MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – After walking for more than 150 miles from Keshena to Madison, some members of the Menominee Tribe ended up getting no payoff from their protest effort.
The march, which began last Friday, was done to try and get Governor Scott Walker to change his decision on rejecting the tribe’s proposed casino in Kenosha.
Accompanied by other tribal members who took the bus to Madison, protesters marched from the Library Mall area of the UW-Madison campus, down State Street to the Capitol building on Wednesday. Hundreds of Menominee members filled the Capitol rotunda for a noon-hour rally.
Tribal chairman Gary Besaw stood outside of Governor Walker’s office, but the governor didn’t emerge.
Last month, Governor Walker rejected the planned Hard Rock casino over concern that state agreements might force the state to pay back hundreds of millions of dollars to the Forest County Potawatomi tribe, if that group loses revenue at its existing Milwaukee casino due to the Kenosha project.
Leaders of the Menominee tribe believed that since the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs deadline is not until February 19, that Governor Walker could change his mind up until then.
Last week, the Menominee agreed to cover the state’s share of bonding for a new Milwaukee Bucks arena if Walker would approve the casino. He said no to that also, noting that the tribe never mentioned such a concept in 18 months of talks.
(Additional reporting from FOX 11 and Wheeler News Service)
