{"id":39083,"date":"2025-08-08T12:12:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T17:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/tilsen-case-hightlights-police-conduct-and-delayed-charges\/"},"modified":"2025-08-08T12:12:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T17:12:16","slug":"tilsen-case-hightlights-police-conduct-and-delayed-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/tilsen-case-hightlights-police-conduct-and-delayed-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"Tilsen case hightlights police conduct and delayed charges"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Nick<\/a><\/p>\n

Nick Tilsen, NDN Collective Founder & CEO, stands with community members in front of a \u2018FREE THE PEOPLE, HEAL THE LAND\u2019 banner outside of the Pennington County Courthouse in Rapid City, SD. Photo by Willi White for NDN Collective.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

RAPID CITY \u2013 The judge overseeing a case involving NDN Collective founder and CEO Nick Tilsen has taken the case under advisement and has requested finding of fact from each party and is expected to make a final decision in the coming months, according to a press release from NDN Collective.<\/p>\n

The case has raised questions about police conduct and the circumstances surrounding the delayed filing of charges.<\/p>\n

The hearing on August 1, 2025, was the third and final evidentiary hearing in the case against Tilsen in which the Rapid City Police Department (RCPD) charged Tilsen in June of 2023 with aggravated assault and obstruction of a police officer stemming from an incident a year previous in June of 2022.<\/p>\n

On that day, after seeing police detaining an unhoused relative, Tilsen pulled his vehicle over so he could conduct a routine police watch. According to NDN Collective, the officers escalated the situation and publicly humiliated the relative, with \u201cdisturbing footage\u201d captured on body cameras. Police then focused on Tilsen, accusing him of assaulting law enforcement despite no officer being harmed. Tilsen said he stayed in his vehicle because he felt unsafe being surrounded by multiple police cars. He communicated with officers, explaining he didn\u2019t harm or intend to harm anyone. He was eventually allowed to leave after the officers got approval from an unknown source. No charges were filed until a year later, on June 30, 2023, when a complaint and arrest warrant were issued for Tilsen after the officer involved alleged that Tilsen had attempted to run him over during the 2022 incident.<\/p>\n

\"Nick<\/a><\/p>\n

Nick Tilsen with supporters gathered for hearing on Aug. 1, 2025. Photo from NDN Collective.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tilsen\u2019s defense has claimed that the officer wasn\u2019t touched, there was no physical harm caused to any officer in the incident and that there is video evident proving Tilsen\u2019s claims. They also say the hearing made it clear that the Rapid City Police Department violates its own camera and audio policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are confident the judge will rule in Nick\u2019s favor after having time to review the evidence and testimonies presented today,\u201d said Wizipan Little Elk Garriott, NDN Collective President. <\/p>\n

NDN Collective Vice President Gaby Strong noted that the courtroom was packed for the final hearing. \u201cToday\u2019s packed courtroom illustrates both the support for and significant of Nick\u2019s leadership in Rapid City and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community elder Norma Rendon said that the case is much bigger than Nick or any one person. \u201cIt\u2019s about the protecting the right to free speech and freedom of movement for all people.\u201d<\/p>\n

NDN Collective says Tilsen is being targeted by local law enforcement and that local prosecutors intentionally sought out Nicholas Glass, the police officer named in the case, and encouraged him to press charges. They say the charges have been inflated in an effort to criminalize Tilsen. The charges were also brought the same day that NDN Collective requested a permit for a rally and a march they were planning, March for Justice Rally, to spotlight police violence and murders of Native Americans in Rapid City. \u201cThis is a continuation of the American legacy of vilifying Indigenous people and the legal system targeting and over-criminalizing Indigenous movement leaders,\u201d said NDN Collective in a statement on Action Network. <\/p>\n

NDN Collective has sponsored a petition to collect enough signatures to request that the Pennington County State\u2019s Attorney\u2019s office to drop the charges against Tilsen. Their goal is to collect 25,600 signatures and have so far collected 15,781 signatures as of this writing.<\/p>\n

As the community awaits the judge\u2019s decision, NDN Collective remains grounded in its values and will continue to demand justice. \u201cIn the meantime, NDN Collective\u2019s work to build power for Indigenous people continues,\u201d said Wizipan Little Elk Garriott, NDN Collective President.<\/p>\n

NDN Collective has been pushing for a federal investigation into the Rapid City Police Department for several years because of similar ongoing actions by law enforcement<\/p>\n

Historically, South Dakota has disproportionately incarcerated Native Americans at a higher rate than their white counterparts and this legacy continues. The Vera Institute of Justice reports that Native Americans are jailed in South Dakota at rates far higher than their share of the general population. In South Dakota, Native Americans make up nine percent of the state population but account for forty-one percent of the prison population.<\/p>\n

The disparity is further demonstrated by the fact that Native Americans are incarcerated at a rate ten times higher than that of white individuals between the ages of 15 and 64. This disparity is also evident in the types of offenses, as Native Americans receive jail sentences at a higher rate and probation sentences at a lower rate compared to white arrestees. South Dakota<\/p>\n

In 2016, the American Civil Liberties Union found that the incarceration rate for Native Americans in South Dakota jails was 1,503 per 100,000, while the rate for white people was significantly lower at 162 per 100,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time for the South Dakota State Attorney\u2019s Office to hold RCPD accountable and stop targeting organizers who are shedding light on community safety concerns,\u201d said NDN Collective.<\/p>\n

(Contact Marnie Cook at cookm8715@gmail.com)<\/span> <\/p>\n

The post Tilsen case hightlights police conduct and delayed charges<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Visit Original Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span><\/div>

Nick Tilsen, NDN Collective Founder & CEO, stands with community members in front of a \u2018FREE THE PEOPLE, HEAL THE LAND\u2019 banner outside of the Pennington County Courthouse in Rapid City, SD. Photo by Willi White for NDN Collective. RAPID CITY \u2013 The judge overseeing a case involving NDN Collective <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a>
Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> August 8, 2025<\/p>\n

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