Rapid City, SD – On Saturday, September 7 the Retsel Corporation, owners of the Grand Gateway Hotel, filed for bankruptcy just before the start of the federal civil rights trial brought by NDN Collective scheduled to begin Monday. NDN Collective filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in 2022 against the Grand Gateway Hotel after it denied service to Native Americans because of their race.
The Retsel Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which allows the business to remain open as it reorganizes its debts. Under this filing, all other litigation must pause until the business settles in bankruptcy court and that timeline is still to be determined. As a result, the civil rights lawsuit against the Grand Gateway is on hold.
NDN Collective released the following statements on Monday, Sept. 9:
“Our pursuit of justice is not over. We are carrying this through until the end,” said Nick Tilsen, CEO & President of NDN Collective and plaintiff in the lawsuit. “The reality is that we as Indigenous people are not treated equal under the law– that has been the US justice system’s pattern with Indigenous people forever. Even when we leverage the tools available to us as ‘equal citizens’ we see this type of behavior. The bad actors are allowed to abuse the system, using the bankruptcy law to evade accountability in a civil rights lawsuit.”
“The racism we are challenging in the Grand Gateway case reflects the same patterns and practices of exclusion, violence and oppression of Indigenous people in these systems,” said Sunny Red Bear, Associate Director of Organizing at NDN Collective. “We’ve endured these practices in our schools, in businesses, and among the police department. This trial exposes the racism that persists in every area of life for Indigenous people. This is a fight for civil rights in Rapid City today.”
“Racism has existed in Rapid City for generations. Our grandmothers and grandfathers have faced injustices and this is more than just a trial to our community– it is an opportunity to uplift the stories of our relatives before us and to set a precedent moving forward,” said Dr. Valeriah Big Eagle, Director of Strategic Partnerships at NDN Collective. “As a mother of Indigenous children in this community, I want all of our children to feel that they are valued, heard, and seen– to be inherently and unapologetically Lakota without facing racism.”
NDN Collective hosted a press conference sharing more in-depth statements, which can be found on Facebook and YouTube.
NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building, and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.