Breaking News
Are Standing Rock Protestors Nothing More Than Domestic Terrorist?
- “We are just not going to allow people to become unlawful,” said Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, a veteran of the North Dakota Highway Patrol and National Guard
- His department's job of policing the protesters — the vast majority who've been camping on federal land that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it'll close in December for safety concerns.
- “Social media has been very bad and it has turned out like law enforcement is building the pipeline,” he said. “I can't stop the pipeline. My job is to enforce the law.”
MANDAN, N.D. – Don't look for apologies from the North Dakota sheriff leading the response to the Dakota Access oil pipeline protests, especially for the recent — and, in some circles, controversial — action against demonstrators who he believes have become increasingly aggressive.
“We are just not going to allow people to become unlawful,” said Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, a veteran of the North Dakota Highway Patrol and National Guard who was elected to his first term as sheriff about two years ago. “It's just not going to happen.”
More than 525 people from across the country have been arrested during months of protests over the four-state, $3.8 billion pipeline, all here in support of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe that's fighting the project because it believes it threatens drinking water and cultural sites on their nearby reservation.
His department's job of policing the protesters — the vast majority who've been camping on federal land that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it'll close in December for safety concerns — has cost the county more than $8 million, even with help from the state Highway Patrol and officers from various states. Their tactics, however, have drawn criticism from Standing Rock's tribal leader as well as protest organizers and celebrities.
Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault said he and Kirchmeier have met many times and each meeting has been tense and unproductive. “I don't think aggressive force is necessary and he thinks it's necessary,” Archambault said.
In the most recent clash between police and protesters, which was near the path of the pipeline and spanned Sunday night into Monday morning, officers used tear gas, rubber bullets and large water hoses in freezing weather. Organizers said at least 17 protesters were taken to the hospital, some for hypothermia and one for a serious arm injury, and one officer was injured.
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Archambault called the confrontation an act of terror against unarmed protesters that was sanctioned by Kirchmeier.
“His job is to protect and serve, not to inflict harm and hurt,” Archambault said.
But Kirchmeier, who has the backing of the state's Republican governor and attorney general, defended officers' actions. He and other authorities said officers were assaulted with rocks, bottles and burning logs.
Kirchmeier, a 53-year-old married father, grew up in this county, which has a population of fewer than 30,000 people — about 15 residents per square mile. He retired from the North Dakota Highway Patrol as a captain after 29 years, and had served in the National Guard for four years.
The protests are demanding: Kirchmeier hasn't had a day off since August, routinely working more than 12 hours a day. The 34 deputies in his department are pulling similar shifts, he said, even with help from more than 1,200 officers from North Dakota and nine other states.
Some officers have been targeted online by protesters, Kirchmeier included. He said someone recently posted the location of his father's grave, which he took as an effort to intimidate.
“Social media has been very bad and it has turned out like law enforcement is building the pipeline,” he said. “I can't stop the pipeline. My job is to enforce the law.”
President Barack Obama raised the possibility of rerouting the pipeline earlier this month, and construction on the last remaining large chunk, which is on federal land near the reservation, was halted by the Corps for the time being. But Kelcy Warren, CEO of pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners, told The Associated Press the company won't do any rerouting.
Kirchmeier, like many other of the state's elected officials, blame the Obama administration for not stepping in.
“The issue of the pipeline is not going to get solved with protesters and cops looking at each other,” Kirchmeier said. “This is bigger and takes way more political clout than what the county has to offer.”
Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said Kirchmeier is in “an incredibly difficult position.”
“He has the responsibility to allow people to lawfully exercise their First Amendment rights and he has the obligation to stop it when there is violence contrary to the law,” Stenehjem said. “And now there are a significant number or lawless people and the citizens are worried.”
Gov. Jack Dalrymple said Kirchmeier “has done a remarkable job dealing with all the issues brought about by these protests. He has been totally professional in what is not a typical law enforcement challenge in North Dakota.”
With winter looming, the Corps has decided to close the land north of the Cannonball River where the Oceti Sakowin protest encampment have flourished on Dec. 5, also citing the confrontations between protesters and authorities, according to a letter Archambault said he received.
“To be clear, this means that no member of the general public, to include Dakota Access pipeline protesters, can be on these Corps lands,” the letter provided by the tribe said.
But protest organizers said Saturday that they don't intend to leave or stop their acts of civil disobedience.
Kirchmeier said before the Corps' move that North Dakota residents who have grown tired — and increasingly afraid — of the protests are backing law enforcement.
