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Five Sioux Tribes Serve Eviction Notice on Racist Rapid City Hotel Owners

The best image from yesterday’s “Indians Allowed” rally in Rapid City is the eviction notice that Indians hung on the racist Uhre family‘s Grand Gateway hotel:

Nick Tilsen, tweet from Rapid City "Indians Allowed" rally, 2022.03.26.
Nick Tilsen, tweet from Rapid City “Indians Allowed” rally, 2022.03.26.

Hoka Hey—it’s always a good day to tell racists to go away.

That banner was the public-facing version of the notice of trespass five tribal leaders—Crow Creek Chairman Peter Lengkeek, Oglala Lakota President Kevin Killer, Rosebud Sioux President Scott Herman, Cheyenne River Sioux Chairman Harold C. Frazier, and Standing Rock Sioux Chairwoman Janet Alkira—served the owners of the Grand Gateway Hotel yesterday:

…five tribal leaders signed a Notice of Trespass. Indicating the hotel has violated terms of a Treaty made with the Sioux in 1868 based on the location of the hotel, and the racist comments made that they say violate article one of the treaty.

“This is who we are as descendants of the 1851 and 1868 treaty,” says President Kevin Killer.

Herman says they’re instructing the hotel and its subsidiaries to vacate the premises, or be held liable, and they “service[ed] the Notice of Trespass today.”

The Great Sioux Nation says they’re willing to take the following actions needed to end racism on the treaty lands indefinitely[, i]ncluding boycotting Rapid City, pressuring the City Council to Revoke businesses Licenses, filing hate crime charges against the owner of the hotel and more [Jeffrey Lindblom, “Tribal Leaders Serve Notice of Trespass to Hotel Following Racist Comments, Asked to Vacate Property,” KOTA-TV, 2022.03.26].

The notice of trespass cites Articles 1, 2, and 16 of the Fort Laramie Treaty with the Sioux of 1868:

ARTICLE 1. …If bad men among the whites, or among other people subject to the authority of the United States, shall commit any wrong upon the person or property of the Indians, the United States will, upon proof made to the agent and forwarded to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs at Washington City, proceed at once to cause the offender to be arrested and punished according to the laws of the United States, and also re-imburse the injured person for the loss sustained….

ARTICLE 2. The United States agrees that the following district of country, to wit, viz: commencing on the east bank of the Missouri River where the forty-sixth parallel of north latitude crosses the same, thence along low-water mark down said east bank to a point opposite where the northern line of the State of Nebraska strikes the river, thence west across said river, and along the northern line of Nebraska to the one hundred and fourth degree of longitude west from Greenwich, thence north on said meridian to a point where the forty-sixth parallel of north latitude intercepts the same, thence due east along said parallel to the place of beginning; and in addition thereto, all existing reservations on the east bank of said river shall be, and the same is, set apart for the absolute and undisturbed use and occupation of the Indians herein named, and for such other friendly tribes or individual Indians as from time to time they may be willing, with the consent of the United States, to admit amongst them; and the United States now solemnly agrees that no persons except those herein designated and authorized so to do, and except such officers, agents, and employes of the Government as may be authorized to enter upon Indian reservations in discharge of duties enjoined by law, shall ever be permitted to pass over, settle upon, or reside in the territory described in this article, or in such territory as may be added to this reservation for the use of said Indians, and henceforth they will and do hereby relinquish all claims or right in and to any portion of the United States or Territories, except such as is embraced within the limits aforesaid, and except as hereinafter provided.

ARTICLE 16. The United States hereby agrees and stipulates that the country north of the North Platte River and east of the summits of the Big Horn Mountains shall be held and considered to be unceded Indian territory, and also stipulates and agrees that no white person or persons shall be permitted to settle upon or occupy any portion of the same; or without the consent of the Indians first had and obtained, to pass through the same… [Fort Laramie Treaty with the Sioux, 1868].

The 1868 Treaty with the Sioux is not merely a museum artifact. The South Dakota Senate recognized the continuing validity of the Fort Laramie Treaty in 2018. In 2019, the United States Supreme Court recognized the continuing legal force of another 1868 treaty signed at Fort Laramie with the Crow Tribe.

