Youth program on Pine Ridge Reservation suffers setback

Indianz.Com > News > Youth program on Pine Ridge Reservation suffers setback

Monday, December 7, 2020

Indianz.Com

The Grinch came early this year, ransacking a popular youth program on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation and leaving some in the tribal community wondering who could be so heartless.

Last Wednesday night, a burglar broke down a door to the Bear Program, a youth and suicide nonprofit that operates in Billy Mills Hall, a community center in Pine Ridge.

The thief stole three guitars, four computers, shoes, four animal hides used to make drums, sketch pads, colored markers, paints, two gaming systems and wrapped presents that the program’s organizers planned to give to children at Christmas.

Yvonne “Tiny” DeCory, director of the Bear Program, said a witness who found the man inside the program’s offices told DeCory that it was a man who had visited the Bear Program a few months earlier.

DeCory said she and others helped provide the man with shoes because his were too small and were causing blisters to his feet.

“We put shoes on his feet,” she said. “We gave him clothing. We gave him a jacket, and we gave him gloves.”

Damage from the December 2, 2020, break-in at the Bear Program, housed at the Billy Mills Hall on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Courtesy photo

The Bear Program provides mentoring and tutoring to students, and without computers and other schools supplies to offer those services, the program has had to scale back the services it provides to youth in Pine Ridge, DeCory said.

She said the loss of the Christmas gifts for the children the program serves is especially disheartening.

“Of course, it’s Christmas,” she said. “We always work to provide a little something for the families.”

She said the Bear Program will still be able to provide food to children who need it and is still planning to host a December 22 Parade of Lights, which features floats created by local organizations and individuals on the main road through Pine Ridge. And the program will still host a hot chocolate and chili feed, she said.

Eileen Janis. Courtesy photo

Eileen Janis, who works with DeCory, said she and DeCory confronted the man who they believe stole the program’s property after he allegedly returned to the program’s offices on Friday. But he denied taking anything and said he didn’t know where any of their stolen property might be, Janis said.

She said several individuals have reached out to the Bear Program to offer to replace certain stolen items.

She said the Bear Program still plans to host a Christmas party for the children who regularly visit the Bear’s Den. Janis said she’s hopeful the program will be able to replace the gifts that were stolen, though it has been difficult to remember which children were supposed to receive gifts.

“We just got to remember who they are,” she said.

Search

Filed Under

National

Tags

crime

eileen janis

oglala sioux

south dakota

youth

yvonne decory

More Headlines

Native America Calling: Native communities confront climate change in Alaska

A ‘cultural gem’ in nation’s capital closes after 87 years of promoting Native art

Native America Calling: Progress and pushback for Native Pride

AUDIO: Budget hearing for Indian Health Service

Native America Calling: Thirty years of Native America Calling

‘These are our lives’: Indian Health Service slated for budget hearing amid new setbacks

Native America Calling: New pressures instill fear in Indigenous immigrants

Native America Calling: Tribes oppose mining projects that threaten habitat, human health, and cultural sites

‘Absolutely unacceptable’: Indian Country hit with major budget cuts

NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know this Week (June 2, 2025)

Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation invests in our safety

Native America Calling: Native Bookshelf with Matthew Fletcher and David Robertson

Native America Calling: The future of SNAP, logging’s effects on food, and Native culinary arts grads on The Menu

Native America Calling: Native storm trackers make the difference when every second counts

‘We will never stop fighting’: Sacred site movement continues amid high-profile setback

More Headlines