Activists released after arrest treated like were not human beings as standoff with law enforcement continues with peaceful Saturday rally
Native Americans protesting against the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL) on Saturday accused law enforcement officers of cruel and inhumane treatment in jail, but said mass arrests and violent confrontations with police would not deter them from fighting construction of the oil project.
Activists were reunited at the Sacred Stone camp in North Dakota after their release from local jails. Some told the Guardian police aggressively detained them, crowded them into vans, wrote numbers on their arms to track them, conducted invasive body searches and showed a lack of respect for native culture.
They treat us like were not human beings, said Russell Eagle Bear, a member of the Rosebud Sioux, who was one of 141 people arrested on Thursday when protesters tried to block pipeline construction. Were simply numbers to them.
In tears, Caro Gonzales, a member of the Chemehuevi tribe who was one of the first arrested, said police temporarily detained her and three other women in a large cage that she described as a dog kennel.
We were all crying in pain, saying we needed medical attention, said Gonzales, 26, who also goes by the name Guarding Red Tarantula Woman.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/29/dakota-access-pipeline-native-american-protesters