Law officers who sprayed water on protesters in below-freezing temperatures at the Dakota Access oil pipeline site in North Dakota defend what they did this week and say they’ll do it again if necessary.
Led by mostly Native American Indians who contend the pipeline potentially could damage their drinking water, the protests were hit with water spray as they threw rocks, asphalt and water bottles at officers.
Morton County sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier and Mandan Police Chief Jason Ziegler says they won’t rule out using the water if necessary.
Amnesty International and other groups denounced the action because temperatures were in their 20s when the protesters started throwing things, hitting at least one officer in the head. A spokesman with the Indigenous Environmental Network says 17 protesters were taken to hospitals and some suffered hypothermia.
It didn’t stop protesters from gathering again at the bridge on state Highway 1806 near their main camp. Law officers have closed the bridge for weeks because they contend it might be unsafe after being set afire by protesters.
At one point on Monday, the North Dakota state Capitol building was on what law officers referred to as a “soft lockdown” because of the protest.