Red Warrior Camp 'Lakota Warriors Locked to Machinery to Protect Sacred Water'

Media Contact:  Cody Hall

Red Warrior Camp

RedWarriorCamp@gmail.com
September 1, 2016

Cannon Ball River, 1851 Ft Laramie Treaty Territory -- On August 31, 2016, a unified collective of over 100 water protectors successfully halted construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline south of Mandan, ND.

The nonviolent direct action included two Lakota warriors that locked themselves on to heavy machinery at a construction site where Precision Pipeline Company, a subcontractor of Dakota Access, LLC was working in the pipeline corridor, off Highway 6.

Approximately five to eight workers politely left the worksite upon the arrival of our action team and supporters.  Within minutes a group of private security guards arrived, along with members of Precision Pipeline management.

One security guard handed out “media reference cards” and all workers were instructed to say “no comment” when asked direct questions by media or concerned citizens.

The card was printed by Dakota Access, LLC. The card instructs employees to refer media to their media relations department and advises…”Do not confront or interrupt protestors” “call management immediately” and “be calm” among other instructions.

Under the command of Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, nine separate agencies arrived on scene to establish a perimeter and remove the water protectors.

North Dakota State Patrol blocked traffic from entering Highway 6, northbound and southbound of the protest site to effectively block any additional water protectors from getting to the site.

One warrior was removed safely from a large dump truck within an hour.  However, the other warrior that chained himself to the arm of a large excavator stayed locked onto the machine for nearly six hours, causing police and construction workers to bring in additional equipment to dismantle the machine.  They were unsuccessful in this endeavor and eventually sawed off the “lock box”.

Misdemeanor charges ranging from trespassing, to disorderly conduct were made against a total of eight people at this site.

Kirchmeier held a press conference later in the day and acknowledged that the direct action was nonviolent and that no weapons were found.

Another nonviolent direct action, organized by Bold Iowa, took place yesterday along the Dakota Access Pipeline route in Iowa.  30 water protectors were arrested there when they peacefully blocked a pipeline construction site.  Protest organizer Ed Fallon, a former state legislator, expressed that this may be the first of many protests to stop construction through their state.

Red Warrior Camp, Sacred Stone Camp, and allies from around the globe are committed to protecting our clean water sources.

Social Media:  Facebook.com/RedWarriorCamp , @ZuyaLutaOceti on Twitter