SHOWDOWN

U.S. Shutting Dakota Access Pipeline Protest Camp

Those at Oceti Sakowin camp told to leave by 2 p.m.

The Army Corps of Engineers has told those who remain at a camp protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline that they must clear out by 2 p.m. Wednesday. The protest site is on federal land between the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and the pipeline route, and has been the location of several clashes between law enforcement and, at times, thousands of demonstrators. Morton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Maxine Herr said authorities hope to make Wednesday’s evacuation “diplomatic,” but said there could be large-scale arrests at the site if they don’t receive cooperation. Native American activist Chase Iron Eyes said many “will engage in peaceful, civil resistance... holding hands, standing in prayer.” Some protesters reportedly engaged in a ritual burning of their camps in anticipation of being forced to leave.