MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Just after 4 AM Sunday (12/20) morning nearly 600 Minnesota State Patrol officers and Minneapolis Police officers stormed the non-violent encampment to stop the reroute of Highway 55. As of the writing of this release, over 36 of the protesters, members of AIM as well as Earth First!ers, were arrested, and many of them injured and bleeding. Governor Arne Carlson himself supervised the raid, and stood warming himself at the burning remains of a bulldozed home.
With over 130 squad cars, five 20 foot Ryder moving trucks filled with police in riot gear, three city buses, bulldozers, cherry-pickers, backhoes, ambulances and several fire engines, the police moved in swiftly and tear gassed all seven houses that were occupied. Protesters came out of the homes coughing, gagging, and throwing up, and were promptly arrested by the police. With guns drawn, police held the eyes of protesters open and sprayed pepper spray directly into their eyes.
In blatant, willful, and knowing disregard for the law, the police proceeded to destroy federally protected tipis, and to extinguish the sacred fire of the Dakota people, which is protected under the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978, as well as the U.S. Constitution's protection of freedom of religion. MNDOT, the Minneapolis and State Police, and the Minneapolis Fire Department are aware that their actions are in violation of federal law, and have stated to protesters that they don't care about Native American's right to freedom of religion even as protected by law, if it interferes with state plans to reroute the Highway.
All of the non-violent protesters who were locked in place had been removed by the police as of 7:30 am. The protesters are being held at the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center on probable cause of obstructing legal process, and have not been given the medical attention that they need due to their injuries.
At this time it does not look like any of the protesters will agree to refrain from returning to the site of the encampment even though all of the homes have already been destroyed in a needless expenditure of state funds.
In these times of concern for fiscal restraint, the state has unnecessarily spent an estimated 1 million dollars to remove the protesters and bulldoze the homes to make way for a project that will never see fruition. With the violation of federal laws that is clearly documented, the Federal Highway Administration and other federal agencies will not allow the expenditure of federal funds to be used to destroy sites of cultural and historical importance such as Camp Coldwater Spring, particularly when the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council and the Minnesota State Historical Society are opposed to the project. The reroute and light rail in the Hwy. 55 corridor have been stopped, there is no reason for this needless destruction, or violence against the public to continue.
Bob McFarlin, public relations director of MNDOT and bonafide and documented liar, are aware that the recent concerns about the reroute of Highway 55 raised by the State of Minnesota Historical Society, the Federal Highway Administration, the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, and the United States Department of Justice have effectively put a temporary stop to the reroute. Their decision to raid the encampment is nothing more than Governor Carlson's and MNDOT's vengeful employee's decision to remove the protesters, destroy the homes, and injure people because they know that they have lost.
Earth First!, AIM, and the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community are calling for the resignation of Commissioner James Denn of MNDOT, Commissioner Don Davis of the Department of Public Safety, MNDOT Public Relations Director, Bob McFarlin, and State Archaeologist Mark Dudzik. These men have violated federal and state laws, carried out terrorist acts against the non-violent people of the state of Minnesota and many Indian nations, as well as lied to the people concerning the reroute of Highway 55. Justice will prevail. NO COMPROMISE IN DEFENSE OF MOTHER EARTH! EARTH FIRST!
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