The wounds of Whiteclay cut deep into many aspects of life for the Oglala Lakota of the Pine Ridge Reservation. A closer look at data from public records and nonprofits shows just how deep those wounds go.
The wounds of Whiteclay cut deep into many aspects of life for the Oglala Lakota of the Pine Ridge Reservation. A closer look at data from public records and nonprofits shows just how deep those wounds go.
Poverty, disenfranchisement and an endless supply of liquor and tragedy from neighboring Whiteclay, Nebraska, have left deep scars on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Perhaps nowhere are the wounds of Whiteclay on Pine Ridge more evident or more consequential than in the health of the people who live there.
Sources: Pine Ridge Hospital and the World Health Organization
According to data from the Pine Ridge Hospital and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide and suicide attempt rates on the Pine Ridge Reservation dwarfed nationwide rates in 2014 and 2015.
Economics
When 3.5 million beer cans are sold every year in a town of 12, where does all that money go? And what does it really cost the Pine Ridge Reservation and the state of South Dakota?
Despite a state mandate to publish Whiteclay-specific liquor sales data on a yearly basis since 2009, there's still a lack of publicly available data on the breakdown of profits from Whiteclay's liquor stores. Without that data, it's impossible to determine how the town's liquor revenue gets divided between the liquor stores, the distributors and the manufacturers.
By applying state and federal excise taxes to the average cost of a 24-ounce can of beer, however, Wounds of Whiteclay reporter Natasha Rausch was able to calculate a broader breakdown of Whiteclay's beer revenue between the private sector and the state and federal governments. Hover over or click on each section of the can below to learn more.
Breaking down the cost of a can of beer
According to the Sheridan County Sheriff and the Oglala Lakota Tribal President Bryan Brewer, the average cost of a 24-ounce can of beer in Whiteclay, Nebraska, is $1.50. Hover over portions of the can below to see where that money goes.
Pine Ridge has the highest percentage of population living in poverty of any county in the United States, according to data from a 2014 U.S. Census Bureau.
Crime
Alcohol-related crimes are reported on the Pine Ridge Reservation and the streets of Whiteclay with alarming frequency. Memorials for victims of drunk driving accidents pepper the rolling hills of the reservation, thanks to a DWI-arrest rate 10 times that of Lincoln, Nebraska.
Sources: Oglala Sioux Tribal Police and Lincoln Police Department
Alcohol and drug crimes reported by the Oglala Sioux Tribal Police, 2005-2015