“People don't want their livelihoods disrupted,” he said. “They are not taking this lightly.”
66 Comments
The sheriff is breaking the law an si are the politicians all due to big business, Many in our government should be hanged
because they are more than protesting they have gotten violent and stopped people from doing their jobs they had a time to be heard and they chose not to so now you deal with it
Simply not true. Show us the footage – there’s plenty of the water protectors being attacked and none, absolutely none, of the protectors attacking anyone. Everyone has a camera in their phone; we would soon see it if it were happening.
The pipeline means oil resources for america and more jobs for Americans that obummer screwed us out of but the liberal mentality can’t seem to understand this. They should use what ever force necessary to remove these idiots.
Sorry Mike, that oil is not for America. It will go to China or some other Asian country. The oil from that pipeline that stays in America will be what has inevitably spilled and leaked from it. Do you realize that this is not just oil, which is bad enough, but a lot of poisonous chemicals that are added to make it flow as it is too stiff otherwise.
The oil companies could provide many American jobs if they bothered to repair their leaks. Instead, they cover them up (often literally, with earth and grass) and only report a fraction of them.
Also, if this country cared about jobs, people would be employed to provide safe and clean energy from wind, tides, waves, solar, geothermal (used by G. W. Bush). America could lead the world in these technologies instead of remaining bogged down with the fossils.
They hate oil developement so much, take their keys, let them walk home and cook over wood fires!
And if you hate clean drinking water so much, try drinking oil and washing in it instead.
Just another subversive group taking orders from the tear-jerking liberal leftists.
all these protestors around the country are being paid by “unknown” scources.
This is fiction: provide your sources.
The studies are in and the project is not an environmantal problem. If it was not the pipeline they would be protesting something else.
Just more “paid professional protestors” Doing the only “job” they know how to do. I’ll bet SOROS has a hand in this. (anytime there is UNREST “his” name always seems to come up as the “financier”. Time to round up, and arrest them all and throw them off the private property they are TRESPASSING ON!
Yes, throw the TRESPASSERS OFF!!
That would be the oil company and the hyper-militarized personnel who are attacking and injuring unarmed praying people on THEIR OWN LAND.
That you even pose this question in the clearly documented BARBARIC INHUMAN BEHAVIOR OF OUR POILCE, MILATARY AND SHERIFFS is an insult to our CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!!!
These are peaceful people in prayer and you OIL GOONS GREEDY FOR MONEY TO SLICK YOUR GREEDY BLOOD SOAKED HANDS. WHO COMMIT CRIME AFTER CRIME, AFTER CRIME!!! Who could care less about CLEAN water for humanity and all life. Haven’t you gotten it yet? OIL IS A DIRTY RESOURCE! WE NOW REFUSE ALL UNCLEAN ENERGIES! That poison us and our love ones. WE NO LONGER TRUST YOU!!!
my reason for saying that they are not Domestic Terrorist … is simple … that is their land …… not the pipelines land … and they did not agree to that use of it … that land was given to these people by Treaty …. foreign land because of that …
That’s right.
Another reason is that they have not terrorized anyone. They are not armed; they do not fight; they pray.
If peaceful, praying people had been attacked by government agents in the Soviet Union, you would have been yelling about it.
totally disagree.
well looking at that river in colorado how can you blame them we all need water and if the pipeline busted they will have no water.
Breaking of Treaties with “The True American People” has gone on since the invasion of the Americas by ALL illegal immigrants to the Native American Lands.
This is just more of the “White Eyes Forked Tongue Lies From Washington DC.”
Many countries around the world have had 100% CLEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY, or are working towards it rapidly. We could be leaders in this field creating hundreds of thousands of CLEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY jobs. OIL IS OLD NEWS. WAKE UP AMERICA! Why poison the water, the air, the soil? Why???? When we have CLEAN RENEWABLE RESOURCES NOW!
IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THEY ARE ON TRIBEAL LAND .AND THAT WAS GIVEN TO THEM BY THE GOVERMENT AND WE HAVE BROKEN ENOUGH TREATYS WITH THEM
I believe this country has done enough damage to the native American Indian tribes. I think its high time to think about that for a change. We have helped the Muslims with their religious rights, what about the native american indians that were here before any of us, and all we do is keep crapping on them. What about their religious rights to their land? Nothing should be where their sacred land is,especially an oil pipeline!!!
They are standing in the way of energy progress and that hurt’s the entire country.
