As part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, the owners of the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City, South Dakota have released a letter to the media that apologizes for the racist comments made by co-owner Connie Uhre. After a shooting at the hotel on March 19 2022 that involved two Native Americans, the hotel banned Native Americans from the hotel and adjacent night spot called Cheers Sports Lounge and Casino. Connie Uhre wrote a comment on Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender’s Facebook page: “Do [sic] to the killing that took place at the Grand Gateway Hotel on March 19, 2022 at 4 am, plus all the vandalism we have had since the Mayor and Police Department are working with the non-profit organization (Dark Money), we will no longer allow Native Americans on property, including Cheers.”
Connie Uhre, owner of the Grand Gateway, was found guilty of two counts of simple assault and acquitted on a third Friday after she sprayed protesters with Pledge in 2022.
Grand Gateway Hotel owner Connie Uhre — whose comments about Native Americans made national news — sat through the first day of her Pennington County simple assault trial Thursday.