The governor told a constituent in July that he has consulted with Frank LaMere, a Native American activist from South Sioux City who has fought for years to close Whiteclay’s four beer stores. His comments were made in a letter to a constituent obtained by The Associated Press.
The beer stores sold the equivalent of 3.9 million cans of beer last year on the border of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned but alcoholism is rampant.
LaMere says he’s optimistic for the first time in years that state officials will look seriously at the problem.