Ted Nugent is banned from performing at the Sturgis, South Dakota Full Throttle Saloon Bar moving forward.
Michael Ballard who has a net worth of $5 million dollars and owner of Full Throttle decided profits over principles in Lakota country in Sturgis, South Dakota. Pretty cheap and pathetic if you ask me. Even though he is a millionaire and could have done the right thing aside from the $150,000.00 he had his eyes on with the Ted Nugent concert, he is on record via Lakota Territory News TV where he states:
Nugent has made headlines recently after two casinos canceled concerts with him, citing racist remarks. The Full Throttle Saloon had Nugent on the schedule for the main stage Wednesday night. Local Native Americans gathered around the Saloon with signs to protest him.
James Swan, president of The Urban Warrior Society, says he's protesting Nugent over accusations that Nugent called natives 'unclean vermin.' "Ted Nugent, you're a slob. You're an evil, horrible being, and Native Americans don't want you to like us," said Swan. "We don't want you to wear our head dress, we don't want you to act like you're native, because you're not."
Michael Ballard, owner of Full Throttle Saloon, says Nugent was booked a year ago, and if he knew about this issue sooner, he wouldn't have booked Nugent. He says the Throttle is not a racist establishment. "I can't turn around and walk away from $150,000," said Ballard. "I mean that's the nuts and bolts of it. Now that we're made aware of it, we'll listen to it next time."
Ballard says he won't be booking Nugent in the future, unless things are resolved between Nugent and Native Americans.
I called James Magaska Swan of Urban Society Warriors with regard to Ted Nugent never performing at the Full Throttle Saloon again, and he stated:
It's all about the money. Here's the thing though, realistically the chances of Ted Nugent performing here were zero to none anyway, so there really is no value to this when Michael Ballard had the opportunity to do the right thing anyway.
If Ballard wants to reconcile with Native Americans in Lakota country, he can begin with an apology to Native Americans and sponsor an outdoor free "reconciliation concert" for Native peoples with Native performers. The hurt has already been done.
A new boycott of Full Throttle Saloon will be initiated in Lakota country until reconciliation and healing begins because Michael Ballard condoned racism with hosting the Ted Nugent concernt.
When I asked Swan what his views were with regard to Ballard not walking away from $150,000.00, he said:
It boils down to Ballard's actions when he began banning Native Americans from his facebook page for voicing opposition to the Ted Nugent concert. He ignored Native Americans and our supporters. Now he is just trying to put out fires, but it is too late. The hurt has been done.
I asked AIM Secretary via Karla Cheyenne what her views were with regard to the fall out of the Ted Nugent concert and she said:
According to our treaty, Sturgis is part of Lakota land and Michael Ballard, owner of Full Throttle Saloon did not listen to us when we told him we did not want Ted Nugent in Lakota land for his racism against the Native Americans.
Full Throttle is on Lakota land, and we expect him to honor and respect the treaty. It goes back to honoring our treaty.
For Video of the Sturgis protest, see below links provided by Swan and friends:
Strugis is a motorcycle rally in Lakota land but it’s not attended by only Lakota. In fact its’ safe to say the vast majority are not lakota. And they aren’t coming here because it’s Lakota land.
If you don’t like nugent then don’t go. But to condemn Michael and FTS is simply wrong.
