US veterans head to pipeline protest camp in North Dakota

More than 2,000 USA military veterans plan to form a human shield to protect protesters of a pipeline project near a Native American reservation in North Dakota, organizers said, just ahead of a federal deadline for activists to leave the camp they have been occupying.

Law enforcement will begin Tuesday to block all people and supplies from coming to the Dakota Access Pipeline protest campsite, Morton County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Maxine Herr told CNN.

Stabler and other leading veterans, including Lonnie Wangen, commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs, have tried contacting leaders of the Veterans Standing for Standing Rock, whom they say have been “misinformed”, and also urge them to be in contact with law enforcement before they join the protests December 4 through December 7.

Hundreds of military veterans will act as human shields next week in North Dakota as part of a three-day event aimed at protecting protesters who are attempting to halt a company’s plan to build an oil pipeline in the region.

The organizers said they believe that if they are treated violently, it will draw more attention to the clashes that have been happening at the protest site. As of Wednesday afternoon, it had raised almost $700,000 of its $1 million goal.

The 1,200 miles (1,900km) long pipeline – which will carry crude oil from North Dakota to IL – has already been completed, except for the small section passing near Native American land.

“I just felt that a strong veteran presence would be powerful and it would send a message not just to the law enforcement there, but across the country”, said Gould, who is also an alumni of the CSU-San Marcos program.

“They’re not protesting, they’re praying”, he said.

“It’s a constant state of worry, uncertainty, concern, coupled with the necessity for survival in terms of making sure people are warm and winterized”, he said.

“I understand police have to use force, but we don’t want there to be any unnecessary force”, Daniels said.

“We need to go there and make a stand for them”, he said.

In a statement late Monday, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Dave Archambault II said if the governor is truly concerned about safety, the state should clear the blockade on Highway 1806.

The order was made effective immediately.

“This is a native-led movement”, Ward said.

The 1,172-mile pipeline is almost complete except for a small section beneath a Missouri River reservoir near the encampment, which is about 50 miles south of Bismarck. He plans to return to the North Dakota in two weeks, this time with survival supplies; like sleeping bags, blankets, firewood and food. Their Facebook page says a registration of 2,000 veterans has been achieved, a number limited by the required logistical support.