Activists who oppose beer sales in Whiteclay have taken their effort to Lincoln to draw attention to the tiny town that borders the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota where alcohol is banned but chronic alcohol abuse is rampant.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe has sued the town’s four beer stores and several distributors, saying they are knowingly contributing to alcoholism on the reservation.
Activists have tried to shutter Whiteclay for decades. They rallied at the Nebraska Capitol on Thursday.
Activist Charlotte Knoflicek told reporters that people continue to die and suffer.”
Whiteclay sold the equivalent of 4.3 million, 12-ounce cans of beer last year.
Tribal members plan a “Women’s March for Peace” on Sunday, which will begin on the Pine Ridge Reservation and end in Whiteclay.