More than 20 people were arrested at a Dakota Access pipeline construction site Wednesday, amid ongoing protests against the four-state $3.7 billion project. North Dakota police reportedly handled the rally with “military-style” equipment and armored vehicles.
This is what it looks like when corporations' interests are at stake. #NoDAPL protestors are being accosted by ND police, & "sprayed by air" pic.twitter.com/p3hEc64meZ
— Latinos for Bernie (@Latinos4Bernie) September 28, 2016
Ninety-five people have now been arrested, as dozens of people continue their actions to overturn the pipeline construction.
Law enforcement officials claim the arrests were made for criminal trespass on private property, possession of stolen property and resisting arrest.
However, one of the participants, Thomas H. Joseph II, said on Facebook that police hit them as they “gathered in prayer unarmed, prayed, sang songs, and attempted to leave.”
“We had a powerful moment of prayer that you can see in my older video posted minutes before the video when the police blocked us in,” he wrote. In another post, he added, “No threats, No vandalism, No violence was taken on our part.”
https://twitter.com/nicdhana/status/781232778482417664
Sacred Stone Camp, which has been housing dozens of demonstrators since May also posted pictures from the scene on Facebook.
“ND authorities deploy armed personnel with shotguns and assault rifles, military vehicles, and aerial spray on peaceful Water Protectors gathered in prayer,” the camp members wrote.
The Morton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a statement that police responded with armored vehicles, specialized equipment and “less lethal ammunition using bean-bag rounds,” but denied reports of any spray being used. Investigators said it was a crop duster spraying a field.
Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier seemed to downplay the police response, saying that one officer raised his weapon after a protester on a horseback charged at him.
“A charging horse combined with totality of the situation presented an imminent threat to the officer,” he said.
Calling themselves “water protectors,” the protesters say the pipeline puts the Missouri River at risk of an oil spill. The river is the only water supply for the local Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Its members also insist that the 1,172-mile project would threaten its ancestral cultural resources, since it would run less than half a mile away from their reservation.
https://www.rt.com/usa/361016-police-arrest-dakota-pipeline/
Well there you go. If you exercise your right to peaceably assemble, and petition your government for a redress of grievances, you’ll be met by military force, and possibly killed.
Welcome to “post-constitutional America”. You’re either going to fight for your rights and freedom, or they’ll disappear, as is already happening all across the country.
Them slaves didn’t really think they were just going to stand around there all unarmed an all, protesting up the place, and not receive a reprisal from the Money Masters did they?
I was beginning to wonder what was taking so long. Must’ve been a logistics tangle.
Probably be clearing the rest of em out of there pretty soon.
Because, hey, nothings stopping them.
Hey Indians, ever think about coming armed to your protest for once? Maybe they’ll think twice about beating and arresting you. Idiots. When will the people ever learn?
They’re becoming as dumb as the elite. Hey let’s do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. But let’s not do the one thing that actually works. What a bunch of dumbasses.