Orders could have little effect on pipeline protest camp

The fact that we have a substantial group protesting where there isn’t anything legitimate to protest makes me wonder if some folks just have too much time on their hands or just plain need something to complain about. Last week Chief Tony Alexis, of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation in Alberta, condemned the response from North Dakota law enforcement.

The pipeline’s backers have been stalemated in their efforts to obtain a federal easement to tunnel under a dammed portion of the Missouri River at Lake Oahe, adjacent to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation.

“Today we were notified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that on December 5th, they will close all lands north of the Cannonball River, which is where the Oceti Sakowin camp is located”.

We are veterans of the United States Armed Forces, including the U.S. Army, United States Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard and we are calling for our fellow veterans to assemble as a peaceful, unarmed militia at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation on Dec 4-7 and defend the water protectors from assault and intimidation at the hands of the militarized police force and DAPL security. They say despite the Army Corps call for self-removal, they’re not going anywhere – staying put rain or snow.

Now, a week before the deadline, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple has ordered protesters to clear out immediately for a different reason other than trespassing: harsh winter conditions.

The development came after the agency announced earlier that it would close a large swath of land where protestors are camping on in protest against the Pipeline project. But the order didn’t specify any action to be taken against protesters who don’t comply, and state Emergency Services spokeswoman Cecily Fong later said no action would be taken to enforce it.

Ms Smith observed that many protestors appeared to be living off the native American community, and were taking advantage of donatings sent in for the cause.

However, once you start lighting fires, blocking roads and railroad tracks, invading other people’s private property and refusing to leave, you are no longer protesters, but rioters. Exhaustive studies, required before construction could begin, have verified that no Native American burial grounds or artifacts exist on the pipeline route. The current proposed route, however, would take it through four states, stretching 1,172 miles to connect areas with oil in North Dakota to southern IL. The tribe is working on a location on reservation land should people choose to go there, he said. The resistance of the local tribe has gained global attention in recent weeks and the number of protesters has swelled.

Protesters fear a leak could pollute the Missouri River, and others have been critical of law enforcement’s handling of the situation, calling some tactics, such as the use of rubber bullets and water cannons, aggressive.

Archambault said the accusations against the protesters are false, and that it’s police who are being violent. They stand as a flashpoint of countless issues that are fundamental to the hard questions about justice in America, what it looks like and for whom it is served.

“You have climate (change) deniers, industry lobbyists and energy conglomerates involved in that process”, Grijalva said. Our concerns were clearly articulated directly to them in a tribal council meeting held on September 30, 2014, where DAPL and the ND Public Service Commission came to us with this route.