The First Amendment of the United States Constitution Bill of Rights reads:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
That’s pretty clear and easy to understand. People have a right to assemble peaceably and petition the government for a redress of grievances. The thousands of people who camped out at Standing Rock to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota were doing exactly that.
They were seeking redress of the grievance of having a 1,170-mile oil pipeline (which had already been rerouted around Bismarck due to concerns about the public drinking water system) constructed in proximity to the drinking water of the Standing Rock tribe.
Peaceably assembled, seeking redress of grievance – while facing down what amounted to a massive government militia – the protesters were shot with rubber bullets, sprayed with water cannons and worse.
Their protest – poorly reported by national mainstream media initially – garnered attention from around the world and social media, drawing others to the site to take up the cry of “Water is life.”
And it was effective, so much so that the Army Corps of Engineers on December 4 refused to issue the final permit necessary for Energy Transfer Partners, the applicant, to drill under a stretch of the Missouri River called Lake Oahe.
It remains to be seen whether Energy Transfer Partners will drill, in defiance of the federal ruling, and it remains to be seen whether the protesters will all disperse. There is not a lot of trust between the two groups and very little trust on the part of the protesters toward the army of law enforcement officers who they faced down.
But, peaceably assembling to protest the actions of the government is protected by our Constitution and the First Amendment of our Bill of Rights. Taking such harsh action against the protesters was a travesty. They have a right to petition for the redress of grievances.