Grand Gateway boss Nick Uhre isn’t smart enough to read his own state’s laws about impeachment and municipal government; he’ll be in way over his head if he has to start reading federal treaties with the sovereign Indian tribes. So he’d better find a lawyer who understands treaties, because the tribal leaders say in their notice of trespass that if the Uhres don’t remove their persons and any personal property they deem necessary from the Treaty Territory of the Great Sioux Nation immediately, the Great Sioux Nation will “institute legal proceedings to recover possession of said Premises which shall result in a declaratory and/or monetary judgment against you, including costs.”

Boy, Nick: it seems it would be a lot easier to be a polite guest on Indian treaty lands and accept Indian guests at your hotel.

19 Comments

  1. mike from iowa 2022-03-27 14:00

    I hope they make it stick, something I doubt with the courts situated the way they are. Hope I am wrong.

  2. jerry 2022-03-27 14:49

    Nick and Connie can move on to Idaho as that seems to be a bastion of misery and hate against damned near everyone who isn’t white, trumpy, ignorant, etc..

    The Bundy Klan would surely welcome them with open arms. Connie and Nick would miss the days of the Indians soon enough as the crazy town Bundy Klan would grift them to death.

  3. Nix 2022-03-27 15:20

    It’s about time that these racist trespassers face the music.
    The Lakota people are peaceful ,forgiving
    human beings .
    It’s probably not too late for the Uhres to beg for forgiveness, but I suspect that
    they are too ignorant to see the value in
    Empathy.
    Good riddance.

  4. Loti 2022-03-27 15:58

    I think Sports events and pow wows should continue in Rapid City. I dont think one racist group should ruin that though i am positive much more of this goes on in most of SD… even traveling to the V.A. in Hot Springs gets concerning. There is police presence around every corner. If you are non white, please be careful.

  5. grudznick 2022-03-27 16:49

    I am sure young Mr. Uhre has a cadre of really fine lawyers. And while we can all pretend the Ft. Laramie Treaty is still in effect and wave signs about and such, it is quite funny to see mobs in the parking lots of Mr. Uhre’s motels and signs and humorous paperwork taped to his buildings. Quite funny indeed.

    What will be more interesting is what slowly happens over the next week. Many of these fellows protesting might continue to do so, but many more will return to their jobs and businesses and leave Mr. Uhre alone which is no doubt what he is banking on. Eventually the ignorant tourists will pull off the highway and eat at the poor Perkins breakfast joint that just had massive business loss simply be being a neighbor to the Uhrest, and they will rent rooms down the shabby hallways and sleep on the bug-invested stained mattresses the Uhres rent.

    And all will go back to “usual” and Ms. Uhre will return from her sabbatical in the Mexico sands.

    Unless some fellows remain resolute. grudznick is with them who are resolute on this issue.

  6. buckobear 2022-03-27 17:13

    I think I read somewhere that the Uhres owned the co-located Perkins.
    Please provide correction if needed.
    thax 🐻

  7. jerry 2022-03-27 17:21

    Thanks for bringing up CRT Mr. grudznick and why that is so important for students and older folks alike, to know. Why without educating the young ones, they could then become as mindless as old Connie and Nick have become. Ignorance is not bliss, it’s just ignorance.

    Yes, one must become resolute on this issue and all issues pertaining to the dirty ugly of racism. I too am with those who are resolute on this issue.

  8. grudznick 2022-03-27 17:26

    Perhaps as the crowds dwindle, Mr. jerry, you make come face-to-face with grudznick in the smaller mob out front of the Perkins, as I beseech the breakfast regulars to visit a different joint. We shall share a glance and a nod, and return to our serious business of promoting positive discourse and of course being thorns in the paws of the Uhres.

  9. Mark Anderson 2022-03-27 19:13

    Grudz seems to bend with the wind, who knew?…. just a couple of comments below…must be a sign of age.