The Left-wing, crybaby, self-righteous, politically-correct hotdogs are going a little bit too far with their definition of “Domestic Terrorists”.
LIBERALS UNABLE TO ACCEPT TRUTH ##
As I understand it the pipeline is trespassing private INDIAN land.. and it is a KNOWN FACT that oil companies make out and citizens suffer.. I am in Florida.. facts are facts..
I have read about it and the only loser here it the contractor the Indians had a change to fight it for 3 years during the permit process and nobody showed up to the hearings
They are know more terrorist then the rest of the news channel story writers that call themselves “journalist”.
These people have been treated like dirt 99.9% of there lives, forced to take treaty deals that stole their lands and now they want to protect the waters of mother earth, as we all ought to do before good water is gone. So is Absolute Rights, going to drum up lies about the Indian Nation and call them TERRORIST?!
It’s Indian Land tell the dam government to get out. How many times can we BREAK treaties with these people. And for what Private oil companies who do what ever the dam well please?
they are using VIOLENCE against any that DO NOT SIDE WITH THEM? does that sound like a terrorist to you? from here it sure does! and our government does NOTHING to keep the rest of AMERICA SAFE from these acts of TERRORISM? WHY?
It’s clear you are talking about the hyper-militarized private security guards and police, who are the only violent ones in this whole process – hadn’t heard them called terrorists before, that’s all. I agree, America should be kept safe from them. People praying on their own land should not be attacked and injured.
Fuck off!
i was in alaska before the pipeline the natives were barely getting by on subsistence handouts. when the pipeline got moving,the native workers got pirority-hire treatment. they worked for about two payckecks then quit-25-40 dollar jobs to go back on B.L.M.welfare.VERY FEW NATIVES took advantage of the jobs,now they are getting the same dividends that the rest of alaska get, plus the bennys of the indian affairs-welfare. so DON’T SAY THAT THE PIPELINE IS HARMFUL TO THEM… SOROS and the communists want to stir up the leftist marxists into a rervolution and get them killed off to show the world that the BAD OLD GOVERNMENT is against them..BULLCRAP
Communists? Marxists? What century do you think you’re in?
Speaking of which, do you remember when praying people were attacked in the Soviet Union? It happened a lot there back then. Now it’s happening in America.
By the way, having only poisoned water to drink is harmful for them, job or no job.
This are Indian Lands .
my grand daughter was there from ind helping them defend their rights. she is going to go back. its their land not the governments or the rich corporations.
THIS LAND WAS GIVEN TO THE NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE AFTER THE CIVIL WAR! OUR NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAD THEIR LAND TAKEN FROM THEM AND SUFFERED TERRIBLE LOSES OF THEIR LAND’S, MEN, WOMAN AND CHILDREN AND THE BUFFALO ( THEIR FOOD),THAT WERE MURDERED BY THE THOUSANDS BY CIVIL WAR SOLDIER’S. NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TAKE THIS LAND OR THEIR FOOD AND WATER SUPPLIES AWAY FROM THEM AGAIN! NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO DO ANY HARM TO THEM IN ANYWAY ON THIS, THE NATIVE AMERICAN LAND! I HAVE NOTHING WRONG ABOUT THE PIPE LINE GOING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, BUT I DO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS PIPE LINE GOING THROUGH NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN LAND! THE PIPE LINE CAN BE REROUTED AROUND THIS NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN LAND, SO IT DOESN’T EFFECT THE NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN LAND AND THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS THAT LIVE ON THIS LAND AND DEPEND ON THE CLEAN WATER AND THE FOOD THAT IS PART OF THIS LAND FOR THE NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN PEOPLE GRAVE’S OR SECRET LAND! MOVE THE PIPE LINE AROUND THIS NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN LAND, NOT THROUGH IT! THE NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN PEOPLE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO PROTEST THE PIPE LINE GOING THROUGH THEIR LAND AND HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO PROTECT THEIR LAND AGAINST THE PIPE LINE! ANY LAW ENFORCEMENT ON THIS LAND SHOULD BE PROTECTING THIS NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN LAND AND THE NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE NOT THE PIPE LINE THAT’S ILLEGALLY GOING THROUGH THIS LAND THAT DOESN’T BELONG TO THEM! THIS IS NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN LAND! EITHER RESPECT THIS NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN LAND AND THE NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE ON THIS LAND OR STAY OUT! PERIOD!
