South Dakota Hotel Owner Held Accountable for Discrimination Against Native Americans

The owner of a South Dakota hotel, who previously stated that Native Americans were banned from the establishment, was found liable for discrimination last week. This significant ruling came from a federal jury, which determined that the owner of the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City must pay tens of thousands of dollars in damages to various plaintiffs who were denied service.

The jury awarded $1 to the NDN Collective, an Indigenous advocacy group that initiated the lawsuit. This class-action civil rights lawsuit was filed against Retsel Corporation, the hotel’s parent company, in 2022. The case faced delays when Retsel Corporation filed for bankruptcy in September 2024. Tragically, the head of the company, Connie Uhre, passed away in September.

“This was never about money. We sued for one dollar,” stated Wizipan Garriott, president of NDN Collective and an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. “It was about being on record for the discrimination that happened, and using this as an opportunity to really call out racism.”

Uhre had made headlines in March 2022 when she announced on social media that she would ban Native Americans from her property following a fatal shooting at the hotel involving two teenagers identified by police as Native American. In her Facebook post, she declared that she could not “allow a Native American to enter our business including Cheers,” which is the hotel’s bar and casino.

When members of the NDN Collective attempted to book a room at the hotel after Uhre’s posts, they were turned away. This incident sparked protests in Rapid City and drew condemnation from the mayor and various tribes across the state.

In the recent ruling, the jury also addressed Retsel’s countersuit against NDN Collective, determining that the group had acted as a nuisance during its protests against the hotel. The jury awarded $812 to the company in this regard.

Following a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department in November 2023, Uhre was required to publicly apologize and was banned from managing the establishment for four years.

The Associated Press has reached out to the defense attorneys for comment regarding the case.

Rapid City, known as a gateway to Mount Rushmore, has a history of racial tensions. According to census data, at least 8% of the city’s population of approximately 80,000 identifies as American Indian or Alaska Native.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The owner of a South Dakota hotel, who previously stated that Native Americans were banned from the establishment, was found liable for discrimination last week. This significant ruling came from a federal jury, which determined that the owner of the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City must pay tens of thousands of dollars in damages to various plaintiffs who were denied service.

The jury awarded $1 to the NDN Collective, an Indigenous advocacy group that initiated the lawsuit. This class-action civil rights lawsuit was filed against Retsel Corporation, the hotel’s parent company, in 2022. The case faced delays when Retsel Corporation filed for bankruptcy in September 2024. Tragically, the head of the company, Connie Uhre, passed away in September.

“This was never about money. We sued for one dollar,” stated Wizipan Garriott, president of NDN Collective and an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. “It was about being on record for the discrimination that happened, and using this as an opportunity to really call out racism.”

Uhre had made headlines in March 2022 when she announced on social media that she would ban Native Americans from her property following a fatal shooting at the hotel involving two teenagers identified by police as Native American. In her Facebook post, she declared that she could not “allow a Native American to enter our business including Cheers,” which is the hotel’s bar and casino.

When members of the NDN Collective attempted to book a room at the hotel after Uhre’s posts, they were turned away. This incident sparked protests in Rapid City and drew condemnation from the mayor and various tribes across the state.

In the recent ruling, the jury also addressed Retsel’s countersuit against NDN Collective, determining that the group had acted as a nuisance during its protests against the hotel. The jury awarded $812 to the company in this regard.

Following a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department in November 2023, Uhre was required to publicly apologize and was banned from managing the establishment for four years.

The Associated Press has reached out to the defense attorneys for comment regarding the case.

Rapid City, known as a gateway to Mount Rushmore, has a history of racial tensions. According to census data, at least 8% of the city’s population of approximately 80,000 identifies as American Indian or Alaska Native.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.