Federal Jury Rules Against South Dakota Hotel for Discrimination

Sun Dec 21 2025 22:13:32 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The owner of the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City has been found liable for racial discrimination against Native Americans, leading to a significant verdict by a federal jury.

In a landmark verdict, a federal jury has ruled in favor of the NDN Collective, an Indigenous advocacy group, awarding damages in a racial discrimination case against the Grand Gateway Hotel. The hotel’s owner, Connie Uhre, had previously stated a ban on Native Americans at the establishment, which triggered widespread protests and legal action. The case adds another chapter to the ongoing struggles against discrimination faced by Native American communities in the area.

In a significant ruling handed down on Friday, a federal jury found the owner of the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City, South Dakota, liable for racial discrimination against Native Americans. The ruling comes after a class-action lawsuit filed by the NDN Collective, an Indigenous advocacy group, which sought justice for numerous Native individuals denied service based on their race.

The jury deliberated extensively before awarding what amounted to only $1 to the NDN Collective, emphasizing that the suit was not about monetary compensation but about holding the hotel accountable for its discriminatory practices. This was never about money. We sued for one dollar, stated Wizipan Garriott, president of the NDN Collective and a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. It was about being on record for the discrimination that happened, and using this as an opportunity to call out racism.

The legal battle ignited after Connie Uhre, the hotel’s then-owner, publicly declared on social media in March 2022 that Native Americans would be banned from entering the hotel following a tragic shooting incident involving two Native American teenagers. This statement catalyzed a backlash from the community, leading to protests in Rapid City and condemnation from local authorities, including the mayor.

With the hotel’s owner having passed away just weeks prior to the jury's decision, the lawsuit faced numerous delays, notably when Retsel Corporation, which owns the Grand Gateway, filed for bankruptcy in September 2024. Nevertheless, the rules set forth in a consent decree by the U.S. Justice Department in November 2023 required Uhre to apologize publicly and face a four-year ban from managing the hotel.

This case shines a light on ongoing racial tensions in Rapid City, with census data indicating that at least 8% of the city’s approximately 80,000 residents identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. As the legal proceedings conclude, the NDN Collective's actions have sparked conversations around racial equity and systemic discrimination within the local hospitality industry.