ROSEBUD, S.D. – The Rosebud Sioux Tribe has declared a State of Emergency in response to rising levels of methamphetamine and illicit drug use, drug trafficking, and related gun violence on the reservation.
Tribal President Kathleen Wooden Knife issued the emergency declaration, calling for immediate action to combat what she described as a growing crisis.
“This crisis presents immediate and severe dangers to public safety, community health, and tribal welfare,” the urgent alert says.
The declaration urges increased federal law enforcement support, stronger community cooperation in reporting criminal activity, and urgent coordination to close gaps in public safety and health services.
This is not the first time Rosebud has made such a declaration — similar states of emergency were declared in Aug. 2019 and again in Aug. 2024.
The Rosebud Tribe’s move follows a similar declaration from the nearby Oglala Sioux Tribe earlier this year. Oglala President Frank Star Comes Out described the situation on the Pine Ridge Reservation as an “escalating and catastrophic breakdown of law and order.”
Both reservations, located in South Dakota, are grappling with surging meth use and its deadly consequences. According to the South Dakota Department of Health, 95 drug-related deaths were reported statewide in 2023. Of those, 39 involved fentanyl and 30 involved methamphetamine.
