You know that old Spanish saying that goes “pueblo chico infierno grande” (small town big hell)? This could very well apply to Sturgis, a small municipality located in South Dakota with no more than 6,000 residents but that has made the front page of many media outlets for all the wrong reasons. What happened you ask? Well, some students of Sturgis Brown High School were photographed participating in a “car bash” against a school located in the nearby Pine Ridge reservation, as part of their supposed homecoming tradition, only that this time they took it a step further and spraypainted racist messages on the car that read “go back to the rez.”
https://twitter.com/RuthHHopkins/status/918326230772002816
As of now, due to the outrage this scandalous act provoked, the Meade School Board voted 8–0 to cancel Sturgis Brown High School scheduled homecoming activities which included a dance and a parade, they were also forced to forfeit the upcoming football game they had programmed against Pine Ridge School in the Native American reservation.
Meade School District Superintendent Don Kirkegaard wrote in a statement on Thursday he was “appalled and disgusted” by the incident that happened ahead of the Sturgis Brown High School homecoming game against Pine Ridge. He also apologized on behalf of all staff and promised to address the issue of racism at schools and that he would work with the Sturgis Police Department to take appropriate actions against the perpetrators.
According to the statement, the picture was taken in the Sturgis Brown parking during the evening of October 11, without any of the teachers or staff knowing about this until after it had happened. Kirkegaard also claims that the “car bash” hasn’t been sponsored as a homecoming tradition for several years.
https://www.facebook.com/MeadeSchoolDistrict/posts/2838945292911401
For many people in the reservation though, this incident is just the latest in a long succession of racist incidents they have had to endure. Harold Fraizer, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman, wrote a poignant message on Native News, that addresses the root of this hatred.
How many times do we have to send our school children to our sacred Black Hills only to be verbally and physically abused with racism and bigotry by those who occupy such a sacred place? We have asked these wrongs to be addressed before with the American Horse School incident and were met with inaction and distasteful justifications for the wrongdoers. I now ask those involved to again look inside their heart and make the appropriate actions to right these wrongs, and begin to set an example for the younger generations.
We are well aware of the hatred and greed that killed so many of my people and forced us on this reservation. We have survived murder, rape, disease, and starvation on this reservation. We need no reminder of where you want us to be. We suffer daily with hunger, cold, depression. Your attack dogs and mercenaries have left wounds when we leave our reservations to ask for wrongs to be righted. You were there. We saw the uniforms from all over South Dakota among the forces that shot and killed only last year.
https://www.facebook.com/samara.soyland/posts/1656787464352205
The Sturgis Police Department acknowledged through a message on Facebook that they are aware of the racist graffiti and advised that they are working with the school officials to investigate this incident.
https://www.facebook.com/sturgispolicedept/posts/698716773661509
Article inspired by Splinter News // High Schoolers Get Homecoming Canceled After Pulling Racist Anti-Native Stunt