Central ND News

On this Date in 2016, Morton County authorities investigated an attack against three journalists who had been invited to the main camp occupied by individuals protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Authorities examined video captured of the incident, which depicted the male reporter interviewing a group of individuals at the camp. When one of the individuals got offended by a line of questioning, someone who identified himself as camp security tried to grab the reporter’s microphone and physically dragged the reporter, who would not let go of his equipment.

“The journalists made their way back to the vehicle. However, protesters blocked them in by surrounding their vehicle with people and vehicles. Individuals are seen pounding on the journalist’s vehicles and rocking it. Protesters demanded the journalists turn over their video footage. Numerous times the journalists pleaded with protesters to ‘let them leave,” Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said.

The journalists, scared for their lives, then called 9-1-1 for help and were fearful of putting their vehicle into park, for fear that this would unlock their doors. Though they eventually were allowed to drive toward the camp entrance, camp security closed the gate and blocked them from leaving.

Responding officers used a public address system to ask the individuals in the camp to allow the journalists leave, and escorted the journalist to the Morton County Law Enforcement Center for interviews. Morton County authorities would subsequently investigate the incident for potential criminal charges.

“What is concerning is that these journalists have the same rights as those protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. This incident occurred on public property, the violent, illegal behavior exhibited towards the journalists is unacceptable and will be investigated,” Kirchmeier added.

“We are concerned and the community should be concerned about the escalation in tactics and individuals with prior criminal histories coming in from out of state to cause fear and terror.”

Kirchmeier explained that of then-142 protesters arrested in connection with anti-pipeline riots and protests, just 17, or 12%, of those protesters were from North Dakota, while the other 125 were from out-of-state.

• 43 of the arrested protesters had a total of 276 previous citations and charges for illegal activity;

• 11 protesters had a history of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol;

• Five protesters had been previously cited or arrested for drug possession;

• Six protesters had a history of violence, including domestic violence and child abuse;

• Seven arrested protesters had a history of theft, robbery or burglary.

“The folks who want to legally and peacefully protest should be especially concerned for their safety inside of these camps. The leaders of these camps and protests should think about the individuals they let in,” Kirchmeier said.

The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protests of 2016 and 2017 aimed to halt the construction of the reported $3.8 billion pipeline and “drew thousands of people to camp out” in Morton County, the Associated Press reported.

The protests resulted in 761 arrests, according to MPR News. Charges ranged from trespassing to more severe offenses. A significant number of those arrested were from out of state.

California resident and actress Shailene Woodley was arrested in October 2016. Other figures, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Leonardo DiCaprio, participated in the protests but were not arrested.

Certain days of the protests resulted in dozens of arrests, such as Feb. 1, 2017, when 76 people were arrested after Morton County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Rob Keller said a “rogue group of protesters” had trespassed on private property.

The State of North Dakota is currently suing the federal government to “recoup $38 million it claims it spent policing the protest camps,” Source NM reported.

Attorneys for North Dakota reportedly argued in court records that the protests “resulted from an illegal occupation on federal lands and led to ‘frequent outbreaks of illegal, dangerous, unsanitary, and life-threatening activity on federal, state and private property.’”

North Dakota Special Assistant Attorney General Paul Seby said in court that the aftermath of the protests “required a four-day cleanup of the camp and 600 bins to remove 9.8 million pounds of trash,” according to MPR News.

Former Morton County Commissioner Cody Schulz, who is now the director of the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, said in court that, “beyond the drain on law enforcement, the protests caused a range of impacts on Morton County — everything from minor inconveniences like sluggish traffic to damage to private property,” Source NM reported.

Energy Transfer Partners, the owner of the pipeline, has filed a $300 million lawsuit in state court against the environmental activist organization Greenpeace for its role in the protests. The suit says Greenpeace “should be held responsible for trying to disrupt pipeline construction and damage the company’s reputation and finances,” the Associated Press reported.

That lawsuit, and an attempted settlement, led to the recent ouster of Greenpeace’s Executive Director Ebony Twilley Martin, said the former Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Greenpeace.

Willem van Rijn, the group’s COO until April 2024, told E&E News that “Twilley Martin ‘advocated a way in which the organization would settle for a minor amount of money so that we could fight another day,’” and that the “board vehemently disagreed.”

Greenpeace has launched a fundraising campaign to “raise awareness” of the lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed by Energy Transfer Partners in Morton County District Court is currently pending.