Strategy put Patty Pansing Brooks at odds with some close allies over the past 18 months.
Recruited by LaMere, Maisch and other activists to be a legislative voice against Whiteclay beer sales, the Lincoln state senator found herself disagreeing with them on how to approach the issue.
"I felt a compulsion to do something and to look at it from a bunch of different angles," she said. Others wanted a more straightforward approach.
She recalls poring over state liquor laws and other laws connected to Whiteclay.
What she learned: Law enforcement is not only important, but legally necessary for alcohol sales to be allowed in a Nebraska community.
Her realization prompted a key hearing at the Capitol, where a Sheridan County commissioner acknowledged Whiteclay lacked adequate law enforcement. The statement triggered a review of the Whiteclay beer stores' licenses by the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, which ultimately shut them down.
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Now Pansing Brooks is leading efforts to develop businesses and services in Whiteclay, alongside state Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, who represents Sheridan County and is the Legislature's first Native member.
"I cannot imagine they're going to reopen those stores," she says.
