It’s been just over a month since the Nebraska Supreme Court rejected an effort to resume beer sales in the village of Whiteclay, just across the border from the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota.
The Lakota Tribe has long been plagued by alcohol problems and Thursday night in Omaha, awards were presented to many of those responsible for shutting down the Whiteclay liquor stores.
Winnebago Tribal member Frank LaMere of South Sioux City was one of those honored by Project Extra Mile:
OC………..the Whiteclay issue. :19
LaMere says change is already evident on the reservation since the liquor stores closed:
OC………..trying to get well. :10
But LaMere says there is still much work to be done and concerns about those trying to bring beer onto the Pine Ridge Reservation, where alcohol is not legal:
OC…….work begins. :25
LaMere has asked Governor Pete Ricketts to establish a cold case unit to investigate unsolved murders in the Whiteclay area.
He says there is also a need for expanded detox treatment centers to help tribal members suffering from alcohol addiction.
