Bill Lee, the head of Gallup’s Chamber of Commerce, said there has been a growing economic divide because of the restrictions put in place by local and state officials. Smaller businesses often have to operate with stricter guidelines, including rules preventing in-store shopping, while bigger box stores, especially those deemed essential, could operate with fewer limits. When the barricades were erected earlier this year, Walmart was inundated by shoppers stocking up on weeks’ worth of supplies, especially because grocery stores on Indigenous lands are few and far between. The barricades, however, also had the effect of preventing members of Native American groups from coming into town to shop. The virus made those weaknesses that much more apparent.

Source: New York Times December 27, 2020 09:56 UTC