"Divide Charles Mix County? Because of racism?

No.

There might be good reasons to look around our state and consider reconfiguring some of our counties - merging, taking a piece of one and adding it to another.

But racism isn't one of those good reasons.

That seems the basis, though, of petitions circulating that would divide our California-shaped county that borders Nebraska and the Missouri River.

The petitions call for taking 11 northern townships - with Platte and Geddes - and creating a new county, Hill County. The southern part - with Lake Andes, Wagner and Marty, headquarters of the Yankton Sioux Tribe - would remain as Charles Mix County.

"Basically, as far as I'm concerned (the petition) is coming out of a racist response," said Charon Asetoyer, executive director of the Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center in Lake Andes.

It's difficult to view this in any other way."

Get the Story:
Editorial: A divisive proposal (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 2/28)

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