FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 19, 2025
Rapid City, SD – Today, the trial resulting from the federal civil rights class action lawsuit filed by NDN Collective against the Retsel Corporation, owner of the Grand Gateway Hotel, in March 2022, resulted in the jury ruling in favor of NDN Collective and other individual plaintiffs. NDN Collective will be paid just $1 for the unlawful and discriminatory actions of Retsel Corporation and its owners – a request made to the jury by NDN Collective itself.
“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 Dr. Valeriah Big Eagle, Director of He Sapa Initiatives at NDN Collective. “Our relatives have fought against the weight of racism their entire lives. It is not just one moment, or one person, or one business where subtle and blatant discrimination has harmed Native people in Rapid City. Racism has been part of the undercurrent of the city for far too long – today’s victory shows we’re ready for something better.”
“Many of our relatives organized against racism in Rapid City and passed on to the spirit world before they saw justice served,” said Nick Tilsen, founder and CEO of NDN Collective. “This fight is for our ancestors, for our sacred children and grandchildren, and for those whose voices and spirits have been silenced by those who dehumanize and attack Native people. We hope the outcome of this case makes it clear to the Retsel Corporation – and all businesses in Rapid City – that racism will always be bad for business, and that the Indigenous people in this community will never stop fighting for justice and equity.”
A timeline of activity around this legal battle can be found here.
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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.
