Minnesota Discrimination

MDHR Finds Credit Union and Bar Discriminated Against Native Americans Over Tribal IDs

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) determined that two local businesses discriminated against Native American customers by refusing to accept valid Tribal identification cards. In Coon Rapids, Wings Financial Credit Union repeatedly denied a woman access to her account when she presented a Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe ID, forcing her to provide extra documentation. In Minneapolis, The Office Pub and Grill refused service to a man three times when he used a Red Lake Nation ID to prove his age. MDHR Commissioner Rebecca Lucero emphasized that state law requires businesses to accept Tribal IDs as valid credentials, and the agency is working with the businesses to implement structural changes to prevent future discrimination.