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SEPTEMBER 28, 2000

You know, a lot of people, if an Indian moves next door, they'll move out.

[Indians] work good for a week, maybe two, and then they don't show up.

As soon as [Indians] get some money, they end up being drunk and gone. Well, what are they going to go? They're going to go to a bar.

In March of this year, the United States Commission on Civil Rights released a report on the justice system in South Dakota. Although not surprising to many Indian residents, the report concluded that racism is a persistent problem, affecting almost every single aspect of life.

Summarily dismissed as "garbage" by Governor Bill Janklow, who later questioned much of its accuracy, the report's main findings appear to be true, at least according to a recent ABC news program. They considered the issue as part of an investigation into the death of a developmentally disabled Indian man who was found stuffed in a trash can after a night of drinking with white friends.

Charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault were filed against four teenagers. But all of them were dropped because a local prosecutor said he could not find corroborating medical evidence, a finding questioned by the show 20/20.

The show took a look not only at the case of Many Horses, but also at the vastly differing views on racism. Native Americans feel discrimination is prevalent, but their white neighbors say their claims are exaggerated.

"Why do you think it is that some Indians refer to the whites here as the Ku Klux Klan? Why would they say that?" asked Lynn Sherr, the show's host.

"Because it picks up the attention of people like yourself," responded a white rancher.

Sentiments like these were consistent throughout the state during investigation of the issue, said the program. Many Horses died in Mobridge, located in the northern part of South Dakota near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Many Horses was a member of the tribe.

But on the southern edge of the state, near the Pine Ridge Reservation along the Nebraska border, several other Native Americans have also been found dead. Like the Many Horses case, most of the deaths are seen as alcohol-related.

A recent FBI pamphlet intended to dispel persistent rumors about the government's investigation of the deaths of 57 Native Americans from 1973 to 1975 showed that many were also ruled alcohol-related.

The program suggests past history plays a part in the different attitudes expressed by Native Americans and whites. While many whites believe Native Americans are receiving a free government ride, Indians see it as part of the trust and treaty responsibilities of the United States.

"A lot of it. . .seems to stem from anger from the whites we talked to complaining that the Indians are getting too many government handouts: federal housing subsidies, free health care, for example. The Indians, on the other hand, say this is repayment for lands that were taken from them," said Sherr.

Get the 20/20 Transcript:
The Death of Robert Many Horses (ABC News 9/22)

Get the US Commission Report:
Native Americans in South Dakota: An Erosion of Confidence in the Justice System (USCCR 3/00)

Related Stories:
FBI releases Pine Ridge report (The Talking Circle 07/11)
FBI 'Death List' (The Talking Circle 07/11)
Whiteclay protests continue (The Talking Circle 06/12)

Relevant Links:
Camp Justice - www.aics.org/justice/camp.html