Dog owners in Minneapolis are pushing back on a Park and Recreation Board plan to close the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park.
Some are gathering signatures for a petition, others are rallying supporters on social media and creating websites.
The park is in an area of land the board said is considered sacred by the Dakota tribes. A park board committee passed a resolution in early June that would “decommission” the park. Now, the full board will take a vote on the matter on Wednesday.
Board President Tom Olsen said the area’s significance came to light after an archeological study was completed last year, when the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board voted to install fencing around the dog park area. Olsen didn’t share specific findings, citing Minnesota law that can shield some burial site information from the public. He told WCCO in an interview earlier this month that he “believes there are burials present.”
Carter Casmaer, a dog owner who lives in Minneapolis, started a petition to “stop the rushed shutdown” of the park. He’s gathered over 1,000 signatures.
“There’s about zero engagement,” Casmaer said. “[The board] hasn’t spoken with any of the dog park owners in any major way.”
Casmaer feels dog owners who use the park each week and care for the area have been shut out of the conversation. He believes the board lacks transparency.
The park board has consulted with a Native American advisory council. Samatha Odegard with the Upper Sioux Community is part of that group.
“I’m a dog lover myself, but per our protocols, there’s just certain places and locations and times that they are not allowed to be there,” she said. “There’s also the fact that they are being disruptive, they’re causing harm to culturally sensitive areas, they’re digging, they’re doing things that shouldn’t be happening there.”
Some of the advisory council members, including Juanita Espinosa, have focused on the site’s spiritual significance. During a meeting last month, Espinosa spoke about the way dogs could impact the prayers of Native people.
“If someone sees a dog there, they’re not going to make their prayer there as a Native person,” she said.
Maggie Lorenz, another member, has compared the significance of the site to church grounds or a cemetery.
“I think [it’s] finally being recognized that we, as Dakota people, as the Indigenous peoples of Minnesota, we have these places,” Lorenz said in a previous interview with WCCO. “We’ve always had these places and they’re finally now starting to be recoginzed and protected as such.”
Casmer argues the city-owned land should be shared.
“This is a secular governing body and they’re not supposed to be making zoning decisions based off theology,” Casmaer said. “We should be working together to coexist in a space. That’s what’s been happening at the dog park for 34 years.”
There is at least one park board member who wants to slow down the process. Cathy Abene introduced an amendment that calls for more community engagement. Though Olsen said the board has enough information to make a decision.
“We have received significant input from constituents, native leaders, MPRB staff, historians, and archeologists on this issue,” Olsen told WCCO in a statement. “Enough that we feel we can make an informed decision. I believe further engagement for the sake of engagement would be misleading.”
The park board is expected to take a final vote on Wednesday night
Ashley Grams
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