Story

A New Justice Center for Pine Ridge

March 12, 2015 | Pulitzer Center
By
William Plews-Ogan

“Oyate Ki Woope Ogna Tipi,” Lakota for "Justice Center for the People." Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014."

Entrance to the new police dispatch and training center. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Traditional staff, yet to be completed with patches from all nine districts, mounted in the Chief of Police’s new office. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

A new lounge space for employees. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Bay windows in the hallway look out onto the circular courtyard. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

The sun bathes the winter-swept circular courtyard. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

A brand new courtroom in the justice center, with tags still hanging from the chairs. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Functional open spaces near the courtrooms have yet to be occupied. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Incomplete wiring in the new office cubicle spaces. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

A “Peacemaking Room” for family and group disputes. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Conference room looking out onto the South Dakota plains in winter. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Former Chief of Police Ron Duke with the tribal staff newly installed in office of the Chief of Police. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Richard Jensen, a veteran Oglala police training official of 10 years, as well as a veteran of the US military. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

The old Moses Tumu Courthouse Building. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

A skate park outside of town. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Monica Terkildsen, a financial management official at the Oglala Sioux Department of Public Safety. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

The seat of the tribal government in Pine Ridge. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Sun sets on the plains outside of the new Justice Center. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

The consumption of alcohol is a crime on the reservation, but alcoholism persists. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

The main entrance to the new Justice Center off Route 18 in Pine Ridge, SD. Whiteclay, Nebraska is visible several hundred meters past the sign. Image by William Plews-Ogan. United States, 2014.

The Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Department of Public Safety has recently moved into a new Justice Center on the reservation, which will enhance existing services and provide adequate workspaces for employees. Pictured are some of the figures most prominent in the implementation of this project, and most notable for ongoing work with the tribe’s police and emergency operations. The Center is a beacon of inspiration for the future, but persistent problems still plague the system, which is constantly in need of funding. For now, the new Justice Center is a functional space and a measure of pride for those who brought it into being.