The lawsuit claims that Whiteclay has a population of fewer than 12 people and “no publically accessible place to lawfully consume alcohol.” Yet each day, the four retailers in town sell more than 13,000 cans of beer. Much of that beer ends up on the reservation, according to the lawsuit, where it has “devastating effects” on the tribe. Eight-five percent of the tribe’s members are “affected by alcoholism,” according to the suit, and one in four children born on Pine Ridge is diagnosed with either fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
— Native American tribe files $500 million suit against big brewers | Reuters
