LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new effort to reduce violence and panhandling in Whiteclay is slowly taking shape, but some people say they won’t be satisfied until the tiny Nebraska village stops selling beer near an Indian reservation plagued by alcoholism.
Activists who want to close the town’s four beer stores said they’re grateful that lawmakers and Gov. Pete Ricketts are trying to address the problems. However, they argue that some of the new proposals would force local or state taxpayers to pay for a situation caused by the stores.
Whiteclay sold the equivalent of 3.5 million cans of beer last year despite having a dozen residents. The northwest Nebraska village sits on the border of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned but alcohol-related problems are rampant.