Pine Ridge Indian Reservation,
South Dakota
It is home to the Oglala Sioux Nation. The murder rate at Pine Ridge was the highest in the country between 1973 and 1976. The Lakota people have the lowest life expectancy of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S. Oglala Lakota County is the poorest in the country. In 2023 and 2025, President Frank Star Comes Out declared a state of emergency because of crime.
It is against the law to sell alcohol on the reservation, but alcohol was sold in White Clay, Nebraska. For years White Clay, population 10, sold more than 11,000 beers per day to the Lakota. Lots of crime and DUIs resulted in these beer sales and the stores were finally shut forever by the state of Nebraska in 2017. Unfortunately, meth has been the drug of choice for the last ten years.
At least 60% of the homes on Pine Ridge are severely substandard, without water, electricity, adequate insulation, and sewage systems. From Facts about Pine Ridge, Bear Project
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