2 businesses face civil penalties, damages after denying tribal IDs
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Investigators with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights announced Friday that two Minnesota businesses violated state law when refusing to accept tribal ID cards from their customers.
Two individuals made separate complaints under the state’s human rights law stemming from incidents that took place in 2024.
According to a complaint filed with the state human rights agency, a customer at Wings Financial Credit Union in Coon Rapids was denied services six times over four months when she attempted to use identification issued by the Sisseton-Wahpeton tribe to access her bank account. Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate is a tribal nation that straddles the North Dakota and South Dakota border.
According to investigators, the credit union required the customer to produce documentation not required of other customers and was hostile to the customer.
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“We believe that businesses, schools, law enforcement need to be on notice that refusing tribal identification or requiring additional burdens on tribal members may be discrimination under the Minnesota Human Rights Act,” said Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero.
In a second case, a Red Lake tribal member was refused service on three separate occasions by a bartender at the Office Pub and Grill, a downtown Minneapolis bar. In that instance, the customer provided his unexpired tribal ID as proof of age, according to a news release.
Lucero told MPR News the findings are the first she can remember her office pursuing during the eight years she’s served as commissioner.
Lucero says both businesses could face civil penalties and punitive damages for their discrimination. The agency is currently in settlement negotiations with both businesses, according to Lucero.
“There's monetary damages that are at play here, but then there's also making sure that the policies change, making sure that there's training,” Lucero said.
As part of negotiated settlement agreements, Lucero says the Department of Human Rights will examine the policy and training practices of both businesses to ensure they comply with the law.
