艹艹艹
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2016
- Messages
- 5,196
- Reaction score
- 0
- Country
- Location
http://www.grandforksherald.com/new...gled-after-clash-between-police-dakota-access
Pipeline protester claims arm mangled after clash between police, Dakota Access opponents
By Don Davis on Nov 22, 2016 at 5:34 p.m.
MINNEAPOLIS -- An oil pipeline protester was recovering in a Minneapolis hospital Tuesday, Nov. 22, after her arm was seriously injured during a confrontation between pipeline opponents and law enforcement officers.
Injuries sustained by Sophia Wilansky, 21, of New York prompted thousands of people to donate money for her recovery, which was underway at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. Within 19 hours of a gofundme site being established, 8,000 people had combined to give more than $220,000.
The injury occurred early Monday as law enforcement officials encountered hundreds of protesters at a bridge on North Dakota Highway 1806 near Standing Rock Indian Reservation. It is believed to be the most serious injury resulting from months of protests against construction of a pipeline to move western North Dakota crude oil through the area.
Protesters claimed they were attacked with concussion grenades, but law enforcement officials denied using the devices during Monday’s clash.
“The injuries sustained are inconsistent with any resources utilized by law enforcement and are not a direct result of any tools or weapons used by law enforcement,” Lt. Tom Iverson of the Highway Patrol said in a news release.
Officials are investigating the injury and an explosion that occurred early Monday as protesters tried to make explosive devices, Iverson said.
"After repeated orders from law enforcement to come out from behind the barricade and attempts to force them out with less than lethal direct impact of bean bags and sponge rounds, officers noticed subjects approach the area with one of them rolling multiple silver cylinder objects toward the subjects positioned under or around the burned vehicle," a law enforcement news release stated. "It was at this time an explosion occurred and several protesters ran to the area, pulled a female from under the burned vehicle and fled the scene."
Morton County spokeswoman Maxine Herr said it’s unknown if Wilansky’s injuries were sustained in the explosion because the investigation is ongoing. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation are assisting with the investigation.
The news release also said a propane cylinder appeared to have been intentionally punctured. Debris found in the area, it added, was "consistent with the design of Molotov cocktails."
Protesters blamed law enforcement officers.
"This latest escalation in excessive police force and violence against peaceful water protectors just shows what the state is willing to do to protect the interests of oil companies," said Alex Lundberg of Minneapolis, a friend of Wilansky.
The Minneapolis-based American Indian Movement talked about the woman's injuries Tuesday and planned a vigil.
AIM reported that Wilansky is a protest veteran, having also been active in campaigns to stop New York state and Vermont oil and gas pipelines.
Graphic photographs posted on social medial purported to show Wilansky's injured arm, with extensive bleeding and bones exposed.
AIM officials said there had been a fear her arm would be amputated.
In a statement, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Dave Archambault II said the tribe is praying for Wilansky and her family. He called on President Obama to “stop the pipeline and the violence resulting from it.”
“The reckless escalation of violence by the Morton County Sheriff’s Department is unconscionable and preventable. It must stop now,” Archambault said.
Wilansky's father, Wayne, issued a statement saying: "There are no words to describe the pain of watching my daughter cry and say she was sorry for the pain she caused me and my wife."
Wayne Wilansky flew to Minneapolis to be with his daughter, who was taken from North Dakota to Minnesota via a helicopter-ambulance.
The Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council reported that the injured woman "was heading to bring water to the unarmed people who were being attacked for several hours by Morton County sheriff forces."
The council reported that "grenade pieces … have been removed from her arm in surgery and will be saved for legal proceedings."
Wayne Wilansky said his daughter was injured in the left forearm, "taking most of the undersurface of her left arm with it. Both her radial and ulnar artery were completely destroyed. Her radius was shattered and a large piece of it is missing. Her medial nerve is missing a large section as well. All of the muscle and soft tissue between her elbow and wrist were blown away."
He said further surgeries will be needed following the hours-long one on Monday.
The healer council reported that at least 26 people were taken away from the protest scene by ambulance.
Sophia Wilansky is one of thousands of people from around the country who have gone to the Standing Rock reservation to protest the pipeline.
The $3.7 billion Dakota Access project has drawn steady opposition from activists since the summer, led by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, whose lands are adjacent to the pipeline. Native American activists and environmentalists say the line threatens water resources and sacred tribal lands.
A joint statement from several activist groups said protesters Sunday were trying to remove burned vehicles blocking Backwater Bridge in order to restore access to the nearby Standing Rock Sioux encampments so emergency services and local traffic can move freely.
Wilansky's father said the blocked road delayed his daughter's transportation to a hospital.
