For Stein, who probably hopes that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, that required vandalism and being arrested on misdemeanor criminal charges.
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No charges had been filed against Stein as of Wednesday afternoon, and she was not arrested at the site of the protest. So, “I approve this message”, Stein joked to the Omaha crowd. Law enforcement officers arrived on site after protesters began to vandalize equipment and attach themselves to bulldozers, the Bismarck Tribune reported. Not only was it painted, wires and tubing were cut, a tire was flattened and dirt poured into fuel tanks of several vehicles.
Protest of the multi-million dollar oil pipeline turned violent Saturday when members of the Native American tribe Standing Rock Sioux and private security forces clashed as construction crews began work on the project in Morton County, N.D.
The Tuesday incident occurred within half a mile of an encampment where hundreds of people had gathered to join the tribe’s protest of the oil pipeline.
The Morton County Sheriff’s Department is “working up the information through the state’s attorney’s office to pursue charges” against the presidential nominee, said Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier. “Authorities are investigating this criminal act”, it wrote in the post late on Tuesday. “The Dakota Access Pipeline is vandalism on steroids”, Stein wrote.
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.
A federal judge approved a temporary halt on construction on some of the pipeline, according to ABC News.
According to a website run by natural gas and propane company Energy Transfer, the Dakota Access Pipeline is a 1,172-mile pipeline project that will connect oilfields in the Bakken area of Montana and North Dakota to IL.
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According to BBC News, there have been over 3,000 pipeline protesters there since April and security forces have used dogs to move protesters out of the area.
