Ruby Duncan — known for bringing federal food assistance to Nevada and shutting down Caesar’s Palace in protest over welfare in the 1970s — has passed away. She was 93.
When Nevada cut 75% of welfare given to women and children in 1971, Duncan organized welfare mothers and held two marches on the Las Vegas Strip. In the first protest, around 6,000 people marched down Las Vegas Boulevard and shut down numerous venues, including the top casino on the Strip at the time — Caesars Palace.
After gaining national attention, Duncan and other mothers on welfare organized eat-ins at the Stardust Casino, where they ordered food and leave, telling the casino to bill the government. A federal judge ordered all mothers that were dropped from welfare be re-added just weeks later…