Dakota Indians net fish in Minneapolis lake

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — There were no citations or arrests as a group of Dakota Indians netted fish out of season in Cedar Lake in Minneapolis to assert what they say are rights guaranteed by an 1805 treaty.

Friday’s protest came one day ahead of the state’s walleye season opener. One organizer, Chris Mato Nunpa, a retired professor from Southwest State University, says they want to be charged so they can take the case to court.

WCCO Radio reports that conservation officers escorted the Dakota to their cars and confiscated fish but issued no citations. One officer told the station they’ll forward the information they gathered to the county attorney’s office.

The protest comes one year after some Ojibwe Indians netted Lake Bemidji to assert rights under a different treaty. None have been charged.