Police Attack #NoDAPL Water Protectors Defending Sacred Sites

Oceti Sakowin, ND – Since last Thursday’s violent police raid, which established a militarized zone around Dakota Access Pipeline construction areas, the Morton County Sheriff and supporting agencies have fanned out into the area surrounding the Oceti Sakowin camp.

Groups of police vehicles have parked in several areas to monitor the activity at the camp. One such area is a hill behind the main resistance camp, directly across part of the Cannonball river, known as Cantapeta Creek.

The original people of the area describe this hill as a sacred site, one that contains ancient burial grounds, which police are desecrating by parking their vehicles on it.

On Wednesday morning, a group of water protectors attempted to cross the Cannonball to establish a prayer camp on the sacred hill near Cantapeta Creek. They built a wooden footbridge so that people could cross the water.

Law enforcement responded to the footbridge by firing less-lethal projectiles at people attempting to cross. SWAT officers in a boat tore the foot bridge away with rope.

Video posted by Red Warrior Camp shows SWAT officers in a boat attacking water protectors and dismantling the foot bridge:

NEW VIDEO: Police used chemical weapons & fired less-lethal rounds at unarmed #NoDAPL water protectors. Triage overflowing ~100 injured. pic.twitter.com/eufN4GvATk

— UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) November 2, 2016

Several people, including a journalist, said they were shot in the back by police with less-lethal rounds at point blank range.

I was shot by militarized police WHILE interviewing a man on camera at #StandingRock…and here's the footage. #NoDAPL https://t.co/FfWiSCbiKf pic.twitter.com/4DRwNPkfZ9

— Erin Schrode (@ErinSchrode) November 3, 2016

Medics reported that some of these individuals were coughing up blood from internal bleeding.

After the footbridge was broken up by police, people remained in the water on the shore of the sacred site.

Morton County Sheriff, North Dakota Highway Patrol, and unidentified out-of-state law enforcement personnel repeatedly used chemical weapons (pepper spray, OC gas, and what we believe was a concussion grenade) on the water protectors who simply stayed standing or sitting in the river.

More chemical weapons deployed directly into the Cannonball river by North Dakota law enforcement protecting DAPL land seizure. #NoDAPL pic.twitter.com/RnXNXNlhLB

— UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) November 2, 2016

A boat with several heavily armed SWAT officers repeatedly tried to maneuver behind the group of water protectors near the shore. Water protectors used logs and rope to prevent their advance, and ferried people and supplies back and forth across the water using rope lines attached to canoes.

SWAT in boats, unknown out-of-state police & chemical weapons deployed against #NoDAPL water protectors swimming across Cannonball river pic.twitter.com/fhgoPShUaX

— UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) November 2, 2016

#NoDAPL water protectors standoff with police while defending sacred sites [11.02.16] pic.twitter.com/FV9XpltakD

— UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) November 5, 2016

Police attack unarmed #NoDAPL water protectors defending sacred sites [11.02.16] pic.twitter.com/ASlz0kyGXo

— UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) November 5, 2016

Police fire less-lethal rounds at unarmed #NoDAPL water protectors defending sacred sites [11.02.16] pic.twitter.com/jvujkVlhza

— UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) November 5, 2016

Law enforcement who were occupying the sacred site repeatedly threatened water protectors with arrest and said that the Army Corps of Engineers had authorized them to make arrests on Army Corps land.

Unicorn Riot has reached out to both the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Justice to confirm or deny this claim by Morton County and as of yet have received no answer.

Eventually, all the water protectors returned to the Oceti Sakowin camp side of the river without arrest. One person was later reported to have been arrested on conspiracy charges for transporting canoes around the time of the river crossing.

After all water protectors had left the river, drummers led many back to camp while others stayed behind to re-gather #NoDAPL supplies. pic.twitter.com/ECjOOIvCT0

— UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) November 2, 2016

On Tuesday, when asked about the Dakota Access Pipeline, President Barack Obama said in an interview with Now This, that, “we’re gonna let it play out for several more few weeks” and mentioned that the Army Corps of Engineers may consider re-routing the pipeline.

In the meantime, DAPL continues to aggressively build, guarded by large force of private mercenaries as well as local and state police, including dozens from surrounding states.

On Tuesday, an emergency commission met in the office of North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple and voted to borrow an additional $4 million to fund law enforcement deployments to protect DAPL against water protectors, saying that the original $6 million in funding had run out. This brings the total line of credit extended to the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services to $10 million. Officials say at least $8 million in costs have been incurred so far.

Unicorn Riot will continue to regularly provide direct updates about resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. Follow our media on Twitter, Facebook, and our website for more information surrounding the ongoing struggles against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

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