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Standing Rock Protestors Gassed and Attacked; Bundy Gang Acquitted [Updated]

posted by martyb on Sunday October 30 2016, @11:26AM   Printer-friendly
from the peaceful-protest-vs-armed-protest dept.

-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

Catholic Online reports

On Thursday [October 27], the Bundy gang of ranchers who took over a federal building in Oregon and led a 41-day standoff were acquitted on all charges. At least five of the seven surviving militia members will now walk free from federal custody as a result. Ammon Bundy will not be released however because he still faces charges in Nevada over the standoff at his father's ranch two years ago. His brother, Ryan Bundy also remains in custody. An eighth member of their gang was killed by police when the standoff drew to an end.

[...]The Bundy gang also staged their occupation on sacred Native American land. This cannot be condoned; it would be like legitimizing the armed takeover of a parish church.

[...]At the same time the Bundy gang was being acquitted, heavily armed paramilitary-police moved into the crowds at Cannonball, North Dakota gassing and arresting protesters. The key difference in this case is [that] the protesters in North Dakota are peaceful and unarmed.

[...] During Thursday's protest, a fire broke out at the site and police moved in with riot gear and military-grade armored vehicles. They attacked the crowd with tear gas, a sound cannon, batons, and bean-bag ammunition. Police are evicting the protesters by force to make way for the pipeline's construction. Protesters have built barricades to keep authorities at bay.

Peoples World continues

[Continues...]

Encampment at Standing Rock cleared; over 140 arrested

Police and those present at the #NoDAPL protest encampment yesterday say that protesters have been cleared from the northern camp along the Cannon Ball River near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. News reports say over 140 people were arrested, and officers used pepper spray against protesters but no serious injuries were reported.

Beginning at 11:15 am MT [PDF], officers moved toward a group of people camping out near highway 1806 near the town of Cannon Ball, ND. According to the Associated Press, some of the officers were in riot gear, some were armed, and they arrived with soldiers driving trucks and military Humvees. They also deployed helicopters and an airplane that monitored them from above.

The Federal Aviation Administration began restricting flights over the area on Tuesday afternoon [October 25], and will continue to do so until Nov. 5, according to the FAA website, which cites "hazards" in the area.

The police operation came the day after the Morton County Sheriff's Department asked protesters to leave the land, [PDF] which is in the path of the Dakota Access Pipeline under construction.

Additionally, over the last several weeks, over 140 "water and land protectors", as those protesting the building of the Dakota Access oil pipeline call themselves, have been arrested during police raids. The mainstream media has remained relatively mum about the human rights violations that have been unfolding at Standing Rock, where the construction of the multi-billion dollar funded Dakota Access Pipeline is underway.

[...] Frustrations continue to rise as [a] media blackout continues.

[...] Many have voiced outrage over the selective coverage being given by the media to such a critical issue.

Update:

Last week, Energy Transfer Partners, the company constructing the Dakota Access Pipeline, voluntarily stopped work at the building site just North of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

The Army Corps of Engineers has confirmed that the company doesn't have a written easement from the agency to build on Corps property. A Corps spokesperson says that Energy Transfer Partners has filed the paperwork for the easement but it's still under review.

Previous Coverage:
Ammon & Ryan Bundy Arrested in Oregon; One Dead in Shootout with Cops
Militia Occupies Federal Building in Oregon After Rancher Arson Convictions

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 30 2016, @11:22PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 30 2016, @11:22PM (#420702)

    The World Socialist Web Site reports [wsws.org])

    More than 300 riot police from five states and National Guard troops were deployed Thursday against anti-pipeline protesters in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, violently arresting 141 protesters camped near Highway 1806.

    [...]The police were supported by all-terrain vehicles, mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles, Humvees, helicopters, and at least one sound cannon. They attacked protesters with batons, pepper spray, stun guns, concussion grenades, and bean bag rounds, killing at least one horse.

    [...]Police were bused in early Thursday morning, approaching the campsite in a tightly-knit horseshoe formation, tearing down tipis, tents, and other improvised structures. Police targeted medics, snatching aid supplies from them, and dragging them away from their aid vehicles. One medic was dragged out of her car, marked with a red cross, while she was driving. Another protester had to jump into the car to stop it from hitting other people.

    [...]One man who was dressed as a protester drove through a barricade in a truck owned by a subsidiary of the company that owns the DAPL, fired three rounds from his rifle into the air, then fled into Cannonball River. He was captured by Bureau of Indian Affairs officers and turned over to the FBI.

    "They [the police] used extreme force and tear gas against people who were praying", Loren Bagola told [bismarcktribune.com][1] The Bismarck Tribune.

    [...]The charges against the protesters arrested Thursday include engaging in a riot, maintaining a public nuisance, and conspiracy to endanger others by fire and explosion. 260 other arrests have been made since mid-August, including of journalist Amy Goodman, who documented the use of attack dogs against protesters by private security companies hired by Dakota Access. Dozens of heavily-armed riot police with armored vehicles were also stationed around the courthouse where Goodman's hearing was held on October 17. District Judge John Grinsteiner dismissed the charges against Goodman.

    [1] NoScript strongly advised.

    Note that the only non-gov't show of force was by an agent provocateur. [google.com]

    -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]