'It's just a ploy': North Dakota protesters reject help from officials to leave as winter descends
'We aren't going to let somebody out there freeze,' says state homeland security director
The head of North Dakota's emergency management services says the state is prepared to respond to Dakota Access pipeline protesters who may need help during a winter storm or some other crisis.But some protesters on their way to the site are rejecting those calls, saying it's "just a ploy" to get them out.
Speaking with CBC News near Standing Rock, Sam Deering and Sean Kristopher Tremblay of the group U.S. Vets for Standing Rock said the pledge by officials to help protesters leave the site on the basis of safety is disingenuous and proof that the movement isgaining momentum.
The two veterans said they were headed to Standing Rockto help the"protectors" at the protest site.
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"I thinkthey'regetting cold, I thinkthey'regetting uncomfortable and I don't think they want to play this game anymore,"Deeringsaidof officials.
"I think it's just them getting uncomfortable and seeing that the momentum for the protectors is gaining, while their's is lagging," he added. "So I think it's just a ploy to get people out of there for their own sake, not ours."
State Homeland Security Director Greg Wilz said it would be a "huge challenge," especially during a mass evacuation, but his office has winter shelter plans in place and various agencies are ready to respond.
"The bottom line here is, if we are in a situation of life and limb, we are going to be humane in anything and everything we do," Wilz said. "We aren't going to let somebody out there freeze. So if they start evacuating en masse looking for shelter which I highly suspect will happen we would take care of that."
Tremblaythinks the issue of safety is hypocritical, citing violence inflicted upon protestors.
"Safety for the protestors is pretty convenient after you've already thrown concussion grenades and fire hoses andbillyclub people, shot them with rubber bullets," he told CBC News.
"Now all of a sudden we're concerned about safety."
The government has ordered hundreds of protesters to leave the Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires camp, on federal land in southern North Dakota by Monday, although demonstrators say they're prepared to stay until changes are made to the route of the four-state, $3.8-billlion US pipeline. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and others say the pipeline north of the reservation could pollute drinking water and threatens sacred sites.
'It's time for more actions... not more words'
The North Dakota Department of Transportation and Morton County Highway Department will be key players in any evacuation plans, Wilz said, noting that those agencies worked to keep roads clear around the protest site during a recent storm that dumped more than a foot of snow.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement Friday that the Department of Justice has offered community policing resources to local law enforcement as "winter begins to take hold."
"Our first concern is the safety of everyone in the area law enforcement officers, residents and protesters alike," Lynch said.
Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said Lynch contacted him by phone Friday to discuss the situation.
"While I appreciate the Attorney General taking the time to reach out to me, neither assistance for law enforcement nor a timeline for resolution was offered," Kirchmeier said in a statement. "I hope the dialogue continues, but it's time for more actions from the federal government, not more words."
The North Dakota National Guard is prepared to help with any emergencies, said Jeff Zent, spokesman for Gov. Jack Dalrymple. The Republican governor issued a "mandatory evacuation" Monday for the main encampment, though he said no one would be forcibly removed.
Officers at the staging area and traffic control points have temporary warming houses, cold-weather gear and otherwinterizationmeasures, said Rob Keller, spokesman for the Morton County Sheriff's Department.
"All law enforcement personnel who report for duty to the Morton County Sheriff's Department are now from North Dakota agencies and they are more than prepared for our North Dakota winters," Keller said.
Wilz said his office has received no response from emergency management officials at Standing Rock about whether they have any emergency plans or whether they need support from the state.
- CBC IN STANDING ROCKNorth Dakota pipeline protest garners support from U.S. veterans
With files from CBC News
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