The Department of Public Safety is pleased to report that our long arm of the law nabbed fewer drunks and druggies at the Sturgis Rally this year. DUI arrests in the Rally Zone were down 16%, misdemeanor drug arrests were down by 37%, and felony drug arrests were down by 11% compared to the 2020 Rally. Law enforcement seized less than a fifth as much cash as they did last year, and they impounded no vehicles, compared to seven vehicles seized last year.
Citations were up by 18% and warnings were up 21%. There were four more injury accidents during the rally (60 this year versus 56 last). The Rally saw the same number of fatal accidents, four, as last year, but only four people died this year compared to five last year.
Cops did lure three men into federal charges related to trafficking minors for sex. None of the three accused appear to have crossed the southern border to seek sex with minors in South Dakota.
I’m looking for the final traffic counts, but Sturgis city manager Daniel Ainslie says this year’s rally might be (SDPB Laura Johnson’s words) “the second largest in more than a decade,” even though foreign attendance has evaporated:
“Unlike some of the traditional rallies, we still did not have very many international visitors. Usually, international visitors make up 10 to 15 percent of the crowd,” Ainslie said. “This year is about one to two percent, so it was a lot more American-focused” [Laura Johnson, “City Manager Says Sturgis Rally Might Be Second Biggest in Past Decade,” SDPB, 2021.08.16].
Ah, but who needs foreigners, anyway? As our Governor says, “Call me when you’re an American.”
That comment, “Call me when you’re an American” coming from the mouth of someone who looks down her nose at real Americans (Native Americans) is absurd as her vision of looking out for the welfare of the state’s citizens in a major pandemic. Since her early public announcements urging us to “wash your hands, social distance when you can” and then a few blurbs of “get a shot” she’s pretty much “crickets” concerning the pandemic, even with over 2000 of our scant population dead of it.
Her “hands off” type of government has been copied by other GOP Republican Party governors like Abbot of Texas and De Santos in Florida causing so much more deaths and sickness in those states. Asa Hutchinson in Arkansas (another GOP gov), now relents NOT issuing a mask mandate.
Here in Rapid city, our school board (elected by a few of her die-hard followers with 7% of electorate) is following her example to the letter. Time, sickness and death will tell-sad to say.
I just want to ask those that won’t vaccinate or wear a mask; Why bother to fasten a seat belt, wear a helmet, stop for stop signs or yields, pay attention to speed limits, or lock your doors at night, or take the bullets out of your gun or sheath a sharp knife or any other precautions of life???!!! Absurd question, until you REALLY think about it.
Yet, should the Covid bug get you ill, you EXPECT to be treated immediately when you go to the emergency room-right? What will you say when those health-care people are so worn-out or take on the attitude “YOU had the opportunity to get a shot months ago! Or wear a mask! Now, it’s to back of the line for you! Or, not at all…….
“Call Me When You’re an American”—I wonder if they had t-shirts with that slogan next to the caps with swastikas and “Support Your Local White Boy” at Sturgis.
Reading the supposed justification for selling and displaying swasticas and confederate flags described in the article linked by Cory gave me a chuckle. Apparently people that sell and buy those items are so ashamed of their apparent public support of the actions of nazis and white pro-slavery supremacists from the civil war that they feel they must come up with bogus reasons for selling and displaying nazi and confederate symbols. I had to laugh reading the claims that publicly displaying swasticas is merely celebrating the defeat of nazi’s with a souvenir, or that that displaying conferdeate flags is only a symbol of heritage despite the quite obvious contrary public racist message. At least such bogus private excuses confirms the actual obnoxiousness of celebrating the historical racist actions and values of nazis and confederates.
Less arrests has no relevant correlation with less activity.
Nazi Noem is trying every angle to not piss off MAGA’s, be they basement dwellers (like grudznike), KKK members, or bikers from red states.
*When every kid in America is told they can be anything they want to be, some like Noem and Trump are bound to choose to be Nazis.”
Now they can spead the joy around the country.
well,…I think the Governor has committed herself to “sponsoring” the Bike Rally> She could focus her energies on a more wholesome event. I guess she is proud to be a “Proud Girl”.
If citations and warnings were up with the arrests for dui and drugs down, that sort of implies law enforcement was tired of having to show up for court cases after the rally. What surprises me is that the arrested must not have much cash on them something else happened.
International crowd stayed home. To much of a risk to come here and then not be able to go home because you done caught the Delta. BTW, our numbers in the super spreader area are going through the roof. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m glad that John Dale and me got our vaccinations.