A federal jury in South Dakota has found the owner of the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City liable for discrimination against Native Americans, awarding damages to those who were denied service. In a groundbreaking decision for civil rights, the jury recognized the hurtful impact of the hotel’s discriminatory policies, which were notably enforced following a social media ban issued by owner Connie Uhre.
The NDN Collective, a grassroots Indigenous advocacy organization, spearheaded the class-action lawsuit after Uhre declared on social media that Native Americans would be banned from the hotel post a violent incident, which she controversially tied to the entire ethnic community. Her postings ignited a wave of protests and calls for accountability from various Native American tribes and community members.
“This was never about money,” stated Wizipan Garriott, president of NDN Collective and a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. “We sued for one dollar, merely to have a formal recognition of the discrimination. This is about standing up against racism and being a voice for our people.”
During the case, which had been notably delayed due to the hotel’s bankruptcy filing, the jury awarded NDN Collective symbolic damages of $1, emphasizing the lawsuit's significance in addressing systematic racism. Despite this, the jury countered the hotel's claims and found the organization had indeed disrupted operations, awarding Retsel Corporation $812 for its countersuit.
The court ruling follows a U.S. Justice Department consent decree from the previous year, under which Uhre was required to apologize publicly and step down from her managerial role for four years, emphasizing the necessity for accountability in addressing discriminatory practices.
Rapid City, historically a site of racial tensions, revealed through census data that a notable 8% of its approximately 80,000 populace identifies as American Indian or Alaska Native. This case serves not just as a legal precedent but as an important cultural affirmation for Indigenous rights and dignity within the community.
