October 2025

Robert Horse Stands Waiting and Phillip Yellowbird Steele were assaulted at the State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. The had recently been moved from the Penitentiary in Springfield, South Dakota, without explanation and without any due process. We are forwarding Robert’s message to you. In many phone conversations Robert has told us not to forget that his incarceration is linked to the more than 400 years of settler-colonial oppression against indigenous peoples worldwide. And that the specific conditions of his incarceration are exacerbated by the policies enacted by Kristi Noem when she was governor of South Dakota. Kristi Noem continues to carry those policies forward into attacks on the population of recent immigrants to the United States in her role with the Trump administration’s homeland security.

Message from Robert Horse Stands Waiting

TWO LONG-TIME PRISON ADVOCATES are now facing serious danger inside the South Dakota prison system. Despite submitting multiple reports and formal notices about threats to their lives, no meaningful action has been taken to protect them.

These individuals have spent years working to improve the lives of others—both inside and outside the prison walls. Yet their dedication has now placed them in harm’s way. Recently, both advocates were brutally beaten inside their cells. It remains unclear how gang members were able to access their units or who authorized the opening of secured doors.

Meanwhile, ongoing investigations have surfaced involving staff misconduct, including reports of drug smuggling and corruption within the facility. Even as guards are being audited and ordered to “stand down,” the safety of those trying to do good work behind bars continues to be ignored.

We are urgently reaching out for your help. These advocates have devoted themselves to rehabilitation and justice, yet the system meant to ensure their safety has failed them. We are now seeking lawyers, legal organizations, and civil rights advocates who can assist in filing a  1983 civil rights action under Farmer v. Brennan  — which holds that prison officials violate the Eighth Amendment when they show deliberate indifference to an inmate’s safety.

Immediate action and outside oversight are needed to ensure accountability and to protect the lives of those who have courageously stood up for justice within the prison system. They have filed several grievances and requested for protection only to be denied. Violence and other corruption in the South Dakota State Penitentiary is at an all time high.

Robert Horse Stands Waiting, an Oglala Lakota spiritual leader and founder of the Lakota LockUp Project, transformed his life after time in prison by reconnecting with traditional Lakota ceremonies. Drawing on teachings from elders, he now helps Indigenous people heal from trauma and incarceration through Talking Circles and cultural renewal, promoting reconciliation and community strength.

Robert and Phillip are hiring an attorney to represent them as they file a legal complaint. Please support them by clicking the donate button on the upper right.