Sheriff’s deputies from Cass County man a northbound checkpoint south of Fort Lincoln State Park on Thursday. Cars traveling south on Highway 1806 are diverted to Highway 6. Cars traveling north on Highway 1806 must go through the checkpoint. Officers were recording license plates of cars traveling north. Credit: Will Kincaid.

North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple issued an emergency declaration for southwest and south central North Dakota in response to protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline near Cannon Ball.

The declaration starts a process by which state agencies can get additional funding, said Greg Wilz, director of the Homeland Security Division of the state Department of Emergency Services.

Dalrymple said in the declaration that the state is committed to protecting the right to lawful protests, but recent events have created a “significant public safety concern.”

The protests have grown substantially over the past week as about 1,500 people have gathered to demonstrate against the pipeline being drilled under the Missouri River. Large campsites have been established for the protesters. Twenty-nine people have been arrested during the demonstrations.

The Morton County Sheriff’s Department has been the central law enforcement agency involved in monitoring the protests, but several state agencies have gotten involved.

North Dakota Highway Patrol has sent officers to the protest site, Wilz said. The health department has provided portable water trailers and a medical trailer at the protest camp. The transportation department has assisted with the road detour on Highway 1806 and put up barriers and signage.

Wilz said he will be looking at funding requests from the agencies, make an estimate and ask the emergency commission for an appropriation. The commission can authorize emergency services to get a loan from the Bank of North Dakota.

He estimated the additional resources could cost from $750,000 to $1 million, if the protests continue for the next few weeks.

[…]

Morton County declared its own state of emergency on Monday, for the purpose of tapping into its emergency fund and creating public awareness, said Cody Schulz, chairman of the county commission.

Schulz said the biggest expense for the county has been law enforcement, including overtime for the sheriff’s deputies and assistance from other agencies, including the Mandan Police and the Cass and Mercer County Sheriffs.

The governor’s emergency order does not include activation of the National Guard.

The governor is so damn deep in big oil’s pockets he couldn’t tunnel himself out, so naturally, he’s going to start spending money the state doesn’t have to corral all of us evil Indians and allies, and point the finger of blame at us. Thanks, gov.

Via Bismarck Trib.

Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault II has responded…

I appreciate the pressure that Governor Dalrymple is working under. We are all feeling the tension created by the recent decision of the Corps of Engineers and Energy Transfer Partners to rush ahead with construction of the Dakota Access pipeline while important legal issues of tribal sovereignty and public health and safety remain unresolved.

Tribal leaders are committed to non-violence and peaceful prayer as the guiding principle of Cannon Ball River camps. We are doing everything in our power to promote that spirit. This is an opportunity to work together in a spirit of cooperation, and we should take advantage of that opportunity.

But with all due respect, the Governor’s declaration of emergency was unfortunate. I wish he had consulted with the tribe before making today’s declaration, because the tribe has its hand extended in the spirit of partnership and cooperation. We look upon this situation as an opportunity to work together.

Everyone needs to keep in mind that our families are the ones most affected by the Governor’s decision to close parks, blockade roads, and use the language of confrontation rather than cooperation. We are just as conscious of the need for public safety as the Governor, but we do not feel the need to cancel our concerts, or close our parks. In fact, now more than ever, we want people to come to Standing Rock and visit. Just today, our Tribal Council voted unanimously that the roadblocks should be taken down. It is our mothers and fathers who are on the road this week as our children prepare for the opening of school. Our citizens rely on the roads to get from home to work. We are most harmed economically by shutting the last weeks of the tourist season.

What is happening at the Canon Ball Camp reflects a historic moment for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. For the first time in 100 years we are hosting the reconvening of the Seven Council fires of the Oceti Sakowin. This attests to our commitment to working together for our children’s future.

I look forward to working with the Governor to remove the road blocks, reopen the parks and ensure the public safety.

Dave Archambault II
Chairman, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

Via Last Real Indians. #LastRealIndians.

This emergency business is especially stupid in light of the fact that construction has halted until the court hearings next week. There’s just a bunch of people camping.

Dakota Access Pipeline Standoff. – Feds Grant TRO Against Standing Rock Members. – Dakota Access Protest: We’re being sued – help us fight it! – Dakota Access Standoff Calls on Obama. – Among Those Arrested… – Sacred Stone Camp: Calling Water Warriors! – Dakota Access: About That Oil… – Dakota Access Purchaser Looking Like Enron. – Standing Rock and IITC File Urgent Communication to UN. – Sacred Stone Camp. – North Dakota: State of Emergency Declared. – Solidarity Sings! – Settling into Camp – Washington DC: Action Alert – Solidarity Sings Along. – WE ARE… – URGENT Petition Call and Solidarity Sings III –  A Tale of Two Standoffs.  –   Lakota No Access.   –  Coping With Cops.  – Dakota Access and The Mindset of Christendom.  –  Adding Insult to Injury. – Tanka’s Mark Tilsen Speaks. – Los Angeles: Action Alert.  – Sadness. –  Reno Nevada: Action Alert. – Never Broken. –

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