South Dakota Hotel Owner Found Liable For Discrimination Against Native Americans
A South Dakota hotel owner was found liable for discriminating against Native Americans after banning them from the establishment.Summary
The owner of the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City, South Dakota, was found liable for discrimination against Native Americans by a federal jury on Friday. The lawsuit, filed by the NDN Collective in 2022, stemmed from a social media post by hotel owner Connie Uhre in March 2022, where she announced a ban on Native Americans following a fatal shooting at the hotel involving two Native American teenagers. Uhre stated she would not “allow a Native American to enter our business.” Members of the NDN Collective attempting to book rooms were subsequently denied service.
The jury awarded $1 to the NDN Collective and tens of thousands of dollars in damages to other plaintiffs. While the company, Retsel Corporation, filed for bankruptcy and Uhre passed away in September, the lawsuit proceeded as a matter of principle, according to NDN Collective president Wizipan Garriott, who stated, “This was never about money…It was about being on record for the discrimination that happened, and using this as an opportunity to be able to really call out racism.”
The jury also ruled partially in favor of Retsel Corporation in a countersuit against the NDN Collective, awarding the company $812 for nuisance related to protests. Prior to the verdict, Uhre was required to publicly apologize and was banned from managing the hotel for four years as part of a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department. Rapid City, a city with a significant Native American population, has a history of racial tensions.
(Source：HuffPost)