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MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2002

You know, a lot of people, if an Indian moves next door, they'll move out.

[Indians] work good for a week, maybe two, and then they don't show up.

As soon as [Indians] get some money, they end up being drunk and gone. Well, what are they going to go? They're going to go to a bar.

The 1999 death of Robert Many Horses, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, has forced the community of Mobridge to take a look at its racial divide, an effort some in the town believe has seen success.

In the wake of uproar when murder charges against four white teenagers for the death were dropped, a group of community members, including tribal ones, formed the Mobridge Area Race Relations Council. After some discussions about the group's focus, they began to center on improving dialogue among Indians and non-Indians.

The group has held public forums, investigated discrimination complaints and held an Ethnic First, the first of its kind. But members admit their message is still unpopular and say overt racism has been merely driven underground.

Many Horses' death and racism in South Dakota was the focus of a 20/20 program in September 2000.

Get the Story:
A death in Mobridge teaches hard lessons about racism (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 1/28)
Federal 'peacemaker' helped in Mobridge (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 1/28)
Racism exists yet, elder says (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 1/28)
Sheriff sees 'more openness' (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 1/28)
Officer wants to alter perceptions (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 1/28)

Get the 20/20 Transcript:
The Death of Robert Many Horses (ABC News 9/22)

Related Stories:
Program reveals differing views on race (9/28)
FBI releases Pine Ridge report (07/11)
FBI 'Death List' (07/11)