Clare Willrodt
St. Joseph’s Indian School                                              

(Chamberlain, S.D.) – For nearly a decade, Native Hope, an outreach of St. Joseph’s Indian School, has been in attendance at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally – on a mission. The event is popular with motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world. It is also “grand central” for human trafficking.

With two major intersections running through the state, South Dakota is part of the Midwest Pipeline used to deliver trafficking victims to cities across the country. According to the U.S. Attorney General’s Office, more than 40% of those trafficked in the state are Native women, while only 8% of South Dakota residents are Native American.

Partnering with the West River Human Trafficking Task Force, Ellsworth Airforce Base, the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, the Sturgis Police and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Department, Native Hope sets up shop on the streets of Sturgis passing out literature to build awareness with rally goers about what to look for and send the message to traffickers, “We just don’t want you here.”

As an outreach of St. Joseph Indian School, Native Hope has several key platforms aimed at advancing the lives of Native Americans to improve the future of the communities whose youth attend the school. One such platform is working to build awareness and put an end to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. The outreach also funds the MMIP Coordinator who works out of the South Dakota State Attorney General’s Office.

“There is an intersection between human trafficking, sexual assault, and MMIP,” says Native Hope Director Jennifer Long, explaining that their work focuses on all three areas. Another such effort is the “Never In Season” Red Sand Project that targets human trafficking during the state’s hunting season. Additionally, Native Hope is a member of the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault and attends and sponsors its annual conference where law enforcement, prosecutors, and other professionals network and learn tactics to serve and support those affected by this abuse.

Native Hope’s message: If you see something, say something. Call 911 so law enforcement can respond immediately. Call the SD Statewide Sex Trafficking Sexual Assault Victim Hotline 1 (888) 352-8511 or 211.