Kirchmeier said Friday’s number of protesters appeared to be about the same as Thursday, when some 225-250 people gathered alongside Highway 1806 to sing, pray and draw attention to the pipeline. “It will not just be harmful to my people, but its intent and construction will harm the water of the Missouri River”, said Archambault, urging others to join tribal members protesting the project.
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It is a crushing blow to Native Americans who believed in the USA justice system.
Dakota Access workers left the construction site early on Monday after some protesters cut a fence and demonstrated in the building area. The tribe is alleging that the pipeline will disturb sacred Native American sites and adversely affect drinking water for residents of the reservation and millions of others downstream.
“We will continue to put the safety of our workers and those who live in the area as our top priority”, said Lisa Dillinger, a Dakota Access spokeswoman.
ORIGINAL STORY: 8/16/2016 4:43 p.m. – U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland ordered a temporary restraining order against protesters for unlawfully interfering with Dakota Access, LLC and its representatives from construction at the site.
The four-state pipeline’s path in North Dakota would cross beneath the Little Missouri River once and the Missouri River twice.
The Texas-based Dakota Access claims the protesters are causing the company “to lose goodwill among its customers” because of delays and are “diminishing” its “opportunity to complete construction of the pipeline’s water crossing before its permits expire”.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe late last month sued federal regulators for approving the pipeline, which would be the largest-capacity pipeline yet in North Dakota.
The sheriff says construction on the pipeline is scheduled to resume Wednesday.
Archambault says he is calling for peaceful protests of the pipeline. But he said he and others would “do whatever it takes” to stop it.
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“There is no place for threats, violence or criminal activity”, he said. Tribal members since April have maintained a camp near the construction site to protest the work. Woodley said she shares worries about clean and available water and has been involved in the Standing Rock protest since February.