So-called ‘govt’ is a fraud and was from the beginning. They had no right to hand our land to the savages and that’s what they were, you conveniently forget scalping and torture, what’s more the bogus name ‘indiunz were Not here first. Kennewick man the cabal immediately buried the bone site under 500 tons of rock and planted a forest over it to cover up the fact white people were here first and the ‘indiunz’ killed us all. The first judge stated the skull was european, Not ‘indian’. Fraud ‘owsley’ who’s in the cabal kept our skull pretending to ‘fight for the bones’ him and his bogus tribe ‘govt’ sat until another ‘judge’ claimed it was ‘indian’ which was a LIE, while ‘indiunz’ joined in fake ‘fight’ to keep Our skull so the cabal covered up our first people identity and ‘indiunz’ keep getting hundreds billions bogus ‘free’ money, but it wasn’t ‘free’. See. The cabal uses then trashes. It’s been mass of lies as bogus ‘govt’ ‘prints’ trillions ‘money’ to make weapons against us and hand parasites to breed.
This territory enviro has been Decimated by Including by so-called ‘indiunz’. Everyone incl blacks and browns sat on a-s fraud ‘wars’ fraud ‘debt’ bogus ‘govt’ destruction of our natural food, taking our ‘lands’ in bogus ‘depressions’ and ‘bailouts’ Now we’re being sprayed with nano chip chemtrails and You breathe it, aboutthesky com. The indiunz gripe only when it affects them where have they been about anything else. Ignorant. search firstlightforum judicial inc archive, also corruptico, see links right side pg. search ‘who brought the slaves’ by walter white archive org. Know who the cabal is. ‘govt’ and ‘constitution’ are bogus search “No Treason” Lysander Spooner, copy at fourmilab. We are free to have no ‘govt’, take it all back, natural law natural anarch and tribes. Soon it won’t be possible. search 30,000 military drones. Man up. Put info and links on notes hand them out. can copy this to make notes. Get over yourselves focus what’s being done to all of us, not just you. Stop the chemtrails, the cabal fake ‘money’ fake ‘govt’ then drones, pipelines, parasites go away and we can make a real life. Soon everything is going away whether we like it or not. The pos pipeline is nothing next to what we are all facing. Use notes to inform meet others.
– They are not protesters, they are protectors.
– They have not terrorized anyone: they are unarmed. They are being viciously attacked and they do not attack.
– They are protecting 80 million people downstream from inevitable dangerous poisoning of their drinking water.
– The law and constitution are on the side of the Indians: the land is treaty land and it is the company and those protecting it who are breaking the law.
– Since when has protesting and praying peacefully been an act of terrorism?
We’re talking about Sioux land here; it’s not our govt’s land, it’s Indian land. They have every right to prevent a pipeline going through their land. We all know that eventually that pipeline is going to leak and screw up the water supply.Our govt has screwed the Indians over and over and over. When I drive through tribal lands and see what bone pickings our govt left them, I am truly saddened. I have dreams where I was able to bring back AK47’s from the future and arm these natural born Americans to even the odds and change history a little bit; maybe even a lot. The wounded knee incident is a good example. Our govt is vile and corrupt. The pipeline company should have stuck with plan A and gone around tribal lands. More and more people are going to join the water protectors and it is going to get ugly. America had enough of establishment politics to get rid of the Clintons, and we will do the same to protect the Indians. Americans are armed and this is going to get bloody before it is over. America is taking a stand over big brother trying to control their every move and this is one place where it is time to draw a line in the sand. Take my word, the big mouth from the oil company who says they are going to push this through no matter what, doesn’t know the will of the American people. There is a reason we will never give up our guns; and our stinking corrupt government is one of those reasons. Too much history of what happens when the people are disarmed is now available. I support the Sioux along with the bikers and veterans who are headed there to show support and that govt can’t just push people around anymore. Ber
Because it is Sacred land and the very real danger of polluting the water table.
More of Obama 7 Soros plans.
I do not know everything that has been done. But taking a stand against something that you feel is wrong does not make you a terrorist. Not everyone has the money for a court battle so they need to get the public involved.
These people are just trying to preserve what’s left of there way of life, clean water to drink and their lands to live on. They ARE NOT domestic terrorists!!!!!
Everyone has the right to Protect our water from being poisoned by fracked oil. This sheriff has no soul to treat people the way he has and to waste taxpayers money. Spraying Elders with water in freezing water, walking on graves, bringing unlicensed dog handlers that couldn’t handle the dogs. Wrong all of it . I saved the best for last stripping people down and doing body cavity searches and putting numbers on their arms then putting them in dog kennels. How much more Hitler could this man get. Oh yeah let’s just blow a 21 year old girl’s arm up with concussion grenades and his boys could be heard congratulating the good aim. Uncalled for, just like the pipeline that well poison the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and all points in between. This man needs prison time ,where ever he has put the most men in prison. He well pay on judgment day.
