Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein is accused of committing a criminal act Tuesday after she spray-painted a bulldozer at a construction site for the Dakota Access Pipeline. Based on court records, Stein was charged Wednesday in Morton County with misdemeanor counts of “criminal trespass and criminal mischief”, according to NBC News. Authorities were alerted to video that showed Stein painting “I approve this message” on the front of a bulldozer and Baraka painting the last word in the message “We need decolonization”, according to the statement.
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A Stein spokesperson told CNN that protesters standing in opposition to the $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline invited the candidate to scrawl a message on the construction vehicle.
Stein made it clear Wednesday that she believes her path to victory lies with Sanders’ supporters, who are disillusioned with party politics.
Stein has gone on Twitter repeatedly to protest the Dakota Access pipeline and has met with state tribal leaders in solidarity.
The 1,100-mile Dakota Access Pipeline is being constructed by a company called Dakota Access.
The pipeline company, Energy Transfer Partners, has sued several protesters, claiming they have threatened and intimidated contractors and were blocking work at the site.
It was one of her more popular statements of the night, as the long-shot presidential candidate and environmental activist brought her campaign to Nebraska.
The $3.8 billion pipeline is to carry oil from western North Dakota to IL.
In October 2012, Stein joined the Tar Sands Blockade in their effort to stop construction on the pipeline linking Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast.
The Saturday a confrontation between hundreds of protesters and private security forces resulted in three reported injuries among guards, though protesters claimed security also formed a barricade with dogs that attacked them.
Tribe spokesman Steve Sitting Bear said protesters reported that six people had been bitten by security dogs, including a young child. The Green Party’s vice presidential candidate was also charged.
Stein has publicly opposed the pipeline in the past and Tuesday tweeted that the issue represents a “human-rights crisis”.
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Although at least 43 states will include Stein on their ballots, her poll numbers have hovered in the single digits, far below the 15 percent threshold needed to participate in the upcoming debates.
