{"id":23002,"date":"2022-04-11T10:25:04","date_gmt":"2022-04-11T14:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=23002"},"modified":"2022-04-11T10:25:05","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T14:25:05","slug":"native-sun-news-today-sioux-nation-reacts-swiftly-to-racism-on-homelands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/04\/11\/native-sun-news-today-sioux-nation-reacts-swiftly-to-racism-on-homelands\/","title":{"rendered":"Native Sun News Today: Sioux Nation reacts swiftly to racism on homelands"},"content":{"rendered":" \"'Indians<\/a>
Nearly 1,000 people marched in Rapid City, South Dakota, on March 26, 2022, to protest racism and discrimination on Sioux Nation treaty territory. Photo Native Sun News Today<\/figcaption>\r\n
Racist comments draw quick response<\/div>\r\n
Monday, April 11, 2022<\/div>\r\n
By Joseph Budd<\/div>\r\n
Native Sun News Today Staff Writer<\/div>\r\n
nativesunnews.today<\/a><\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nRAPID CITY, South Dakota — Racist comments by a local business owner brought quick responses from local Native Americans, to local business owners and all the way from the Governor\u2019s office.

<\/P>\r\n First on social media, with the comment section being livid, but also when her note was shared, more responses were being posted. Likewise when the news dropped, folks within the businesses directly affected, would respond. \r\n

<\/P>\r\nPerkins\u2019 Restaurant staff reached out to the Native Sun News, letting us know, there are Native American workers there, including the cooks, and they heartily disagree with this woman\u2019s perspective on Natives. Alex, who works there was shown a copy of the story, and said \u201cThis isn\u2019t what we stand for.\u201d \r\n

<\/P>\r\nLikewise, as the day progressed, it was learned workers from both the hotel and the Cheers the bar, walked away from their jobs. \r\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\u2018Indians\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\u2018Indians Allowed\u2019: Sioux Nation rallies against racism and discrimination\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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The people of the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota nations came together to take a stand against racism and discrimination on their homelands.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"Indianz.Com\"\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe following day on March 22nd, the Mayor, several key members of Pennington County law enforcement, the Oglala Sioux Tribe President, and the State\u2019s Attorney, held a meeting to discuss this matter. Elevate Rapid City, Visit Rapid City, the Visit Rapid City Board of Directors and the Hotel Bid Board of Directors were in attendance and after discussing matters, issued out a formal Condemnation of the social media statements made by representatives of the Grand Gateway Hotel. In part, it pointed to the fact these statements return Rapid City to the racial volatility of the 50\u2019s and 60\u2019s, prior to and during the civil rights era. \r\n

<\/P>\r\nHarold Frazier, Chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe said, \u201cNot too long ago an Indian was murdered when someone shot him point blank in a bar in this very city. You did not hear us condemn a whole race of people so don\u2019t condemn our people.\u201d He would go on to demand an apology.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n From the Hotel side of things, apparently damage control was the word of the day, as the one who posted the inflammatory statements, was removed as president, then another fellow, Judson Uhre who is an owner with a non-active role, said his mother is not the owner and was the president \u201ca long time ago.\u201d He then went on to say, that \u201cto clarify her statements, she did make some generalization statements about people, about morally diverse people who share the same ancestry, and those statements don not reflect the values of the Grand Gateway Hotel or our diverse workforce.\u201d\r\n

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The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is calling on the Department of Justice to investigate a business that has banned Native patrons.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"Indianz.Com\"\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nUhre pointed out that Nick is a volunteer with the hotel but part of the ownership of the hotel. Part of the family\u2019s issues stem from use of outside funding for the County, regarding the MacArthur Foundation Grant that addresses issues regarding jail populations and the racial disparities in the criminal justice system, now being used in the County. \r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe County has seen the Grant come in twice, once in 2015 and again in 2020. Numbers have shown some improvements, folks being referred back to home instead of jail, receiving care instead of a jail cell and helping folks meet court dates to help reduce a backlog of people waiting in jail.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nAt the Federal Courthouse, NDN Collective\u2019s Nick Tilsen informed the gathering that they had submitted paperwork for a class action lawsuit, against the Retsel Corporation, the parent company that owns the Grand Gateway Hotel, for denial of services to Native Americans. He cited two examples, when two Native Americans were sent in to book a room, and both were turned away, Sunny Red Bear, a member of the NDN Collective, and Alberta Eagle, the director of operations for NDN Collective were both denied, and Alberta was removed from the lobby.\r\n

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