Bismarck’s KFYR-TV reported Wednesday that Stein and Baraka are charged with criminal trespass and criminal mischief for venturing onto private property and spray-painting graffiti on a bulldozer.
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The Morton County Sheriff’s Department said the protest of some 150-200 people took place around 10:30 AM Tuesday at a construction site two miles east of Highway 1806 at Country Road 35.
North Dakota police have reportedly issued a warrant for the arrest of Green Party nominee Jill Stein. Stein’s stand was not the first in her protest of environmental issues, including one instance that landed her behind bars in East Texas.
Stein campaign spokeswoman Meleiza Figueroa could not immediately comment on whether Stein plans to turn herself in. He said he was alerted to video of Ms. Stein painting “I approve this message” on the equipment. Court documents say Mr Baraka painted “decolonization” on construction equipment, as well.
No charges had been filed against Stein as of Wednesday afternoon, and she was not arrested at the site of the protest. Tribe leaders alleged that construction crews have destroyed Native American cultural sites and sacred burial grounds, and the project threatens to taint the area’s water supply. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
No construction workers were at the site at the time.
Seemingly in response to the charges, Stein tweeted, “The Dakota Access Pipeline is vandalism on steroids”.
For weeks, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe has led demonstrations against the massive oil pipeline, which will span at least 1,168 miles, from North Dakota to IL. “It can not be allowed to go forward”, she added.
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Though Stein now trails Clinton, Trump, and Libertarian Gary Johnson by large margins – a recent CNN poll had her getting only 2% of the vote – she has been a vocal presence during this year’s election season.
