On 21 November, "water protectors" from indigenous groups including the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, attempted to remove burned vehicles from a bridge near the Dakota Access Pipeline construction site that they had been protesting.  The vehicles blocked the ability of emergency services to reach the protest camp, according to Standing Rock Sioux representatives and others.  In sub-freezing temperatures, police responded with high-pressure water hoses, as well as rubber bullets and tear gas, resulting in numerous injuries.  The American Civil Liberties Union urged the US Government to take steps to "demilitarize" the police response to non-violent protesters.  Amnesty International USA wrote to the Morton County Sheriff’s Department to convey its concern regarding the use of force by the department, and warned that "inappropriate or excessive police interventions can actually lead to violence and disorder rather than reducing tensions".  Full information about the current protests, police response, and human rights concerns, are below.

Previous information about indigenous groups' protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, their concerns over environmental and cultural impacts, defense of the construction and route by the pipeline company Energy Transfer Partners, and the police response:

Native American groups protest North Dakota pipeline construction over environmental concerns; protesters must be able to access area, demonstrate -Amnesty Intl., Aug-Sep 2016

Police remove native "water protectors" from Dakota Access Pipeline; Amnesty Intl. sends monitors, companies warned of possible liability, Oct 2016