The pipe would eventually go under the Missouri
River. But if the pipe leaked, it would pollute the
drinking water for the Standing Rock Reservation.
People from the camp planned to stop progress
on the pipeline. Some had already chained
themselves to construction equipment early that
morning. That way, workers wouldn’t be able to
build the pipeline.
The newcomers set up and decorated a tipi.
They prayed and danced. But before long, the
police began to arrive. They arrested people who
didn’t move back to the road. The protesters
returned to the camp, but they weren’t going
home. They were taking a stand.
THINK ABOUT IT
Would you risk arrest to support a cause you believed
in? Why or why not?
7
