TSA has launched an investigation into one of their agents after Tara Houska, an attorney and Indigenous rights activist, claims the agent pulled her braids and made an offensive as she made her way through MSP Airport security.
According to Houska, the incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. on Monday at MSP’s Terminal 1, where she tried to catch a connecting flight to Bemidji upon returning from the “Fire Drill Friday” climate protest in Washington, D.C. over the weekend.
As she went through security, Houska said a TSA agent told her she needed to pat down her braids to check for weapons. “She pulled them behind my shoulders, laughed & said ‘giddyup!’ as she snapped my braids like reins,” Houska posted on Twitter. “My hair is part of my spirit. I am a Native woman. I am angry, humiliated. Your ‘fun’ hurt.”
Going through @TSA at @mspairport, the agent 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.
— tara houska (@zhaabowekwe) January 13, 2020
Houska goes on to say that, after she told the agent her actions and comments were offensive, the agent laughed, claimed she was kidding and said she “didn’t mean to offend you.”
“But it was very offensive. She was laughing as I walked away,” Houska states. “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.”
A TSA spokesperson made a statement that the agency is “aware” of the allegations and that it is “currently reviewing CCTV from the security checkpoint at MSP to determine what may have happened. TSA will take appropriate action should an investigation substantiate the traveler’s allegation.”
Houska’s tweets about the incident garnered public response. The official MSP Airport Twitter account apologized to Houska and promised to send her tweet to TSA’s leadership. “We’d also be happy to file a formal complaint on your behalf, if you DM us your contact information,” the airport’s account replied. It was later clarified that MSP can only pass along the complaints to TSA but cannot actually file the complaint itself.
The TSA also reached out to Houska via Twitter shortly after the incident. “We regret to hear that you had a bad experience at the security checkpoint,” the @AskTSA tweet read. “If you’re willing, please DM your email address, so that we may gather more details.”
The TSA spokesperson said the agency does not yet have a complaint on record but will investigate any allegation of improper behavior. Houska plans to file a complaint and appreciates MSP’s willingness to help with the process.
“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,” Houska said, as she had just returned from the Fire Drill Friday climate protest, were fought for Indigenous rights and vocally opposed the controversial Line 3 Pipeline project in Minnesota alongside celebrities like Jane Fonda and Joaquin Phoenix.
Houska said she does not want the employee fired and does not seek retribution.
“I would actually hope that TSA does a better job of training its employees to understand why this is not OK,” Houska said. “The outcome is hurtful. So think about why that was hurtful and treat other people with more respect… When you casually use authority to be disrespectful to other people, that’s part of a whole systemic problem.”
