than a stain on Supervisor Maria Moore’s record. It will define her legacy. She will be remembered as the Martin Van Buren, the “Red Fox,” of Southampton Town, presiding over one of the darkest chapters in our history, defined by her shameful effort to strip the Shinnecock Nation of its sovereignty.

Jessica Mcnerney

Southampton Village