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Feds Step in After South Dakota Hotel Owner’s Racist Rant

Indigenous Americans were barred from staying at the Grand Gateway Hotel because the owner said she couldn’t tell “the nice ones from the bad Natives.”

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the owners and operators of a South Dakota hotel that banned Indigenous American customers earlier this year, allegedly violating their civil rights. The Grand Gateway Hotel and the Cheers Sports Lounge and Casino in Rapid City is accused of refusing to allow Indigenous customers rent four rooms on two occasions in March. According to the lawsuit, hotel owner Connie Uhre sent an email to other property owners and managers that she did “not want to allow Natives on property. …The problem is we do not know the nice ones from the bad natives…so we just have to say no to them!” U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell said restricting access to a hotel based on a person’s race is prohibited by federal law. “At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we are called to ensure that individuals are treated equally at public accommodations in South Dakota. We are committed to protecting that fundamental right for Native Americans,” she said.