CLEARING OUT

ND Governor Orders Early Evacuation of DAPL Camp

A week before relocation was expected.

North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple ordered an emergency evacuation of activists at the Dakota Access pipeline protest Monday, citing dangerous weather. “Winter conditions have the potential to endanger human life, especially when they are exposed to these conditions without proper shelter, dwellings, or sanitation for prolonged periods of time,” Dalrymple wrote in a Monday evening press release, ordering a mandatory evacuation of the site. Any protesters who re-enter or refuse to leave will be violating the law, Dalrymple said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had already announced plans to relocate the camp. Darlymple’s Monday call comes a week before the expected evactuation, and just hours after protesters filed a class-action lawsuit alleging excessive force by local police.