Because they are trespassing on sacred grounds and water sheds that these people rely on for their lives. Why can’t they modify the route of the pipeline for humanities sake.
They are right to stand up for the earth and our connection to each other and the dignity of our ancestors. It is wrong to destroy the area with pollution. Please don’t do this to all of us!
They are right to stand up for the earth and our connection to each other and the dignity of our ancestors. It is wrong to destroy the area with pollution. Please don’t do this to all of us!
I’m sure many of the protestors are paid. The pipeline in not on Indian grounds. All of the required hearings and table-top discussions that were held (as required by the Feds) were not even attending by the Indian representatives. This planning stage went on for months and they would not attend the meetings. Why not? That was the time to disagree. Not now.
Please inform yourself better before you comment. Thank you.
American people have spoken so let it be.
This is just another case of the fed-govt. robbing the Indians. How much would it cost, really, to shift the course of the pipeline so it wouldn’t poison the Indians’ land and water? Protest, hell: the Indians should inform the BIA and go on the war-path.
The only terrorists in this scenario are the sheriff, his deputies, and the mercenaries hired by the the oil companies. These jack booted thugs have broken state, federal, and international laws with impunity. When that pipeline leaks thousands of gallons of oil into the Missouri, 18 million people will have their drinking water poisoned.
To much Government control, they do not own all the land the american people and native americans own the property of the USA
This is big money paying the administration $$$ for land that belongs to the Indians land. Do you want to trade your ancestors cemetaries?
Hey you dumb fucks? Why cant they truck the stuff. Why cant they have a distribution and refinery in the state of Washington for the west coast. Again think about the people how much money is enough. I knew this pipeline never shut down. Hillary wants to shut down coal when theres nothing yet to replace it. Youre asking me you dumb fucks.
Domestic Terrorists? This rubbish is going to far! Terrorists kill people – the only people in danger of geting hurt here are the police – are they not terrorists? The people at Standing Rock are just trying (peacefully – do you understand what that means) to stand up for their rights!
They are inciting civil unrest, violence, and even threats against those who are required to uphold the law and protect the citizens.
They are also not the local community protesting.
The LAW is that the land is Indian Treaty land, and therefore the Indians and their land and their rights should be protected against the big corporation who has bribed the government to help them..
Veterans are on their way to help the Indians because they SWORE TO UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION against all enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC.
I praise the standing rock protestors.. Havnt we taken enough from the natives?? To give them notice to vacate their land/home is bulshit.. To fly over them at night and drop chemicals on them is genocide!! To spray them with cold water for how long in the cold is wrong…. No, I don’t think standing rock people and protestors are terrorists, I think our government officials are the terrorists and anyone who can justify this being ok.
why stop a project that’s going to make America great again.
Terrorists will cause harm to anyone that gets in their way or has a different opinion peaceful people stand in protest peacefully terrorists have one mine to win at any cost no matter who it hurts
This is land stollen, raped, genicided from the American Indians and then given to them while we went and took all the good land. It is fully theirs to do with as they please. I DO NOT WANT OR NEED OUTSIDE COUNTRIES COMING INTO OUR FOR OUR RESOURCES…ARE YOU STUPID?
I feel for these Native Americans and their cause, the pipeline route in question could very likely be adjusted so that it would not present a future hazard to the local river, etc. I am a 40 plus year Oil and Gas professional and have seen the environmental impact and destruction due to leaks! NEVER a fast, easy cleanup solution! On the other hand I am also part Native American and certainly understand and appreciate the efforts of these individuals to prevent it from crossing their sacred grounds! The WHITE man alone is responsible FOR BREAKING EVERY TREATY ever signed with all tribes. A disgrace!
Let’s begin with the fact that the govt. has no right to make any deals for that land in the first place. Continuing with the fact that the rich Harry Reid is behind the entire land grab as a money maker for him and his son while selling America to the chinese
All of the law enforcement employees are the terrorists. They have no right to treat people who are merely defending their sovereign land as if they are the ones who are criminals. I pray that each of the law enforcement officers is prosecuted for “war crimes” since the US government has been waging war on the Lakota and other Native Americans since the 1800’s.