Water protectors peacefully sang, drummed, and chanted as riot police blocked them from the pipeline drill site. (Screenshot: Johnny Dangers/Facebook)
Jan 17, 2017
Water protectors battling the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline once again faced down police in riot gear, tear gas, and arrests on Monday as Indigenous activists attempted to hold a peaceful prayer walk at the pipeline drilling site alongside the Missouri River near Cannon Ball, North Dakota.
Observers were swift to call attention to the police crackdown:
Unarmed water protectors singing and praying while police fire tear gas at them #NoDAPLÂ pic.twitter.com/GPThkmUqjd
-- Ruth Hopkins (@RuthHHopkins) January 17, 2017
\u201cAll eyes on Standing Rock as once again indigenous water protectors are being shot, gassed & assaulted in defense of capitalism. #NoDAPL\u201d— #RIPBassemMasri \ud83d\ude4f (@#RIPBassemMasri \ud83d\ude4f) 1484611368
While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last month denied an easement necessary for drilling under the Missouri River, the company behind the pipeline is looking to resume the project once President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
The Republican-dominated North Dakota legislature is also pushing legislation that would make it legal to run over protestors with cars, among other anti-protest measures.
Still, despite the odds, harsh winter weather, and growing tension, Indigenous water protectors and allies are continuing to maintain a presence near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's reservation, to protect the Missouri River's water.
In video footage taken at the scene Monday afternoon, water protectors can be seen peacefully chanting and singing in front of a line of riot police holding batons and other weapons:
And in footage filmed later in the evening, clouds of tear gas waft over the water protectors, and the sound of something being shot can be heard as the activists hold strong and continue their peaceful stand into the night:
At least three water protectors were arrested, Reuters reports. Participants in the action also claimed on social media that the police were firing rubber bullets, and alleged that one person was struck by a police snowmobile and taken in an ambulance from the scene:
"On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, ND law enforcement shot at and tear gassed people praying and expressing their 1st amendment rights," observed Dakota/Lakota Sioux writer Ruth Hopkins on Twitter.
And despite widespread condemnation of such aggressive tactics, the police appear to be ramping up their presence. The Indigenous Environmental Network's Dallas Goldtooth posted photos on Facebook Tuesday of "an AN/TWQ-1 Avenger vehicle," a surface-to-air missile system, overlooking the protest camp.
"This is intimidation tactics 101," Goldtooth wrote. "Demonstrate the extent of your power in hopes to deter action."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Water protectors battling the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline once again faced down police in riot gear, tear gas, and arrests on Monday as Indigenous activists attempted to hold a peaceful prayer walk at the pipeline drilling site alongside the Missouri River near Cannon Ball, North Dakota.
Observers were swift to call attention to the police crackdown:
Unarmed water protectors singing and praying while police fire tear gas at them #NoDAPLÂ pic.twitter.com/GPThkmUqjd
-- Ruth Hopkins (@RuthHHopkins) January 17, 2017
\u201cAll eyes on Standing Rock as once again indigenous water protectors are being shot, gassed & assaulted in defense of capitalism. #NoDAPL\u201d— #RIPBassemMasri \ud83d\ude4f (@#RIPBassemMasri \ud83d\ude4f) 1484611368
While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last month denied an easement necessary for drilling under the Missouri River, the company behind the pipeline is looking to resume the project once President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
The Republican-dominated North Dakota legislature is also pushing legislation that would make it legal to run over protestors with cars, among other anti-protest measures.
Still, despite the odds, harsh winter weather, and growing tension, Indigenous water protectors and allies are continuing to maintain a presence near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's reservation, to protect the Missouri River's water.
In video footage taken at the scene Monday afternoon, water protectors can be seen peacefully chanting and singing in front of a line of riot police holding batons and other weapons:
And in footage filmed later in the evening, clouds of tear gas waft over the water protectors, and the sound of something being shot can be heard as the activists hold strong and continue their peaceful stand into the night:
At least three water protectors were arrested, Reuters reports. Participants in the action also claimed on social media that the police were firing rubber bullets, and alleged that one person was struck by a police snowmobile and taken in an ambulance from the scene:
"On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, ND law enforcement shot at and tear gassed people praying and expressing their 1st amendment rights," observed Dakota/Lakota Sioux writer Ruth Hopkins on Twitter.
And despite widespread condemnation of such aggressive tactics, the police appear to be ramping up their presence. The Indigenous Environmental Network's Dallas Goldtooth posted photos on Facebook Tuesday of "an AN/TWQ-1 Avenger vehicle," a surface-to-air missile system, overlooking the protest camp.
"This is intimidation tactics 101," Goldtooth wrote. "Demonstrate the extent of your power in hopes to deter action."
Water protectors battling the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline once again faced down police in riot gear, tear gas, and arrests on Monday as Indigenous activists attempted to hold a peaceful prayer walk at the pipeline drilling site alongside the Missouri River near Cannon Ball, North Dakota.
Observers were swift to call attention to the police crackdown:
Unarmed water protectors singing and praying while police fire tear gas at them #NoDAPLÂ pic.twitter.com/GPThkmUqjd
-- Ruth Hopkins (@RuthHHopkins) January 17, 2017
\u201cAll eyes on Standing Rock as once again indigenous water protectors are being shot, gassed & assaulted in defense of capitalism. #NoDAPL\u201d— #RIPBassemMasri \ud83d\ude4f (@#RIPBassemMasri \ud83d\ude4f) 1484611368
While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last month denied an easement necessary for drilling under the Missouri River, the company behind the pipeline is looking to resume the project once President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
The Republican-dominated North Dakota legislature is also pushing legislation that would make it legal to run over protestors with cars, among other anti-protest measures.
Still, despite the odds, harsh winter weather, and growing tension, Indigenous water protectors and allies are continuing to maintain a presence near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's reservation, to protect the Missouri River's water.
In video footage taken at the scene Monday afternoon, water protectors can be seen peacefully chanting and singing in front of a line of riot police holding batons and other weapons:
And in footage filmed later in the evening, clouds of tear gas waft over the water protectors, and the sound of something being shot can be heard as the activists hold strong and continue their peaceful stand into the night:
At least three water protectors were arrested, Reuters reports. Participants in the action also claimed on social media that the police were firing rubber bullets, and alleged that one person was struck by a police snowmobile and taken in an ambulance from the scene:
"On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, ND law enforcement shot at and tear gassed people praying and expressing their 1st amendment rights," observed Dakota/Lakota Sioux writer Ruth Hopkins on Twitter.
And despite widespread condemnation of such aggressive tactics, the police appear to be ramping up their presence. The Indigenous Environmental Network's Dallas Goldtooth posted photos on Facebook Tuesday of "an AN/TWQ-1 Avenger vehicle," a surface-to-air missile system, overlooking the protest camp.
"This is intimidation tactics 101," Goldtooth wrote. "Demonstrate the extent of your power in hopes to deter action."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.