The Intercept’s reporters have spent years attempting to uncover the real story behind the brutal crackdown on Dakota Access pipeline protesters at Standing Rock in 2016. But we’d been missing a crucial piece — until now.
New documents we’ve obtained from a grueling court case could finally shine a light on the actions of pipeline owner Energy Transfer, private security contractor TigerSwan, and North Dakota law enforcement agencies.
But it took us two years to win our case against Energy Transfer, and we’ve already spent over $100,000 in legal costs. We now have more than 50,000 files from the pipeline giant’s security contractor on hand — and getting through them will still be time-consuming and expensive. We need the support of our readers more than ever to finally report out the rest of this story.
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When members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe led protests against the 1,172-mile-long Dakota Access pipeline, thousands of people traveled to North Dakota from across the country in a historic display of solidarity.
Then came the crackdown. Pipeline opponents were attacked with dogs, tear gas, and rubber bullets. At one point, protesters were shot with a water cannon in freezing cold weather, sending people to be treated for hypothermia and other injuries.
Dakota Access owner Energy Transfer hired TigerSwan, a private security firm led by a former commander of the elite Army unit Delta Force. That firm conducted aerial surveillance, monitored communications, infiltrated activist circles, and coordinated with law enforcement agencies.
The Intercept sued under state open records laws to gain access to thousands of pages of documents that could shed light on TigerSwan’s activities, but Energy Transfer’s aggressive Trump-connected law firm fought us every step of the way.
Thanks to the support of our readers, we were able to keep fighting this case for two years — and eventually we won. But it’s not time for a victory lap yet.
Our team is hard at work poring over these documents, but finding the needle in this haystack won’t be easy. We’re counting on our readers’ generous support to help the truth about Standing Rock see the light of day.
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