- Details
- By Levi Rickert
On Saturday, the Great Sioux Nation in South Dakota issued a “Notice of Trespass (Cease and Desist)” order against Connie Uhre-Grand Gateway Hotel and its subsidiaries with instructions to vacate the premises.
Connie Uhre is the 76-year-old owner of the Grand Gateway Hotel that posted on social media she would ban Native American from the property after a shooting took place in one of the hotel rooms in the early hours of March 19. Uhre wrote on Facebook: “Do [sic] to the killing that took place at the Grand Gateway Hotel on March 19, 2022 at 4 am, plus all the vandalism we have had since the Mayor and Police Department are working with the non-profit organization (Dark Money), we will no longer allow Native Americans on property, including Cheers.”
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
Uhre’s banning of Native Americans at the 132-room Grand Gateway Hotel that touts itself as the “best hotel” in Rapid City has sparked backlash by Native Americans throughout South Dakota.
As of Sunday morning, a notice on the Internet says the Grand Gateway Hotel says the hotel is “temporarily closed.” Calls to the hotel go to voicemail.
In its Notice of Trespass, Great Sioux Nation cited the Treaty with the Sioux, dated April 29, 1868, that reads: "...no white person or persons shall be permitted to settle upon or occupy any portion of the [land north of the North Platte River or east of the summits of the Big Horn Mountains]; or without the consent of the Indians first had and obtained, to pass through the same."
Also, on Saturday, for the second time within days, hundreds of Native Americans marched on the streets of Rapid City, S.D. and held an “Indian Allowed” rally at a local park to bring attention to the racist and illegal stance of the Grand Gateway Hotel.
On Wednesday, Brendan V. Johnson, a former U.S. Attorney and who now is an attorney with Robins-Kaplan law firm, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court - South Dakota Western District on behalf of the NDN Collective. The lawsuit came after members of the NDN Collective were denied room rentals for two days in a row. The lawsuit says the hotel's actions are “part of a policy, pattern, or practice of intentional racial discrimination against Native Americans."
CORRECTION: An earlier version erroneously referred to the Great Sioux Nation as the Grand Sioux Nation. Native News Online apologizes for the mistake.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (April 28, 2024): D.C. BriefsChickasaw Children’s Village Celebrates 20 Years of Nurturing First American Students
Oregon Governor Visits Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Water Rights Agreement with Colorado River Indian Tribes in Arizona Signed
Biden Nominates Salish & Kootenai Tribal Attorney Danna Jackson for Federal Bench
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.
