White Clay blockade nets no alcohol, little police cooperation - KOTA Territory News
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With a busy holiday weekend ahead, people on Pine Ridge are stepping into the roadways once again to end the illegal distribution of alcohol on the reservation.
A handful of protesters, largely from the Strong Heart Warrior Society, organized the latest blockade between Pine Ridge and the town of White Clay, Nebraska Friday.
Protesters say the alcohol purchased in White Clay is routinely driven into Pine Ridge, despite being banned on the reservation.
The Nebraska State Patrol and Oglala Sioux police were on scene, but protesters say the are doing little to confiscate or search for alcohol, despite its devastating effects on the reservation community.
"[Alcohol] leads to children with broken homes, hungry families. People who would rather buy alcohol than feed their children," said Leo Cordier with the Strong Heart Warrior Society.
"If law enforcement would take this initiative and start searching these cars by probable cause, you will see how many lives we could save," said Canupa Gluhamani with the Strong Heart Warrior Society.
Four stores in White Clay sell about four million cans of beer annually. Organizers say no alcohol was seized at the last blockade, and they don't expect any to be seized at Friday's blockade because local police are not enforcing the checkpoints.
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