One Million Check-In At Standing Rock On Facebook In Solidarity With Dakota Access Pipeline Protestors

Protestors against the Dakota Access Pipeline are using Facebook as a tool to show their support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

ONE MILLION CHECK-IN AT STANDING ROCK INDIAN RESERVATION

A hot topic in the news the last few months has been the protests around the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), which would transport crude oil between North Dakota and Illinois. While the project would create thousands of new jobs, it would also disturb the sacred lands of various Native American tribes. The pipeline was proposed and approved without the permission, or even hearing the concerns, of the tribes that would be affected.

Currently, hundreds of protestors are in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, where the Standing Rock Reservation is located. Police have arrested many protestors, most of whom are peaceful. Word has spread that the Morton County Sheriff’s Department (MCSD) in that area have been checking Facebook in order to target and find protestors who have checked in at the location.

Over 1.5 million Facebook users have checked in to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, regardless of their actual location, in an attempt to confuse officers looking to target protestors.

The MCSD took to Facebook themselves to deny reports that they were using social media to track protestors, but that hasn’t stopped thousands more from checking into the area. Even if the Facebook check ins have no affect on the protests, it is still a way for people who live far away to show their support for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s cause.