Indian tribe files $500 million suit against big brewers



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One of the U.S. largest Native American reservations has filed a $500 million dollar lawsuit against leading beer makers for knowingly contributing to “crippling” alcoholism rates on its reservation.

The Oglala Sioux tribe of South Dakota states that the beer makers have turned White clay, a small town on the border of Nebraska and South Dakota into a major point for smuggling alcohol onto the reservation. White clay has a population of fewer than 12 people with no public place to lawfully consume alcohol yet each day it sells more than 13,000 cans of beer. Much of the beer ends up on reservation.

Eighty-five percent of the tribe’s members are affected by alcoholism and one in four children born on the Pine Ridge reservation is diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The reservation is one of the top four poverty places in the nation. The tribe seeks to stop the flow of alcohol onto its reservation.

Throughout history breweries have always targeted poverty stricken areas of the U.S. to push its alcohol. In every major city in the U.S. there is always a high concentration of liquor stores on the poorest sides of town. This is not by coincidence but by design. I applaud the Oglala Sioux for trying to stop the flow of alcohol onto its reservations. Alcohol abuse destroys lives and futures and will continue to do so throughout America until people begin to stand up and say no.


Personal Perspective:
My family history is filled with alcoholics, men and women who because of the trials of their life subcumbed to drinking alcohol. I can imagine that the deep poverty, high unemployment (almost 80% on many reservations) and the hardships that many Native Americans face contribute to their turning to alcohol. There is nothing wrong with social drinking of alcohol in moderation but many people today are turning to it habitually.

It disturbs me that in most black neighborhoods there is an abundance of liquor stores and churches contently residing side by side. It also bothers me that liquor licenses are issued to several stores in one neighborhood with not a word said. In the more affluent neighborhoods this would not be tolerated. I blame the people in those neighborhoods for not standing up and stopping the flood of liquor stores into their communities. I blame the churches for not doing more outreach and offering help to those who are addicted to alcohol. I blame individuals for allowing the lure of alcohol to fool them. Yet, I pray to God that one day communities will take a stand just as the Oglala Sioux tribe has.