The background is the genocidal abduction of Sioux children from their homes and placing them with white foster care families. All of these removals by the state are illegal under federal law. The state removes more than 700 native children each year, on the flimsiest pretexts. Indian children account for 13.8 percent of the state’s child population but represent 56.3 percent of the foster care population. Of the hundreds of native children in foster care, 87 percent were placed in non-Indian homes while native foster homes are empty. Once the children are removed, state courts routinely keep them from even seeing their families for at least 60 days.

The placements become inhumanly horrific as many of these helpless children become victims of physical and unspeakable sexual abuse. The most outrageous involves the Mette case (Sioux children were placed with Richard and Gwendolyn Mette in 1999), in which South Dakota, during 2001-10, covered up the repeated, ghastly sexual abuse of several native children under its authority. Those within the state apparatus who tried to help these children through official channels were prosecuted by the state and lost their jobs.