"I really do not want to allow Natives on property. The problem is we do not know the nice ones from the bad natives, so we just have to say no to them."
That's what the owner of a hotel in Rapid City, South Dakota, allegedly wrote in an email to employees after a shooting last month, according to a federal civil rights class-action lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed by Indigenous rights group NDN Collective, claims Grand Gateway Hotel owner Connie Uhre made threats to deny service to Native Americans and then denied them access to the hotel, reports Voice of America.
The complaint states that after the March 19 shooting, two NDNC staff members entered the hotel and were refused a room by an employee who claimed hotel policy prevented rooms from being rented to people with "local" identification.
When they heard they were with NDNC, they also were told to leave the premises; they weren't allowed there, NDNC president and CEO Nick Tilsen tells VOA.
"If people are going to conduct themselves in a way that's racist, then we're going to hold them accountable and stop them from doing business," Tilsen says.
A civil rights attorney in Rapid City says the lawsuit is based on a 1866 civil rights statute.
Read the Entire Article
A customized collection of news from foundations from around the Web.
The Guardian has compiled a list of responses to its latest open thread, and has announced the winner of the social enterprise gift hamper packed with presents.