Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Community Outraged After Signs On South Dakota Indian Reservation Vandalized With Racist Graffiti

Community Outraged After Signs On South Dakota Indian Reservation Vandalized With Racist Graffiti
Marina Bettelyoun/Facebook

Three signs welcoming highway drivers into the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation near Kadoka, South Dakota were recently covered in spray painted messages containing expletives, racist imagery and attacks against President Joe Biden.

According to KOTA News, the vandalized billboards sit along Highway 73, a common route taken by motorists passing them through the reservation.


When not debased by racist hatred, the signs welcome drivers to the Oglala Lakota Nation.

One reads:

"You are entering the Land of Red Cloud...Pine Ridge Indian Reservation...Home of the Oglala Sioux Tribe."

That same sign was covered by a swastika symbol and the words "F'KKK Biden," which was written using the letter "K" enough times to make a nod to the White supremacist organization the Ku Klux Klan which is commonly abbreviated as "KKK."

Pine Ridge resident Marina Bettelyoun took photos of the three desecrated signs and posted them to Facebook.

She shared her feelings on the hate crime.

Marina Bettelyoun/Facebook


Marina Bettelyoun/Facebook


Marina Bettelyoun/Facebook

People that saw Bettelyoun's post shared her outrage.

Sidney Toppah/Facebook


Deanna Huber Clayborne/Facebook


Ronatta Hurtado/Facebook


Leighton Thomas/Facebook

KOTA News spoke with Bettelyoun directly, and she expanded on the sentiment she expressed in that post.

"The sign itself can be replaced—it can be restored—but the message it leaves behind is lasting."
"That's a deep wound."

Her husband, Alexander Bettelyoun, shared his thoughts as well.

"For me, personally, I feel like I got desensitized to it."
"[The] first [time] seeing this, I was like 'Oh, wow. No big deal,' but that's only because you're just so used to it. Seeing the hate—especially like this."




The Oglala Sioux Tribal President, Kevin Killer, and the tribe's Department of Public Safety also responded to the vandalism with the following statement:

"As President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and former member of the South Dakota legislature, I and all members of the Oglala Lakota Nation, vehemently condemn the hate-filled vandalism to the signs located on South Dakota State Highway 73, just south of Kadoka at the borderline."
"These signs serve as our welcoming emblems to visitors and guests of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and depict the pride we have for our culture and traditions as a sovereign nation. Over the past 24-hours, the signs have been spray-painted with a derogatory term involving President Joseph Biden, the letters 'KKK', and a swastika painted over our tribal flag."
"The Oglala Lakota Nation would like those individuals
responsible to be held accountable for their actions, and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
"As a sovereign nation within the boundaries of the State of South Dakota, the Oglala Sioux Tribe continues to extend a hand of friendship to those wanting to make a positive impact on this and future generations. We look forward to sharing our new signs welcoming visitors from around the world shortly."

As KOTA News' coverage of the story spread on the internet, the community's anger only swelled.

Kristin E Trask/Facebook


Severt Long Soldier-Sitting Bear/Facebook


James Tyler Morris/Facebook


Heather Armstrong/Facebook

Hopefully the new signs will prove the racist vandals only ensured the creation of more beautiful welcome imagery than ever.

More from Trending

Dwayne Wade at statue unveiling; Dwayne Wade at press conference
@barstoolsports/X, Miami Heat

Dwyane Wade Responds After Fans Mock Newly Unveiled Statue For Looking Nothing Like Him

NBA star Dwayne Wade had a chill response to all the memes mocking a statue raised in his honor, which many social media users thought looked nothing like him.

The controversial bronze statue, co-created by sculpture artist Omri Amrany, was erected on October 27, 2024, outside the entrance to the Kaseya Center, the home of the Miami Heat NBA basketball team.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshot of Harris Faulkner during her fact check of Donald Trump
Fox News

Fox Host Issues Brutal On-Air Fact Check After Trump Repeats Debunked Election Lie

Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner had social media users cackling after she issued an awkward disclaimer that debunked former President Donald Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen.

Her fact-check came after the network aired Trump's remarks at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Trump gave a speech in which he mentioned his appearance at New York City's Madison Square Garden for a rally that's been largely compared to a Nazi rally Adolf Hitler's followers held in 1939.

Keep Reading Show less
Halle Baile; Halle Berry
Jamie McCarthy/WireImage/GettyImages, Jason Mendez/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images

Halle Bailey Unveiled Her Iconic Halle Berry Halloween Costume—And Berry Just Responded

Academy Award-winning Monster's Ball actor Halle Berry just responded to The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey's Halloween costume that was a nostalgic nod to one of Berry's famous roles.

On Wednesday morning before Halloween, Bailey posted a photo of her in a light orange swimsuit with a white sash around her waist with a sheathed knife attached to her left hip.

Keep Reading Show less
Trump-supporting biker with tweet reaction
Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images; @BluedotinFL863/X

MAGA Supporter Wearing 'Born To Ride' Motorcycle Vest Roasted For Exactly The Reason You Think

Leather vests with slogans are kind of a staple for motorcycle culture, but when one MAGA-loving biker added Donald Trump into the mix on his biker vest?

Well, let's just say it's going viral for all the wrong reasons.

Keep Reading Show less