SD prosecutors drop all charges against Indigenous activist

SIOUX FALLS S.D. (AP) — South Dakota prosecutors have dropped all charges against the head of an Indigenous-led advocacy organization stemming from a protest during then-President Donald Trump’s visit to Mount Rushmore. NDN Collective President Nick Tilsen was among those arrested July 3, 2020, when the protest seeking return of the Black Hills to Lakota control escalated into a scuffle with law enforcement. The charges included robbery and assault of a law enforcement officer. Court documents show that prosecutors filed the dismissal Nov. 18. Tilsen said in a statement Tuesday that the dismissal shows the charges were “bogus from the start.”