Over 40 “rogue” protesters have been ordered to vacate a property near the Dakota Access Pipeline after being told that they were trespassing on private property, according to a press release issued by the Morton County Police Department.
The property in question is across the road from the established camp, and as ABC News reports, it is private property “under a 19th century treaty.” The group of protestors who split off from the main camp to establish the new one were given time to vacate, but apparently refused to do after “multiple warnings.”
As the protesters reportedly did not obey with the orders from the authorities, they were forced to “ take action to enforce the law and evict the rogue group of protesters,” according to the statement. ABC reports that around 20 people were arrested and that their arrests were “relatively peaceful.” Dr. Adrienne Keene, a professor at Brown and the person behind the blog Native Appropriations parsed out the arrests as such on Twitter:
Late Tuesday night, the U.S Army Corps of Engineers announced that the easement required to proceed with the construction of the pipeline was imminent, following an executive order from President Trump signed only four days after he took office that effectively advanced completion of the project, which has been the center of protests and fierce debate for months.
For the safety of both the environment and the people doing their best to protect it, evacuation and cleanup has begun at the main camp, as it is located on a flood plain. Reuters reports that last week, Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault II requested a meeting with President Trump to discuss the implications of the pipeline. Naturally, he has yet to receive a response.
