Racist hotelier and convicted assaulter Connie Uhre died September 5. No word on whether Uhre banned Indians from her funeral. But on Friday a Rapid City jury said Uhre’s attempt to ban Indians from her Grand Gateway Hotel and bar constituted discrimination:
The jury ruled in favor of NDN Collective’s discrimination claim and awarded the group $1 in damages, an amount the organization specifically asked for. Leaders said the symbolic figure underscores that the case was never about financial compensation.
The jury agreed with five individual claims of discrimination from George Bettelyoun, Sunny Red Bear, Bre Jackson, Mary Bowman and Nick Cottier, awarding them a total of compensatory and punitive damages ranging from $8,000 to $25,000.
The jury found Retsel Corporation liable for Connnie Uhre’s assault against Sunny Red Bear, awarding her $1,000 in damages.
Counterclaims of defamation by Nick Uhre and Restel Corporation against NDN Collective were rejected by the jury.
In one successful counterclaim, the jury ruled in favor of the claim that NDN Collective created a nuisance against the Retsel Corporation and awarded the hotel company $812 in damages [Jack Caudill, “Jury Sides with NDN Collective Against Rapid City Hotel Owners, Awards $1,” KOTA-TV, 2025.12.20].
The hotel’s consolation prize, winning the nuisance charge against NDN Collective, stems from NDN Collective’s May 2022 protest action in which they covered lights on the hotel property and then projected their own “Eviction Notice” on the building. Light projection creates interesting legal questions; this jury verdict signals that you can be punished for beaming your protest messages onto someone else’s wall.
But that tricky point of free speech versus property rights is a footnote to the obvious overall message from the jury: discriminating against Indians or any other group is bad, and it will cost you.
JD Vance will welcome the racists in with open arms. He doesn’t want to ruin their lives over some minor little thing.
JD Vance isn’t going to be staying at the “Grand” Gateway, be assured in your resting. That place is a smoking hole, their bar is a crime zone, and they mostly wrecked a perfectly good breakfasting place right there. grudznick has friends in the north part of Rapid and used to meet them there for sausages and pancakes, and an occasional big muffin or slice of pie, on Wednesday for second breakfast. Now, not as much.
If the big amusement center nearby comes into fruition, the fellows with the TIFs will knock down the “Grand” Gateway and put up a nicer joint, mark down my words.
https://crooksandliars.com/2025/12/ice-now-reportedly-questioning-and
ICE detaining and jugging native Americans because they don’t look American.
This interested party is urging Nick Tilsen to force a Democratic gubernatorial primary.
That would be super funny, Lar. Tilsen vs. Arnold. The Democrat Party would love that. And it would entertain grudznick immensely.
I have asked Mr. Arnold to withdraw and Allison Renville to enter the Democratic primary but the more the merrier!
You should not stifle young native ambition, Lar. The lad has dreams and should be encouraged. Unlike the goon, Mr. Tilsen. He is just a criminal with no intent to better society.
Tell it to every member of the Trump Organization and gafg, Sanborn.
Bah
Sanborn writes: “Back in 1979, I was a young copy editor at the Rapid City Journal, fresh out of Kansas State University. It was my third real newspaper job. At 20, I was the youngest advertising salesman at the Salina (Kansas) Journal.”
And: “Back in 2012, about 2,000 acres of the 4,000-acre meadow were purchased by the Rosebud, Shakopee Mdewakanton, Crow Creek and Standing Rock Sioux Tribes. They call it Pe’ Sla.”
He wrote, unauthorized, about me as a musician when he worked for MCS Group (affiliated w/ WANG Labs, Boston). He was annoying then, and now. He slanders tribes at any opportunity (“just a criminal with no intent to better society”). Whose “society”? He makes fun of the name tribes call “Pe’ Sla … a sacred site for the Oceti Sakowin located in the heart of the Black Hills in western South Dakota” hiding his identity.
He’s just an opportunist searching for himself (“65+ white guy” slob), Hollywood glasses and “diamond” ear stud.
He is a constant irritating, misinformed, disinformation right wing troll here.
Guardians of the Oglala Nation (GOON)