The main company behind the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, is building the line to transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois en route to the Gulf Coast.
Pipeline protester claims arm mangled after clash between police, Dakota Access opponents
By Don Davis on Nov 22, 2016 at 5:34 p.m.
MINNEAPOLIS -- An oil pipeline protester was recovering in a Minneapolis hospital Tuesday, Nov. 22, after her arm was seriously injured during a confrontation between pipeline opponents and law enforcement officers.
Injuries sustained by Sophia Wilansky, 21, of New York prompted thousands of people to donate money for her recovery, which was underway at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. Within 19 hours of a gofundme site being established, 8,000 people had combined to give more than $220,000.
The injury occurred early Monday as law enforcement officials encountered hundreds of protesters at a bridge on North Dakota Highway 1806 near Standing Rock Indian Reservation. It is believed to be the most serious injury resulting from months of protests against construction of a pipeline to move western North Dakota crude oil through the area.
Protesters claimed they were attacked with concussion grenades, but law enforcement officials denied using the devices during Monday’s clash.
“The injuries sustained are inconsistent with any resources utilized by law enforcement and are not a direct result of any tools or weapons used by law enforcement,” Lt. Tom Iverson of the Highway Patrol said in a news release.
Officials are investigating the injury and an explosion that occurred early Monday as protesters tried to make explosive devices, Iverson said.
"After repeated orders from law enforcement to come out from behind the barricade and attempts to force them out with less than lethal direct impact of bean bags and sponge rounds, officers noticed subjects approach the area with one of them rolling multiple silver cylinder objects toward the subjects positioned under or around the burned vehicle," a law enforcement news release stated. "It was at this time an explosion occurred and several protesters ran to the area, pulled a female from under the burned vehicle and fled the scene."
Morton County spokeswoman Maxine Herr said it’s unknown if Wilansky’s injuries were sustained in the explosion because the investigation is ongoing. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation are assisting with the investigation.
The news release also said a propane cylinder appeared to have been intentionally punctured. Debris found in the area, it added, was "consistent with the design of Molotov cocktails."
Protesters blamed law enforcement officers.
"This latest escalation in excessive police force and violence against peaceful water protectors just shows what the state is willing to do to protect the interests of oil companies," said Alex Lundberg of Minneapolis, a friend of Wilansky.
The Minneapolis-based American Indian Movement talked about the woman's injuries Tuesday and planned a vigil.
AIM reported that Wilansky is a protest veteran, having also been active in campaigns to stop New York state and Vermont oil and gas pipelines.
Graphic photographs posted on social medial purported to show Wilansky's injured arm, with extensive bleeding and bones exposed.
AIM officials said there had been a fear her arm would be amputated.
In a statement, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Dave Archambault II said the tribe is praying for Wilansky and her family. He called on President Obama to “stop the pipeline and the violence resulting from it.”
“The reckless escalation of violence by the Morton County Sheriff’s Department is unconscionable and preventable. It must stop now,” Archambault said.
Wilansky's father, Wayne, issued a statement saying: "There are no words to describe the pain of watching my daughter cry and say she was sorry for the pain she caused me and my wife."
Wayne Wilansky flew to Minneapolis to be with his daughter, who was taken from North Dakota to Minnesota via a helicopter-ambulance.
The Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council reported that the injured woman "was heading to bring water to the unarmed people who were being attacked for several hours by Morton County sheriff forces."
The council reported that "grenade pieces … have been removed from her arm in surgery and will be saved for legal proceedings."
Wayne Wilansky said his daughter was injured in the left forearm, "taking most of the undersurface of her left arm with it. Both her radial and ulnar artery were completely destroyed. Her radius was shattered and a large piece of it is missing. Her medial nerve is missing a large section as well. All of the muscle and soft tissue between her elbow and wrist were blown away."
He said further surgeries will be needed following the hours-long one on Monday.
The healer council reported that at least 26 people were taken away from the protest scene by ambulance.
Sophia Wilansky is one of thousands of people from around the country who have gone to the Standing Rock reservation to protest the pipeline.
The $3.7 billion Dakota Access project has drawn steady opposition from activists since the summer, led by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, whose lands are adjacent to the pipeline. Native American activists and environmentalists say the line threatens water resources and sacred tribal lands.
A joint statement from several activist groups said protesters Sunday were trying to remove burned vehicles blocking Backwater Bridge in order to restore access to the nearby Standing Rock Sioux encampments so emergency services and local traffic can move freely.
Wilansky's father said the blocked road delayed his daughter's transportation to a hospital.
The main company behind the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, is building the line to transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois en route to the Gulf Coast.
