The lawsuit
A number of protesters filed a lawsuit against the Morton County Police Department, Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, and two other law enforcement agencies. After suffering injuries at the hands of the very people tasked with serving and protecting the community, the protesters filed a lawsuit for excessive use of force. 

The injuries
Upon inspection of the lawsuit, the injuries and experiences detailed are nothing short of horrific. Vanessa Dundon, a complainant in the lawsuit, was working to remove fiery wreckage from a bridge to allow emergency medical personnel access to the protester camp. Unfortunately, the police didn’t approve. They shot a tear gas can that struck Dundon in the eye, and a rubber bullet that struck her in the leg. She was pulled from the bridge and brought to a triage tent. It was there, and in a Bismarck emergency room, that Dundon was told her retina had detached and that she may never see out of her right eye again. 

Sadly, Dundon’s injury is not a unique experience. Fellow protester David Demo was filming on November 20th when he was subjected to the water cannon. After returning in a dry outfit, Demo was shot in the hand by a rubber bullet that required reconstructive surgery to fix. Other protesters suffered injuries from bean bag shots, tear gas canisters and the infamous water cannon. Many needed to be treated for hypothermia or required stitches and staples to close wounds from bullet strikes. Protesters have even accused authorities of sending concussion grenades into the camp, which the police deny. 

Excessive force and other brutal measures
Grenades or not, the measures the police admitted to using against the protesters were still incredibly brutal. These measures included tear gas, rubber bullets, bean bags and a water cannon. In defense of their use of a water cannon on a night with sub-zero temperatures, the Mandan police chief callously responded, “Well, it was effective, wasn’t it?” Police are also responsible for allowing or prohibiting first responders from accessing the protest camp. In an extreme abuse of power, police made this decision on a case by case basis and believed they would reduce threats to public safety by not guaranteeing emergency services to protesters. 

The good news
In support of the protesters, a group of veterans descended on the camp to offer their protection as human shields. This came at the same time as Morton County pledged to cut off supplies to the camp. However, protesters were not without hope. One protester reported that they had enough supplies to last for ten years. 

After all the violence protesters endured, they finally scored a victory this past Sunday, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declined the permit to build the Dakota Access Pipeline. Although the victory may be short-lived once Trump takes office, the tribe and its supporters are relieved to have at least temporarily blocked construction.