The Transportation Security Administration issued an apology after a Native American woman said that a “middle-aged blonde” officer grabbed her braids and shouted: “Giddyup.”
Tara Houska, an indigenous rights activist and member of the Ojibwe tribe, said that an officer at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport “snapped” her braids and humiliated her while she was trying to get through airport security.
Houska wrote on Twitter: “Going through @TSA at @MSPairport, the officer said she needed to pat down my braids. She pulled them behind my shoulders, laughed & said ‘giddyup!’ as she snapped my braids like reins. My hair is part of my spirit. I am a Native woman. I am angry, humiliated. Your ‘fun’ hurt.”
She added, “When I informed the middle-aged blonde woman who had casually used her authority to dehumanize and disrespect me, she said, ‘Well it was just in fun, I’m sorry. Your hair is lovely.’ That is NOT an apology and it is NOT okay.”
When I informed the middle-aged blonde woman who had casually used her authority to dehumanize and disrespect me, she said “Well it was just in fun, I’m sorry. Your hair is lovely.” <— that is NOT an apology and it is NOT okay.
— tara houska (@zhaabowekwe) January 13, 2020
In an interview with KARE 11, Houska added: “But it was very offensive. She was laughing as I walked away. It’s TSA, and so it’s invasive no matter what — it’s their job to sometimes pat you down, and it’s part of safety, and I get that, I frequently fly through the airport. That said, it was dehumanizing and just really disrespectful. It was kind of humiliating, to be honest, as a person but also as an indigenous person.”
Houska explained that she was preparing to board a connecting flight on her trip from Washington, D.C., to Minnesota after attending a climate protest at the Capitol as part of Jane Fonda’s “Fire Drill Friday” demonstrations. She said: “Coming back from a situation where I’m demonstrating about indigenous rights, then coming back through and experiencing something like that? Yes, those are two different things, but they’re also all connected. All these little microaggressions add up, and we should be treating each other with respect across the board.”
Following Houska’s tweets, TSA’s federal security director for Minnesota, Cliff Van Leuven, called her to apologize on behalf of the administration and the employee. TSA also issued a separate statement, saying, “TSA holds its employees to the highest standards of professional conduct and any type of improper behavior is taken seriously.”
The Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport also tweeted an apology and asked for further information about the situation, writing, “We are so sorry to hear about your experience, Tara, and we’ll send this tweet along to @TSA leadership for follow-up.”
We are so sorry to hear about your experience, Tara, and we’ll send this tweet along to @TSA leadership for follow-up. We’d also be happy to file a formal complaint on your behalf, if you DM us your contact information.
— MSP Airport (@mspairport) January 13, 2020
In July, TSA suspended two employees after they hung toy gorillas with nooses in a workroom. A spokeswoman for the administration said the agency would not tolerate “racist or offensive behavior.”
Houska said she did not want the employee fired, but hoped that TSA would train its employees to ensure similar incidents do not occur in the future.
