A tribe in the Dakotas known as the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has called attention to a Dakota Access Pipeline project that would disturb the tribe’s reservation and water sources. In efforts to halt the production, the tribe filed a lawsuit against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected the tribe’s request for a permanent injunction to block the $3.7 billion, 1,170-mile pipeline, which would transport 470,000 barrels of oil a day across four states. Why does this matter? This project would be built on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s land. This land is guaranteed by treaty for the tribe according to the US Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Despite this fact, most of the protestors have been arrested for trespassing.
The Dakota Access pipeline threatens the tribe’s source of water. While the Dakota Access Pipeline project claims that environmental safety is a top priority, it’s still likely that a spill could occur. Pipeline oil spills are not that uncommon and can occur even in new constructions. There have been 21 incidents of pipeline spills this year, with the most recent one leading to an explosion on Oct. 11 in Illinois. Not only does this construction threaten Native American land, culture and wellbeing, the protest has become a democratic issue.
The first amendment secures the right of freedom to speak. We also have the right to protest peacefully. However, many reporters, journalists and protesters have been arrested due to their involvement with the Dakota Access Pipeline protest. One of the most notable journalists, Amy Goodman, turned herself into the Morton County–Mandan Combined Law Enforcement and Corrections Center. Goodman has won awards and hosts Democracy Now!, an independent TV, radio and internet news program. Goodman’s case is significant because she is a major journalist and was the first to arrive on the scene of the protest to report what is happening there. Days after reporting, a warrant was issued for her arrest leading to her turning herself in.
The arrest warrant was based on the grounds that she was considered to not be a reporter despite proper passes, filming crew, and identification to security. Goodman is not the only person to face charges due to this protest. Shailene Woodley, star of popular films “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Divergent,” was arrested for trespassing while joining the protest. Woodley says that she was just trying to walk back to her RV to camp peacefully for the evening when she was stopped by police. A video of her arrest was captured during her live stream on Facebook. She was released the following day.
Woodley took to instagram and other social media to urge people to continue to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline. These arrests at the Dakota Access Pipeline are bigger than a tribe protesting. The construction is leading to destruction of Native American territory and their resources, but along with the protests, the rights to protest peacefully and speak out are being taken away. Journalists and protesters are being arrested for things that are protected in the First Amendment.
