Rapid City Has a KKK Problem

Vernon Traversie, a legally blind Cheyenne River Sioux tribal elder who lives in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, believes he was the victim of a hate crime while in the hospital for surgery and fears reprisal for his attempts to bring the incident to the attention of authorities.

After having heart surgery at Rapid City Regional Hospital (RCRH) in Rapid City, South Dakota, Traversie had scars on his abdomen described by several eyewitnesses as “carvings” or “brandings” of the letters KKK. After his wounds were documented by photographs and in a video posted on YouTube in April, his case has evoked outrage from Native Americans across the country. In a recent written statement he said, “I feel hopeful that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is beginning an investigation into what happened to me at the Rapid City Regional Hospital last September. I continue to call for a full law enforcement investigation and for protection because I am afraid.”

Traversie’s case has generated a great deal of controversy in the Rapid City area. Many South Dakota Natives, who utilize Indian Health Service (IHS) Aberdeen Area services, support Traversie. These tribal members are sent to RCRH for major surgery, obstetrics or complicated cases that have been referred from IHS. Many claim they have received substandard care at the facility.

Blind Man Sues Hospital for 'KKK' Surgery Scar
A blind Native American man says that doctors at a South Dakota hospital discriminated against him by intentionally carving a KKK surgery scar into his abdomen.

But hospital staff and police have no idea what the Lakota man is talking about. To be fair, 69-year-old Vern Traversie has obvious scars on his stomach, but it takes some effort to make out the letters "KKK."

Traversie is suing the hospital for unspecified damages and claims that he was mistreated at the hospital on account of his race even before the surgical scar, reports The Associated Press.

Regardless of what you see in Traversie's abdomen, the incident has sparked an outcry for the racial animosity that Native Americans in the area say they face from whites.

Lakota man sues SD hospital over surgical scars

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A lawyer for a Native American man who claims the letters KKK were carved into his stomach during surgery has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the South Dakota hospital where the operation took place, the hospital's board of directors and others.

YouTube videos featuring 69-year-old Vern Traversie, a Lakota man who lives on the Cheyenne River Reservation, went viral in Native American communities earlier this year. In them, Traversie talks about being mistreated at the hospital and shows his abdomen. Though he himself is blind, Traversie says he was told by others that the scars left after his heart surgery form the letters.

A May rally in support of Traversie drew hundreds of people, many of whom said his story exemplifies the racism Native Americans experience in Rapid City. But others say they can't make out the letters, including police who investigated his allegations and hospital officials. No criminal charges have been filed in the case.

Chase Iron Eyes, a lawyer for Traversie, filed a lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in South Dakota against Rapid City Regional Hospital, its board of directors, physicians and TRS Surg Assist Inc. The lawsuit alleges a civil rights violation based on race and cites the scarring from Traversie's double-bypass surgery done in August 2011 as evidence. It seeks a jury trial and damages.