Rapid City’s Grand Gateway Hotel Loses Civil Rights Trial Over Native American Ban
Posted on: December 21, 2025, 01:39h.
Last updated on: December 21, 2025, 01:39h.
- Federal jury finds Grand Gateway Hotel liable for discriminating against Native Americans.
- NDN Collective awarded $1; individual plaintiffs receive additional damages.
- Jury also finds protest activity a nuisance; Retsel awarded $812.
A federal jury has ruled that the owners of a South Dakota hotel, who drew national attention in March 2022 over allegations that they barred Native Americans from the property, are liable for discrimination.
The Grand Gateway Hotel and owner Retsel Corporation were sued by indigenous rights campaign group, the NDN Collective, that year under the Civil Rights Act for allegedly refusing to let its members book rooms on two separate occasions.
The group tried to organize bookings after a Facebook post by late-owner Connie Uhre, which stated that she could no longer “allow a Native American to enter our business, including Cheers,” the casino bar that offers video lottery terminals.
The post followed a shooting in one of the hotel rooms that resulted in the death of Myron Pourier Jr, 19. Both the victim and the shooter, Quincy Bear Robe, were Native American. Bear Robe was later sentenced to 75 years in prison for the crime.
The hotel’s policy triggered protests, with dozens of people marching through Rapid City’s main commercial corridor in opposition.
‘Never About Money’
The jury decided that the hotel and its owner’s actions were discriminatory and violated civil rights protections by refusing service to Native American patrons.
The NDN Collective was awarded $1 in nominal damages, which the group specifically requested as a symbolic remedy to establish accountability rather than seek financial gain.
However, individual plaintiffs who were denied bookings are to be awarded compensatory and punitive damages, likely in the tens of thousands of dollars.
“This case was never about money for NDN Collective – no amount of money will fix racism or make NDN Collective, and the people we stand for, whole,” said NDN Collective Director Dr. Valeriah Big Eagle in a statement. “…Today’s victory shows we’re ready for something better.”
Bankruptcy Delayed Trial
The Retsel Corporation was controlled by Uhre, with her son Nicholas Uhre involved in management. Connie Uhre, who died in September 2025 age 78, was arrested May 2022 on charges of simple assault for spraying three Native American protestors with Pledge dust spray.
Under a November 2023 agreement with the US Department of Justice, Uhre was required to issue a public apology and was barred from operating the hotel for four years.
The trial was delayed because Retsel filed for bankruptcy protection in September 2024.
The jury also addressed a counter-lawsuit Friday, finding that some of the NDN Collective’s protest activity constituted a nuisance under state law. The group was ordered to pay Retsel $812.
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