Law Enforcement Targets Water Protectors at Treaty People Gathering Against Line 3 Pipeline; About 200 Arrested

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: communications@nlg.org

On June 7th and 8th, the Treaty People Gathering as part of the Indigenous-led movement to stop Line 3, shut down work at an active Line 3 pump station near the Mississippi headwaters. Thousands of people from across the country gathered together in northern Minnesota to stop Enbridge’s work on its destructive “replacement” pipeline in Anishinaabe territory. Enbridge plans to destroy thousands of sites that are sacred to the Indigenous people who have lived there for thousands of years—including drilling under 22 rivers, over 800 wetlands, and many wild rice tributaries. Approximately 200 activists dedicated to protecting land and water were arrested protesting Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline expansion project, and charged with trespassing on critical infrastructure, an increasingly common tactic used to suppress environmental activism. Volunteers from the Pipeline Legal Action Network, including the National Lawyers Guild and NLG-Minnesota Chapter; Civil Liberties Defense Center; and Water Protector Legal Collective, are on the ground to provide legal support that includes Legal Observers, jail support, and representation.

During the Gathering, law enforcement unsuccessfully engaged in shameful tactics to quash it: On Monday, a Department of Homeland Security helicopter intentionally flew at dangerously low levels above water protectors, engulfing them in clouds of dust and debris. Hours later, police used a Long Range Acoustic Device (or “LRAD”), a military-grade speaker, to issue dispersal orders.

There are serious concerns about the treatment of organizers and activists who have been held for 16 – 20 hours without being booked: people are being denied prescription medications, people with injuries incurred during arrest are being denied medical attention despite multiple requests for aid, and there have been multiple violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act. In Kandiyohi County Jail, water protectors are being denied their 6th Amendment right to speak to an attorney, resulting in friends and family members being denied the ability to check in on the health and wellbeing of loved ones.

While arrested in Hubbard County, the majority of arrestees have been transferred to Aitkin County, Kandiyohi County, Douglas County, Pine County, Todd County & Becker County. These counties are part of the 16-county Northern Lights Task Force, which has received significant funding from the Enbridge Corporation. To date, Enbridge has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars for weapons to suppress the public’s right to express righteous anger at a system that prioritizes corporate profit over the public interest and the environment.

“We have very few options left. We are here to protect the water, the wild rice and the next seven generations of life. Keystone XL was stopped on the merits of environmental justice and treaty rights, this is no different. We demand President Biden take action now,” said Simone Senogles of the Indigenous Environmental Network and RISE Coalition in a statement issued by the Treaty People Gathering.

The efforts to stop Line 3 are far from over, and water protectors remain in custody and being denied their legal rights.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Call President Biden. Call the White House and Climate Office of Gina McCarthy by dialing: 888-724-8946. Tell them: “President Biden must honor the treaties and protect our climate by stopping the Line 3 tar sands pipeline now.” There is also a petition at https://www.stopline3.org/biden.
   
2. Call Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison at 800-657-3787 and say, “Arrested Line 3 water protectors must be granted their legal rights in custody, including the right to speak to an attorney, receive medical attention for injuries sustained during arrest, and any applicable protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
   
3. Help free the water protectors: 
   • Donate to the bail fund for the approximately 200 water protectors arrested this week: https://treatypeoplegathering.com/donate
     
4. Join us. Since Monday afternoon, a beautiful, growing community  has sprung up at the landing where Enbridge plans to drill under the Mississippi. Last night we named it “LeSalle–Camp Fire Light.” We need more people to camp with us to protect the Mississippi and all living things. Learn more at the Rise Coalition Facebook page where you can send a direct message for more information. 
   • To learn about other opportunities to join in protecting our water at https://welcomewaterprotectors.com/.
     

The National Lawyers Guild was formed in 1937 as the first national, racially integrated bar association in the U.S. to advocate for the protection of constitutional, human, and civil rights.

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Featured Image: Water protector flies flag that says “NO MORE PIPELINES” at the Treaty People Gathering in northern Minnesota in June 2021, in an action to stop the Line 3 tar sands pipeline that will destroy sacred Indigenous sites. (Credit: Unicorn Riot)