By Stephanie Woodard: March 19, 2012
The Oglala Sioux Tribe was the original lawsuit against the Whiteclay for an estimated sum of $500 million in damages against the tribe. The alcoholism is running rampid through the tribe and it said to affect 85% of individuals on the reservation. The lawsuit was soon amended to try and put a cap on the amount of alcoholic that whiteclay could sell to tribal members. Apparently the alcoholic is either consumed illegally on and off the reservation.
"With Nebraska’s top legal advisor indicating the state would not enforce its own liquor laws, the tribe was left with “no adequate remedies at law” to stem the ongoing flood of alcohol across its borders, says its most recent complaint."
What else are they suppose to do? How can the tribe stop this huge company from selling alcohol illegally to the people who live on the reservation. Even if the alcohol suppliers stop, then bootleggers are sure to show up. I feel like cutting out the alcohol completely is not the best way to go about this plan of action. I understand that it is for the bettering of the community as a whole, but you have to fix the people and their issues first. If the alcohol stops coming, that doesn't mean the people will sober up. It means that they will go elsewhere to find alcohol. You can't stop an alcoholic from having a drink, unless the alcoholic wants to stop themselves. I understand there is good behind this lawsuit and the idea is there, but it will not completely stop the problem. Maybe with all the money they will get from the lawsuit it will be put towards treatment programs. I'm interested in seeing how this ends up.
"Bootleggers set up shop across the border in Whiteclay, Nebraska, almost immediately and began to peddle booze onto Pine Ridge, which to this day suffers crippling rates of alcoholism and alcohol-related public-health issues, overwhelming the tribe’s health-care, social-services, education and justice systems."
Most of the children are born with fetal alochol syndrome. That is a huge problem. Someone needs to help educate these people for them to understand what they are doing. I think that alcohol abuse can be one of the worse forms of abuse because you it is legal to get. It's easy to abuse something when there is no sigma against it and you can stop at any store a buy it. If you have nothing better to do then drink, why wouldn't people? They need better opportunities to prove themselves. Where is the will power to be better than the last generation? I get that they have been pushed to the side, but it is time to stand up! Isn't it?
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