Standing Rock: A View From The Front
- Staff Reports
- Nov 24, 2016
- 2 min read
The Tangled Thread Stories contributor Rob Wilson, of Rob Wilson Photography, is on the ground at Standing Rock. On Nov. 22, Wilson updated his Facebook page, posting a video and more than 60 photographs of the incident on Nov. 20.
STANDING ROCK, Nd. - On Thursday most American families will celebrate Thanksgiving. The holiday comes just days after more than 17 Native Americans and allies gathered at Standing Rock in North Dakota were injured. Those gathered in North Dakota are objecting to the plan to build an oil pipeline. The pipeline is proposed to be built on land that was deemed protected via the Treaty of Fort Laramie. Since October, people have gone to the proposed building site to object to the pipeline. There have been reported clashes between those who call themselves the water protectors and police. Occasionally these clashes have become violent. This was reportedly the case on Nov. 20.
"I witnessed no violence last night on the part of Water Protectors," Wilson said in a post on Nov. 21. "I did witness Law Enforcement blasting water cannons (in below freezing weather) at praying people for over 5 hours without stopping - in addition to firing stinger grenades, bean bags, rubber pellets, OC spray, and tear gas with little to no restraint.
"Some of these police officers laughed as they did it - they enjoyed hurting people and seeing them suffer. Is this what they mean by #NorthDakotaNice?"
In its Nov. 21 edition, The Washington Post says that the water protectors at Standing Rock tried to "push past a long-blocked bridge on a state highway late Sunday and early
Monday were turned back by authorities using tear gas, rubber bullets and water hoses."
In the same Washington Post story, The Morton County Sheriff’s Department is referenced to have said"by 8:30 p.m., an estimated 400 people had arrived to try to “breach” the bridge and had set dozens of fires in the area," the story states. "The department called the situation an “ongoing riot,” saying protesters were “very aggressive” and were trying to “flank and attack the law enforcement line.” At least one person was arrested, the sheriff’s department said."
The Associated Press reported at least 17 people were injured badly enough to need to be seen at the hospital.
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