Posted By Jared McKiernan
March 22nd, 2022
Last Updated on: March 22nd, 2022
One of the owners of a Rapid City, South Dakota hotel said Native Americans are no longer welcome on the property following a shooting at the hotel March 19.
Connie Uhre, one of the owners of the Grand Gateway Hotel, said in a since-deleted Facebook comment that she can “not allow a Native American to enter our business including [sports bar] Cheers,” stating she can't tell “who is a bad Native or a good Native.”
The shooting, which occurred in one of the Grand Gateway's hotel rooms, left a man with severe injuries, Rapid City Police said. Quincy Bear Robe, 19, was arrested on multiple charges, the Rapid City Journal reported.
Uhre, meanwhile, blamed Rapid City's mayor and police department for a so-called increase in crime.
Here's a screenshot of Uhre's full rant:
Not only are the comments racist, blatantly discriminatory, and incredibly hurtful to the Native community in Rapid City and beyond, they're corroborated by numerous reviews on Google, Facebook and other platforms, detailing a history of bigotry at the Grand Gateway Hotel:
Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender later shared a response as well as a screenshot of Uhre's comments:
In addition to blaming the mayor, police chief, sheriff, candidate for sheriff and the court system, a local hotel bans all Native Americans for a shooting a few days ago on hotel property. Neither the shooting or Grand Gateway Hotel’s response to it reflect our community values.
I just felt that I couldn't be silent and pretend like this is just a harmless venting out of frustration. This is an attack on not only…Rapid Citians who are Native American but also the larger Native American population nationwide.”
Interestingly, 12 percent of Rapid City residents are Native American, and many of them have stayed at the Grand Gateway Hotel over the years. Nick Uhre, the owner’s son, did tell
South Dakota Public Broadcasting that the Grand Gateway Hotel would
not issue a ban on Native Americans. However, he too has a deeply disturbing track record of racist comments, punctuated by an email he sent following the March 19 shooting:
The best thing to do, whether you're Native American or not, is to support businesses that welcome everybody with open arms, regardless of their race, background, creed, income, or sexual preference. Give your hard-earned dollars to organizations who would never, under any circumstances, threaten to ban a group of people, as Uhre did. Better yet, support
Native American-owned and operated businesses.
How this will impact the Grand Gateway Hotel's business moving forward remains to be seen, but it's hard to believe that any Rapid City tourists or locals could find a reason to support this establishment following such reprehensible action from the Uhre family.
If you'd like to leave a review on the Grand Gateway Hotel's Facebook page, let your voice be heard. Let the staff and anyone who visits the page know that you oppose racism and do not support their exclusionary agenda.
Home » Blog » South Dakota Hotelier Threatens To Ban Native Americans
As grand dad said, there are good and bad in all, brothers and sisters alike.
Funny, their facebook page is no longer there. We can collectively leave reviews on Yelp. https://www.yelp.com/biz/grand-gateway-hotel-rapid-city?osq=Hotels. I hope everyone does.
KickapooCandy
Now this shows up on Yelp- “This business is being monitored by Yelp’s Support team for content related to media reports.”
How on earth can these fools tell bad guys from good guys in any nationality! This attitude is deplorable. I would never utilize their business under any circumstances.
Where’s the outrage we would hear if they implemented this policy saying this of black people . The discrimination against the Souix tribe and all natives is a long standing one in the Dakotas. This has to end. Let all brothers and sisters stand up to any business or government that declares us as a people to be less than deserving of respect. Crimes are committed by individuals, not peoples and should be treated as such. Racisism is strong in the Dakotas, it’s time everybody knows this . . Maybe the tribes across North America should buy this business and put it under new management.