The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board voted on Wednesday, June 17, to close the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park by the end of the year. The decision came after a raucous meeting and a petition that gathered more than 1,000 signatures to delay the decision for more public comment.

Background

The Minnehaha Dog Park runs along the Mississippi River below the source of Mni Owe Sni, or Coldwater Spring, on land that is considered sacred to the Dakota and other tribes. The National Park Service and the Minnesota Historical Society first raised an issue relating to Mni Owe Sni’s neighboring dog park to the Park Board in November 2024.

Commissioner Jason Garcia said after the resolution passed, “I certainly understand that this is a change that is not pleasant for a lot of people, but at the same time … this is about rectifying an ongoing harm, and the longer that we put off that addressing of harm, the more that it causes harm to people who have often had the least amount of voice and say on what goes on here on their ancestral lands.”

Community Reaction

Many dog owners spoke out against the decision, citing the city’s lack of areas for dogs to safely swim in, explore and play. Minneapolis dog owner Carter Casmaer, who started a petition against the off-leash park’s closure, told board members the decision deserved more input.

Andrea Williams, who has been going to the dog park for 15 years, emphasized the importance of sharing land among different cultural groups and the harm to the community values the decommissioning of the off-leash dog park would signal.

On the other hand, Erica Crazy Hawk, a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, shared her family’s trauma with internment camp and sexual assault, and insisted that the park’s closure was necessary to respect the land’s sacred nature.

Original reporting: Sahan Journal — read the source article.