Robins Kaplan LLP announced today that a federal jury found in favor of several Native Americans in their civil rights lawsuit against the Grand Gateway Hotel and its parent company Retsel Corporation for intentional racial discrimination.
The verdict, delivered in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, stems from March 2022 incidents in which hotel staff refused service to Native American customers following social media posts by owner Connie Uhre stating she would "not allow a Native American to enter our business" because she could not tell "who is a bad Native or a good Native."
On March 21, 2022, Sunny Red Bear, Director of Racial Equity for NDN Collective, was denied a hotel room after an employee cited a purported policy against renting to people with "local" identification—a pretext for racial discrimination. The following day, representatives of NDN Collective attempted to reserve five rooms and were forcefully ordered to leave the premises.
These denials followed an incident in June of 2020, when George Bettelyoun, a Native American from Minneapolis, was also ejected from the hotel amid racial comments by the owner and manager.
The case highlighted a pattern of discrimination at the hotel, supported by email communications from owners of Retsel Corporation disparaging Native Americans with racist stereotypes. The discrimination occurred despite Native Americans comprising a significant portion of Pennington County's population and having patronized the Grand Gateway Hotel for decades.
Following the March 2022 incidents, community members, tribal leaders including Oglala Sioux Tribe President Kevin Killer, and Rapid City officials including Mayor Steve Allender publicly condemned the discrimination. The case drew national attention, with Indigenous rights activists and community members marching in Rapid City in protest.
"This verdict affirms what we have always known: racial discrimination has no place in our society," said Brendan Johnson, lead counsel for the plaintiffs and partner at Robins Kaplan. "The jury sent a clear message that no one should be denied service or dignity because of who they are, and their decision delivers real, meaningful justice."
NDN Collective is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building power for Indigenous peoples through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity building, and narrative change.
NDN Collective and Sunny Red Bear were represented by Brendan Johnson, Timothy Billion, and Thad Titze of Robins Kaplan LLP.
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