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The Native American tribe barricading dozens of Wisconsin families in their homes over a legal dispute regarding road infrastructure has accepted hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.
In late January, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians — a tribe with 3,415 members and 86,600 acres of reservation property in northern Wisconsin — initiated a blockade of several roads that cut through its property, but which represent the only exit for nearby residents. The drastic action came after the tribe’s negotiations with local property owners on new right-of-way agreements for the roads deteriorated.
“As we have said before, this entire situation could have been avoided if the Town and the Title Insurance Companies would have negotiated in good faith,” the tribe’s President John Johnson said in a statement Friday. “The Tribe feels for the property owners impacted by the actions of the Town and the Title Insurance Companies.”
“In fact, we share in their frustration in dealing with government and lawyers, as well as the associated costs that add up quickly over a short period of time — much less over the 10 years that we’ve been trying to get this resolved with the Town and Title Insurance Companies.”
WISCONSIN RESIDENTS REMAIN TRAPPED IN HOMES AS NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBE MAINTAINS BLOCKADE OVER LEGAL DISPUTE
A tribal barricade is pictured on Elsie Lake Lane in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin. (United States District Court For The Western District Of Wisconsin)
The dispute centers on the terms of new right-of-way agreements with the tribe requesting $20 million for a 25-year easement and title companies representing locals pushing for a permanent easement. The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians doubled its offer recently, noting that the current easement expired a decade ago.
But while the tribe owns the territory that the four blocked roadways cut through, it has received hundreds of millions of dollars from various
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