North Dakota protesters defy order to leave

Thousands of people protesting an oil pipeline in North Dakota said they will defy a mandatory evacuation order.

North Dakota state officials on Tuesday backed away from plans to block supplies from reaching protesters at a camp near the construction site of an oil pipeline project after the governor’s office said no such action was planned. Some areas could see as much as 18 inches of snow.

Only about 8% of those arrested come from North Dakota, with almost a quarter coming from the West Coast, according to arrest figures from Morton County.

“We respect all Americans’ first amendment right to peacefully protest, and we hope that local and federal officials continue to give support to local law enforcement so they are able to continue to protect these protesters”, said the Trump transition team’s daily note sent to campaign supporters and congressional staff.

Gov. Jack Dalrymple spoke to reporters in an effort to clarify the implications of an evacuation order he issued earlier this week, which he said had led to “some miscommunication” with local law enforcement. The order cites harsh weather conditions, improper shelter, dwellings and sanitation as reasons for the evacuation.

“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. “We are going to stand up and say, ‘No, this has been 500 years of oppression and it has to stop now'”. The 1,1700-mile pipeline will run from North Dakota to Marion County, Illinois, if completed.

The fight over the $3.8 billion project has caused a bridge blockade on a main road.

“This is a clear stretch of state emergency management authority and a further attempt to abuse and humiliate the water protectors”, Dave Archambault, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribal council, said in a statement.

Things could get worse before they get better for the state’s court system.

“So this is hardly something new and different”, he said.

“That’s very bad. I mean it’s reminiscent of the South and the dogs and the fire hoses, only now we have big guns and water cannons instead of water hoses in freezing cold weather”, Porter said.

The governor’s order came one week after police turned water hoses on protesters in sub-freezing temperatures.

“I ask that all people who oppose this kind of violence against unarmed and peaceful people begin to consider when to keep their cash in pocket as well”, he wrote in a letter Tuesday addressed to tribal leaders and supporters. Why is my water poisoned?