  10. grudznick 2022-03-27 19:25

    I fear a bout of dementedism, Mr. Anderson, as it would not be the first time grudznick became demented. But nonetheless, the march on the Urhes should not diminish, for they are foul of mind and voice.

  11. Mark Anderson 2022-03-27 19:45

    Well thank you for clarification Grudz but now everyone will watch the Oscar’s correct?

  12. grudznick 2022-03-27 20:10

    Who’s Mr. Oscar? I missed his blogging on the Uhrest.

  13. All Mammal 2022-03-27 23:51

    Hey, Buckobear.
    The South Dakota Standard has a letter from the president of Northcott Hospitalities, which is the owner of Perkins on N. Lacrosse St, assuring their long-time diners that they are not affiliated with the racists next door. Hopefully Perkins can disassociate themselves from their lousy neighbors before its too late.
    I still can’t tell whether or not the Uhres have any other businesses in the area we would want to steer clear of..
    https://www.sdstandardnow.com/home/uhre-family-tossed-matches-on-racial-powder-keg-but-they-might-end-up-absorbing-the-damage

  14. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2022-03-28 05:30

    Buckobear, on March 22, Perkins Restaurants tweet-responded to a question about whether the Perkins staff would follow the Cheers staff in quitting in protest: “Perkins in Rapid City is independently owned by Northcott Hospitality. Statements made by Grand Gateway Hotel don’t represent our beliefs or practices. It’s against our values to discriminate against any guest. Equality, inclusion, and respect remain integral to our culture.”

    Given their swift responses to both SD Standard and DFP, it is clear that Perkins keeps a keen eye on its brand.

  15. Ryan 2022-03-28 15:11

    i think all this progress we’ve made as a species is great – mature, nonviolent conversation in the face of despicable conduct is such a wonderful thing.

    but…

    sometimes I just think problems like this would be best handled by burning that little business to the ground and walking away.

  16. M 2022-03-29 08:15

    Thanks for the video mike from iowa but I didn’t see any support from Noem like with the truckers. Oh, they’re white and mostly men and she’s too busy vetoing with her pen.

    These nameless people need to be in court and made an example of through legal channels. I hope they get their asses kicked all the way to the Supreme Court with treaty rights. This is bigger than them and their small racist minds.

  17. RST Tribal Member 2022-03-30 00:02

    Yep, grudznick, the 25 U.S.C. 1776i – Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 is enforced today. Natives know that white people want to pretend that and the other 500 or so treaties would just go away. Like the paper commonly flush away from the charming roll found in most white households. Used mainly by the ass wipe family from Winner as they scream about brandon or something about their god and elections.

    Just recently, my tribe won a major decision in circuit court that the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty required the U.S. government to provide physician-lead health care (Rosebud Sioux Tribe v. United States, No. 20-2062 (8th Cir. 2021)). Also, the tribe had to use the 1868 Provision one (1) to kick out several bad white men among white men roaming around the reservation being bad white men. Thankfully, my relatives in the 1868 knew there were and will be bad white men lurking around Indian Reservations waiting to harm. There is a gaggle of bad men squatting on our homelands today, mostly inept inbred republicans always looking to make a fast dollar from the tribe. Someday, we will figure out how to rid the reservation of those human bed bugs.

    Another recent example is the banishment of the teacher who ignored tribal orders on traveling issue by the Oglala Tribe. She traveled, contacted the virus, and came back to infest the reservation; the 1868 Treaty Provision one (1) again protected tribal members from bad whites. Dang, if history doesn’t try to repeat itself now and then; it was blankets back in the day, now-a-days, it’s an infested person.

    Rest assured, grudznick, as you and your kind give false thoughts about treaties, tribal governments and their membership are holding the U.S. accountable today and into the future for the treaties they forced my relatives in the past to sign. Imagine if the civil case filed turns into a test on the 1851 and 1868 Treaties, along with the illegal Act of 1877 stealing the Black Hills and the Act of 1889 breaking apart the tribal people into individual reservations west of the Missouri River. Just might could happen! The actions of one misguided illiterate inept inbred fool could be the puller of that loose string of the sweater.

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