While mainstream media decried a little property destruction during the inauguration (see #disruptj20 for tweets, images, and videos), they simultaneously ignored the unrelenting aggression directed at the protesters in DC and at the water protectors in Standing Rock. The uniformed thugs acting as agents of the oligarchy continue to deploy teargas, pepper spray, water cannons, percussion grenades, rubber bullets, and other “less-lethal” tools in attempts to shut down the people’s voices and to prop up authoritarianism.

This is big news. We heard yesterday that the official filing for the “Notice of Intent” was being considered, and today Energy Transfer Partners (the owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline) is in court trying to stop the Environmental Impact Statement investigation from proceeding. Among the things ETP wanted was for the Army Corps of Engineers to not officially publish the document in the Federal Register. We don’t know the outcome of the court hearing yet, but the official publication has happened. This is a significant victory in the struggle to stop the DAPL.

On Martin Luther King Day at Standing Rock, there were actions both at Turtle Island (the small hill where ancestors are buried) and the Highway 1806 bridge, which is a public road that is still illegally blockaded by the forces protecting the pipeline company. In both locations, the cops, mercenaries, and National Guard attacked the water protectors with mace and teargas, and fired rubber bullets at point-blank range directly at people who were only a few yards away from them.

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.

• The Belle Fourche pipeline spill into the Little Missouri River in North Dakota is not yet contained. The drone footage below (4:30 mins) shows miles of pollution.

[video:https://youtu.be/MMEFdAnubLw]