Nick Tilsen, a well-known organizer in Native communities nationwide, is scheduled to stand trial starting today on charges he assaulted a Rapid City police officer in 2022.
NDN Collective, the Native rights organization Tilsen founded, said the charges are politically motivated.
Here's what to know about Tilsen, NDN Collective and the case.
Who is Nick Tilsen?
Tilsen, founder and CEO of NDN Collective, is an Oglala Lakota community organizer known for his involvement in Native American activism.
Tilsen was a 2018 Bush Fellow and co-founded the Thunder Valley Community Development Corp., an organization that focuses on growth and development on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
His father, Mark Tilsen, is also involved in Native issues and co-founder of Native American Natural Foods, a company that creates buffalo-based food products.
Mark Tilsen's parents cofounded the Wounded Knee Legal Defense/Offense Committee, which provided legal representation for American Indian Movement members arrested during Wounded Knee protests in 1973.
Nick Tilsen founded NDN Collective in 2018 after telling the Bush Foundation he hoped to "launch a national collective of Native leaders who can advise tribes, funders and organizations on the most successful approaches for Native people across the country."
In 2020, he was involved in a July 4 protest that blockaded Mount Rushmore National Memorial, attempting to prevent President Donald Trump from entering the monument.
Tilsen was the only individual involved in the protest to be charged with a felony, though 21 were arrested. The charge was later dropped.
What is NDN Collective?
The Rapid City-based NDN Collective is a Native rights organization that focuses on campaigns and financial assistance programs related to Native American issues nationwide.
NDN Collective filed a federal civil rights class action lawsuit accusing racism against the Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City in March 2022 after Connie Uhre, an owner of the hotel, threatened to ban all Native Americans from the hotel.
In December, a jury ruled the hotel's owners had been discriminatory and ordered to pay $1 in damages, which NDN Collective had requested.
The organization is also known for its several financial assistance programs like the Thriving Communities grant, which it administers in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency, and the NDN Fund, a loan program providing funding to various sectors of Native communities like renewable energy and housing.
The group laid off around 40% of its employees in September, citing funding losses amid federal cuts to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Why was Tilsen charged?
Nick Tilsen is charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor: aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, simple assault of a law enforcement officer and obstruction of a law enforcement officer, according to court filings. If convicted of all counts, Tilsen could be sentenced to up to 26 years in prison. The trial is scheduled to last five days.
The simple assault of a law enforcement officer felony charge was added to Tilsen's case on Jan. 7. The trial will begin more than three years after the June 2022 incident.
In an evidentiary hearing in August, Tilsen said that he witnessed a homeless person interacting with police while driving in downtown Rapid City on June 11, 2022, and stopped by the scene to observe the interaction.
Nicholas Glass, who was a police officer in Rapid City at the time, testified that he heard Tilsen accelerating toward him while his back was turned to the vehicle. He then said that Tilsen's vehicle came to a stop 1 to 2 feet from him.
Tilsen said he was pulling into a parking spot and had no intentions of hitting Glass. He said that he remained in his vehicle until he was granted permission to leave the scene.
Glass is Native American and no longer serving as a Rapid City police officer. He testified that he was approached in 2023 and asked if he wanted to press charges against Tilsen but said he could not remember who asked.
Case timeline
Here is a timeline of the court case against Nick Tilsen:
- June 11, 2022: Tilsen observes a police interaction with a homeless person. Rapid City police officer Nicholas Glass accused Tilsen of accelerating the vehicle toward him.
- June 30, 2023: A complaint and warrant of arrest for Tilsen is filed, alleging aggravated assault and obstruction of a law enforcement officer, according to court filings. The same day, NDN Collective announces it will a host a March Towards Justice on July 4.
- August 2025: Glass and Tilsen testify at an evidentiary hearing.
- August 2025: The judge takes case under advisement.
- Dec. 15, 2025: The judge denies Tilsen's motion to dismiss the case and announces case will go to trial in January.
- Jan. 7, 2026: Pennington County brings forward a new charge against Tilsen, simple assault of a law enforcement officer. NDN Collective said the charge is politically motivated.
- Jan. 26, 2026: Trial scheduled to start.
Petition calls for dismissal of charges
A petition demanding the dismissal of charges against Tilsen has received nearly 22,000 signatures.
NDN Collective said that the new charge of simple assault of a law enforcement officer is "a felony that is easier to convict with" and accused the Pennington County state's attorney of "abuse of power."
Katy Urban, public information officer at the state's attorney's office, told Indian Country Today in a statement during the evidentiary hearing in June that claims about political motivation were untrue.
"This case, like all cases our office prosecutes, is based on the evidence and our ability to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” Urban said. “Any claim that the defendant is being targeted for who he is or the role he holds in our community is simply not true.”
Simple assault of a law enforcement officer was the fourth-most common charge in Pennington County in 2024, according to the Pennington County States Attorney's office's annual report.
The Pennington County State's Attorney's Office and Tilsen's lawyer, John Murphy, declined to comment to News Watch on the case.
This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email for statewide stories. Investigative reporter Molly Wetsch is a Report for America corps member covering rural and Indigenous issues. Contact her at molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.org.
