Opponents of the pipeline project have been camped near the route in southern North Dakota for months in an effort to stop construction.
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“President Obama breaking the silence on Dakota Access is a testament to the powerful resistance of Indigenous leaders, but he shouldn’t sit back while people are facing violent repression from militarized law enforcement on the ground”, said Sara Shor, a campaign manager for 350.org.
We witnessed a very brutal police repression of a very peaceful protest.
President Barack Obama entered the fray on Tuesday, saying that his administration is devising options to reroute the pipeline.
Authorities say 37-year-old Red Fawn Fallis was arrested Thursday after she allegedly pulled out a.38-caliber pistol and fired three times, narrowly missing a sheriff’s deputy. President Obama announced on Wednesday that the Army Corps of Engineers is considering ways to circumvent the sacred Native American site for the 1,172 mile, $3.8 billion pipeline.
Rosa said police also wrote numbers directly on the protesters arms for identification purposes.
Today, the Department says The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave Morton County orders to remove a wooden pedestrian bridge that had been constructed across the river and arrest any individuals who cross the river for criminal trespass. And if we do not respect the rights of Native Americans and others, we will continue down this destructive path.
The Morton County Sheriff’s Office, which has been accused of using the Facebook check-in data to track and arrest protestors, refuted the claims in a tweet on Monday. “I think they have the right to assemble and express their own views”, says Tauli-Corpuz.
Members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and their supporters are specifically trying to block that section of pipeline because it says the route interrupts sacred sites and burial places. Energy Transfer Partners spokesperson Vicki Granado said they didn’t know of any reroute considerations and they still expected to obtain an easement to start building the pipeline portion that would pass beneath the Missouri River. Archambault has called on the Department of Justice to “send overseers immediately to ensure the protection of First Amendment rights and the safety of thousands here at Standing Rock”.
Many other protesters insist that their efforts can not resort to law breaking.
“It’s wonderful the spirituality going around this place”, said Joe Gangone, who came with an Episcopalian church group from South Dakota’s Rosebud Sioux Reservation.
Law enforcement officials arrested 141 people on October 28 after violent confrontations with Standing Rock members and various out-of-state activists.
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Mr Obama also acknowledged on-going clashes between protesters and police made for a “challenging situation”.
