North Dakota Capitol Locked Down After Protesters Arrive

More than 200 protests are planned for Tuesday, November 14

Officials locked down the North Dakota Capitol on Monday after opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline gathered there, just one day before groups planned more than 200 protests at Army Corps of Engineers offices across the country, according to The Associated Press. 

The Highway Patrol, which provides security, locked the doors and patrolled both the building and grounds. There were no immediate reports of any arrests.

The rallies set for Tuesday at such places as state Army Corps offices, federal buildings, and offices of banks that have helped finance the project are seeking to draw the attention of President Barack Obama.

The groups, including the Indigenous Environmental Network, Honor the Earth and Greenpeace USA, want Obama to permanently halt the construction of the pipeline, the focus of confrontations between police and protesters in North Dakota for months.

Nearly 470 have been arrested supporting the Standing Rock Sioux, who believe the pipeline threatens drinking water and cultural sites.

The federal government hasn’t been silent on the dispute, and the Army Corps of Engineers is reconsidering its decision to allow the pipeline to cross under the Missouri River in light of tribal complains. Obama’s administration is currently monitoring the situation, as well.