In brief
A federal jury ruled that the owner of the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City, South Dakota, is liable for discrimination against Native Americans, awarding damages to plaintiffs turned away from the hotel. The lawsuit, filed by the NDN Collective, cited a social media post by owner Connie Uhre, who publicly banned Native Americans from the establishment after a shooting incident. Uhre has since passed away, and a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department had previously mandated an apology and banned her from managing the hotel for four years.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The owner of a South Dakota hotel who stated that Native Americans were banned from the establishment has been found liable for discrimination against them. A federal jury determined that Connie Uhre, who owned the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City, must pay damages to several plaintiffs who were denied service at her hotel. Though the jury awarded $1 to the NDN Collective, the Indigenous advocacy group that spearheaded the lawsuit, they aimed to highlight the discrimination that transpired.The controversy began after a fatal shooting involving two teenagers identified as Native American. Following the incident, Uhre posted on social media declaring her intent to not allow Native Americans entry into her hotel, including its bar and casino. The statement sparked protests in the city and condemnation from local leaders.Wizipan Garriott, the president of NDN Collective and a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, emphasized that the case was never about financial compensation but rather about exposing the underlying racism.The jury also ruled on a countersuit from Uhre's company, Retsel Corporation, stating that the NDN Collective had acted as a nuisance during protests, awarding the company $812.In a separate legal agreement with the U.S. Justice Department in November 2023, Uhre had to publicly apologize and was prohibited from overseeing the hotel for four years.Rapid City, renowned as a gateway to Mount Rushmore, has a history of racial tensions, with an estimated 8% of its approximately 80,000 residents identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native.
