{"id":11555,"date":"2022-03-26T20:34:19","date_gmt":"2022-03-26T20:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ndncollective.org\/?p=11555"},"modified":"2025-02-13T19:12:38","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T19:12:38","slug":"audio-video-grand-gateway-hotel-refuses-service-to-native-americans-after-owner-states-intent-to-ban-all-natives-ndn-collective-files-civil-rights-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ndncollective.org\/audio-video-grand-gateway-hotel-refuses-service-to-native-americans-after-owner-states-intent-to-ban-all-natives-ndn-collective-files-civil-rights-lawsuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Audio & Video: Grand Gateway Hotel Refuses Service to Native Americans After Owner States Intent to Ban All Natives, NDN Collective Files Civil Rights lawsuit","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Wednesday, March 23, NDN Collective filed a federal civil rights class action lawsuit <\/a>against the Grand Gateway Hotel for refusing service to Native Americans in Rapid City. This lawsuit comes after the owner of the hotel, Connie Uhre, made public statements on social media<\/a> stating her intent to ban all Native Americans from the hotel and the attached Cheers Lounge after a shooting occurred at the hotel over the weekend involving Native Americans, stating she can’t tell “who is a bad Native or a good Native.”  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Following the statements made by Uhre, Native American staff of the NDN Collective were denied rooms at the Grand Gateway Hotel on two separate occasions. NDN Collective Director of Racial Equity Sunny Red Bear attempted to book a room on Monday, March 21<\/a>, and was told by the front desk attendant that the Grand Gateway Hotel does not allow local residents to book hotel rooms, stating that this was a policy due to the fact that rooms allegedly were getting \u201ctrashed\u201d by locals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Red Bear asked for the attendant to produce a copy of their policy to not rent rooms to locals, the attendant was unable to produce a copy of their policy. \u201cWe\u2019re not allowed to rent to locals,\u201d said the attendant. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of issues with people just coming in and using our rooms to just party and kind of trash the place.\u201d The audio recording from this incident <\/a>was submitted as evidence in the filing of the federal civil rights class action lawsuit. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Sunny Red Bear speaks at a press conference in downtown Rapid City after the federal lawsuit was filed against the Grand Gateway Hotel. Photo by Sarah Manning for NDN Collective. March 23, 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In another attempt, NDN Collective Director of Operations Alberta Eagle attempted to reserve a block of rooms for the organization, and was not only denied rooms by the hotel front desk attendant, she and a group of four other Native American staff of NDN Collective were kicked out of the hotel by the manager while waiting in the hotel lobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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