Whiteclay, Nebraska
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Whiteclay is an unincorporated village (referred to as Pine Ridge by the Census Bureau) that lies on the Nebraska/South Dakota border; Whiteclay has a population of 14.
Whiteclay's history has always been tied to that of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which is on the South Dakota side of the border. When the boundaries of the Pine Ridge reservation were originally drawn, a 4-square mile tract of land in Nebraska was included within the reservation, which included the town of Whiteclay. However, an act signed by Theodore Roosevelt removed the Nebraska land from the reservation in 1905; the legality of this act has since been questioned. Ever since, Whiteclay has been notable largely for the vast quantities of alcohol sold to residents of the legally dry Pine Ridge reservation.
The status of Whiteclay became a volatile political issue in the late 1990s, as a pair of unsolved murders in 1999 led to a series of marches and rallies, led by various activist groups (including the American Indian Movement (AIM) and Nebraskans for Peace) demanding that the state of Nebraska revoke the area's liquor licenses and increase law enforcement in the area. This law enforcement situation is exacerbated by the fact that the nearest law enforcement (in Pine Ridge, South Dakota) has no legal authority over Whiteclay, and the nearest Nebraska law enforcement is in Gordon, which is about 20 miles to the south. As of January 2005, Whiteclay's liquor stores remain open, ensuring that it will continue to be a major Nebraska political issue for the forseeable future.