Good morning friends. Hope you had a wonderful weekend, and to those who filled in for me while I was away.. an extra big ‘Thank You’ from me! There is a lot going on and I have a lot of links compiled, if any are repeats I apologize!

Starting off with Standing Rock, and then as those of you are frequent us often know.. the rest will be in the comments. I welcome you to add your thoughts/comments/analysis/news/media/etc into the mix. New users & readers, we’d love to hear from you? If you are having issues commenting or registering I take all responsibility and can get you set-up if you send me message to the helpdesk email listed on the sidebar.

Police, citing ‘ongoing riot,’ use water cannons on Dakota Access protesters in freezing weather

Tensions over the Dakota Access oil pipeline flared again Sunday when North Dakota law enforcement used water cannons to disperse a group of about 400 protesters trying to move past a barricaded bridge toward construction sites for the controversial project.

As temperatures in Cannon Ball, N.D., dropped into the 20s, police in riot gear sprayed anti-pipeline activists with a hose mounted on top of an armored vehicle and formed a line to prevent them from advancing up the road, according to the Bismarck Tribune. Protesters also reported being pelted with rubber bullets, tear gas and concussion grenades during the standoff, which lasted until late Sunday night.

A grainy Facebook Live video from the scene shows throngs of people gathered around the Backwater Bridge on Highway 1806, with flood lights shining down on the grass and road below, and a haze of smoke and water vapor rising near police vehicles.

The clashes began around 6 p.m., when protesters attempted to remove burned out trucks that had been blocking the bridge since authorities and activists faced off there in late October. Police have since set up wire and concrete barriers on the bridge, which is about a mile south of where the pipeline developer plans to drill.

Protesters, who call themselves “water protectors,” have argued that the barricade prevents emergency services from reaching the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and a nearby camp they have used as a staging ground for demonstrations.

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Some decried the use of water on the crowd on a cold night when temperatures fell to 28 degrees Fahrenheit.

The physicians and tribal healers with the Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council called for ” the immediate cessation of use of water cannons” over concerns of hypothermia in the cold weather conditions. They criticized the use of water as “potentially lethal use of these confrontational methods against people peacefully assembled.”

But police say the protesters are not peaceful and that water was used to put out fires as well as to control the crowds.

“There are multiple fires being set by protesters on the bridge and in the area of the bridge,” said Donnell Hushka, spokeswoman for the Morton County Sheriff’s Department. “We have fire trucks on the scene they are using their fire hoses to put out the fires, wet the land around so fires don’t spread and they are also using water as crowd control.”

Why were there fires being lit in the area you might ask?

One of the protest organizers, Dallas Goldtooth, said protesters started small fires in the area to help warm people who had been sprayed with water in the freezing cold.

The Roundup will now carry over to the comments. Look forward to seeing you there.