Oglala Sioux authorities say 3 signs on Hwy 73 just south of Kadoka were vandalized over the weekend, including 2 welcoming visitors to the Pine Ridge Reservation.
The spray-paint vandalism included the letters KKK, a vulgar message involving President Biden, and a swastika painted over the Oglala Sioux Tribal flag.
OST President Kevin Killer, a former member of the South Dakota legislature, issued a statement saying that he and all members of the Oglala Lakota Nation “ehemently condemn the hate-filled vandalism to the signs.”
President Killer says the 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.
Killer says despite the vandalism, the Oglala Sioux Tribe “continues to extend a hand of friendship to those wanting to make a positive impact on this and future generations (and) look forward to sharing our new signs welcoming visitors from around the world shortly.”
OST leaders, including President Killer, say they would like the responsible parties held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.