Standing Rock: Protestors Reject State Assistance Offers; "It's Just A Ploy"
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 is gaining momentum.
The two veterans said they were headed to Standing Rock to help the "protectors" at the protest site. "I think they're getting cold, I think they're getting uncomfortable and I don't think they want to play this game anymore," Deering said of 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.
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/north-dakota-protester-winter-aid-1.3880276
