Get off private property and then this scary. Until then. If these people were standing in my office "peacefully protesting" they still get arrested.
Yep. Here is the basic process:
Pipeline is planned.
Pipeline company sends out land men to acquire access rights.
Pipeline company requests state aid in eminent domain if there are holdouts (same as power companies, etc.)
Pipeline is proposed to state regulators, public comment, and approved.
Pipeline is proposed to Federal regulators (FERC and DOT), public comment, and approved.
Pipeline plans are proposed to the US Corps of Engineers, public comment, and is approved.
Pipelines plans are proposed to the BLM, public comment, and is approved.
Overall, the pipeline goes through five levels of government regulation, and is approved.
Construction contracts are put for bid.
Construction timeline is published.
Construction begins at various locations.
Construction reaches this point...
WHAT A PIPELINE! NO ONE TOLD US ANYTHING, THIS IS BS!!!!!!!1!1!1!! PROTEST!
It isn't tribal land.
By and large, it isn't the land owners protesting.
The land has never been claimed as sacred, or a burial site, or whatever else... until after all the above happened, and after the protests got attention. And these aren't burial sites, the claim is that a rock here or there represents a place where a tribal member may have been set upon a scaffold to return to the earth. Which no one knew about or held sacred until now. (happy to be corrected on tribal customs, I have to take this info from third parties)
This pipeline poses less of a hazard than the trains full of oil going by every day.
This pipeline isn't racist... most of the pipeline will go across the farmland of rural white farmers in Iowa.
The pipeline representatives tried to meet with the tribe, and were rejected because this isn't on tribal land (unless you are arguing, "it's all tribal land," which isn't the argument we are having right now).
The pipeline follows other pipelines and power line rights of way. This isn't virgin land. Its already been constructed upon.
If we are throwing out slanted website, you can find them going the other way too:
http://www.redstate.com/setonmotley/2016/10/05/much-dishonesty-way-late-dakota-access-pipeline/So what? Go out there and protest. Get your 1st Amendment on! Unfortunately, the protesters have been knocking down fences and illegally entering sites. They have assaulted workers (remember when peaceful protesters were attacked by dogs? Yeah, they had knocked down a fence and approached construction workers on private property - one side said the protesters then attacked, the other said the police attacked first). They have torched construction equipment -
millions of dollars of construction equipment.
Protesting is all well and good. Ineffective at this stage. But have at it. However, when you engage in behavior designed to provoke a response, you can't be surprised when you get the response you are looking for. Breaking down fences is going to get a police response. Torching equipment is going to get a police response. Otherwise, the authorities are letting the protesters be. Their illegal camp on federal land remains - because their right to peacefully assemble and protest is more important. This isn't Selma. Here, it seems the protesters only face hostility when they cross the line.