Water Protectors File Appeal in Dundon v. Kirchmeier Standing Rock Civil Rights Class Action
By Water Protector Legal Collective
Earth Day this year marks an important day for Water Protectors who are still seeking accountability from Morton County and law enforcement for mass human rights violations committed over five years ago at Standing Rock.
On December 29, 2021, the North Dakota District Court threw out the Water Protectors’ lawsuit, finding that law enforcement was justified in unleashing a ten-hour-long barrage of impact munitions, chemical weapons, explosive grenades and freezing water on unarmed, nonviolent water protectors. The court decision was deeply flawed and let law enforcement off the hook relying heavily on the doctrine of qualified immunity.