HOUSTON – The Standing Rock Sioux tribe recently exercised their rights to protest peacefully the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline located near North Dakota's Lake Oahe, their major water source along the Missouri River. Recently, the Obama administration temporarily halted the pipeline construction pending additional environmental statements.
The following statement may be attributed to Terri Burke, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas:
"ACLU of Texas was founded upon the principle of supporting and defending the rights of all people and we recognize the vital roles that peaceful protest, nonviolent civil disobedience and activism play in defending our civil and human rights. We stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and its allied indigenous nations and supporters across the globe as they exercise their rights to speak out. We denounce any government suppression of the right to protest peacefully and call upon North Dakota’s governor to demilitarize his state’s response to peaceful protesters."
View the petition to encourage Governor Dalrymple to demilitarize North Dakota’s response to peaceful protesters and protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline:
https://action.aclu.org/secure/nd-standing-rock-sioux-tribe?ms=fb_160920_aff_ND_free_speech
