I've been noticing an increase in the number of fake accounts posting on various websites and Twitter, and I've noticed what seems to be a coordinated media effort, especially among local outlets in ND (print and broadcast), to disparage and undercut the water protectors and stir up resentment and racism toward them. It's been happening all along, but it seems to be getting worse.

On January 1, two water protectors climbed a truss in the US Bank stadium during a Vikings game in Minneapolis and unfurled a banner that said "Divest" and "NoDAPL" and featured the bank's logo. It was audacious and elegant, and social media lit up with video and images from inside the stadium.

The deadline is December 30 to let the ND Supreme Court know that we want out-of-state attorneys to be allowed to defend the water protectors. If you haven't sent an email yet, please copy and paste the example below now. It takes only a few moments and will make a big difference. Four more people were arrested yesterday (video and info below).

To: supclerkofcourt@ndcourts.gov

Subject: Supreme Court No. 20160436

In the body of the email, put this:

Re: In the Matter of a Petition to Permit Temporary Provision of Legal Services by Qualified Attorneys From Outside North Dakota

I urge that the petition be granted so that all defendants charged for any NoDAPL actions be granted due process.

Thank you.

Your Name
Address
Telephone

Update with breaking news: The trial for these 10 defendants has been postponed until January 31 and Feb. 1 because the prosecution had not turned over evidence to the defense in a timely manner.

[The judge] also deferred ruling on [the prosecutor's] motion to exclude issues of tribal sovereignty, the concerns about the Dakota Access Pipeline and "any other social or political cause." She wrote in her order that the defendants did not have adequate time before trial to respond to the motion, which was filed Dec. 12. [Prosecutor] Erickson could raise objections if such issues arose at trial, she wrote.

**the original post continues below**

The first criminal trials of some water protectors begin today, December 19, in Bismarck. The best coverage has been (again) by Jordan from TYT. He interviewed Kelli Love, one of the people arrested, who lays out the situation clearly and eloquently in the video below. There appear to be numerous civil rights violations and problems with due process, including new charges being added at the last minute (after pleas had already been entered) and motions by the prosecutor to forbid any video evidence and to forbid any mention of environmental damage, treaty rights, or any of the other reasons that the water protectors were where they were, doing what they were doing.

Rule of law? Yeah, right. Feds Admit They Withheld Key Documents from Standing Rock Sioux.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers purposefully withheld key studies that could have helped the tribe evaluate the risks [of the DAPL]. One report modeled damage from potential spills; another weighed the likelihood of spills; a third compared alternative routes and discussed the environmental justice concerns raised by the project. The revelation highlights the federal government’s perception of its limited responsibility to consult with tribes even on matters that could threaten its welfare.

New video of the militarized, fortified blockade of a public highway near Cannonball was published on December 11. The vid below is 39 minutes long, but you should watch at least the first 15 minutes. In addition to the concrete barriers that were dropped onto the bridge several weeks ago, new coils of razor wire have been added, and the razor wire now extends hundreds of yards in both directions perpendicular to the bridge and also up the hill on both sides.

Drone footage (2:20) from December 9 shows construction continuing on the DAPL. It is clear that Energy Transfer Partners is determined to get this thing built, despite court rulings, despite not having a permit to drill, despite the weather.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H29qvq4FB50&feature=youtu.be]

1. Send money. The Oceti Sakowin camp has been really stretched to the limit, first with the influx of veterans and other folks last weekend, and now dealing with the intense weather. Delivery trucks are having a hard time getting through, so donations of money are the best right now.