- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Policy and Law
Two Minnesota businesses denied Native customers banking services and bar service by rejecting identification issued by their tribal nations, according to state civil rights investigations announced Oct. 16.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights found probable cause that Wings Financial Credit Union in Coon Rapids and The Office Pub and Grill in Minneapolis discriminated against the customers.
Investigators found Wings repeatedly denied a customer access to her bank account when she presented valid identification issued by the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe. The credit union required documentation not demanded of other customers, treated her with hostility and restricted her access to banking services, the department said.
The Office Pub and Grill refused service to a customer three times despite his presenting a valid Red Lake Nation identification card confirming his age, according to the department.
“Tribal identification is an integral part of a Tribe’s sovereignty, right to self-determination, and self-governance,” Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said in a statement.
Minnesota law recognizes qualifying tribal identification cards wherever state statutes or rules accept Minnesota identification cards.
The department said rejecting tribal IDs or imposing additional requirements on tribal citizens may violate the Minnesota Human Rights Act. It urged businesses to update policies and train employees.
The agency said it will work with the businesses and affected customers to seek changes preventing future discrimination. Both incidents occurred on nontribal lands, where the department enforces state civil rights laws.
