The following story was written and reported by Jesse Abernathy. All content © Native Sun News.

RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA -- Caring. Respect. Honesty. Responsibility.

These are the core principles of the faith-based YMCA, a nationwide, community-oriented federation that strives to meet the physical, social, mental and spiritual needs of local citizens through on-site and outreach programs.

Paradoxically, Rapid City’s YMCA franchise has come under fire recently by some area Native American residents for its membership policies and practices, which are alleged to be geared toward excluding Natives from the premises of the downtown center, located at 815 Kansas City Street.

“The YMCA doesn’t allow Natives to come in off of the street to play a quick game of basketball without a membership,” said Carl White, Native community member. “This is an eight-year-old policy that comes from a fight between a Native guy and a white guy that happened at the YMCA,” he said.

“Before this incident, Natives were allowed to play a pick-up game of basketball in the YMCA gym without having to have a membership,” said White.

The 120,000-square-foot “Y,” as it is colloquially referred to, boasts three gymnasiums with “open-play” basketball on its website. Membership, however, is strictly available on a for-fee basis only. Moderately priced monthly membership fees range from $12 for teenagers to $46 for adults over age 18 to $68 for families, also according to information contained on the local Y’s website.

Further, youth and teen memberships are subsidized through United Way of the Black Hills, which the YMCA partners with to provide community services, and in-house financial assistance is available to adult members who fall below specific income guidelines. Individual day passes are also available for those who do not have or want full Y membership, said Roger Gallimore, Rapid City YMCA executive director.

“Because of the incident between the Native and the white, the YMCA doesn’t want Natives there anymore,” White said. “It never used to be that way, though.”

“The YMCA is a membership organization – but membership is open to all,” Gallimore said. “One of the things consistent with our mission is to ensure that everybody is included – to bring everybody together,” he said.

The guiding organizational mission of the YMCA is to “put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all,” as delineated on its website.

“For years, what we’ve done with noon basketball is we’ve limited it to members and not had it open to (nonmembers), but that’s only because for a long time we went through a period with (nonmembers) where there was just all sorts of problems going on among the players,” said Gallimore. “So, just in an effort to rein it in – just for noon ball – we did limit it to members,” he said.

The members-only policy for “open” gymnasium basketball has been in place for between 15 and 20 years, according to Gallimore.

“On rare occasion, there can be an altercation in the YMCA gym. As to the race involved, I haven’t a clue. I can’t pinpoint a time where this was to white people or to Native people.” “But again, anybody can be a member,” he emphasized.

“This ‘members-only’ policy is not a national YMCA policy,” White said.

“Each YMCA is locally autonomous,” said Gallimore, in support of White’s claim. “Each YMCA locally determines its programs (and) policies, that’s why when you travel around the country, you can see some substantial differences,” he said.

According to a spokesperson for YMCA of the USA, which serves as a resource center for locally organized YMCA entities, each individual affiliate is operated by a localized board of directors and professional staff. Rapid City’s YMCA currently provides health and wellness opportunities and services, as well as social services, to around 26,000 regional individuals annually, according to Gallimore.

“This Y is actually known nationally for our outreach efforts; for our strong ability to bring all kinds of people together,” he said. “We’re known nationally for our broad-based programs, which include anything from teen leadership to wellness to sports to afterschool and childcare and mentoring for teen moms.”

Gallimore has been with the local Y for 30 years.

“Certainly as a membership organization, we not only have the policy but we actively promote the inclusion of the community,” Gallimore said. “We don’t turn anybody away, including those who don’t have the ability to pay,” he said.

Approximately 36 percent of local Y members – or roughly 9,000 individuals – rely on some form of financial assistance, said Gallimore.

“About 18 percent of our membership is Native American,” he said. That figure translates to almost 5,000 Native members. “So I’m a little surprised about the discrimination claims” made about Rapid City’s YMCA.

“That’s just not who we are,” said Gallimore. “I’ve often boasted that the YMCA is a safe place in the community,” he said.

Gallimore indicated that Rapid City’s YMCA does reach out to the Native community – particularly youth – through programs located at North side educational and religious institutions, including North Middle School and Bethel Assembly of God Church.

“I’d rather see people of all races playing together,” Gallimore said. “That’s just part of who we are.”

“Rapid City’s YMCA doesn’t ever let me go in and just shoot some hoops without giving me grief,” said White. “They need to change their membership-only policy to allow more Natives to go in and enjoy a quick game of ball without having to feel discriminated against,” he said.

“I know I’m not the only Native who feels like this.”

(Contact Jesse Abernathy at staffwriter@nsweekly.com)