ACLU of Utah Stands with Standing Rock Sioux

Of particular importance to the ACLU of Utah is that all communities, especially those that have been long marginalized by the government, can freely and actively engage in the democratic process without government interference. That is why we are working with Native American voters in San Juan County to protect Navajo access to the ballot box. That is why we stood up for the right of indigenous people to advocate for, or against, a Bears Ears National Monument, free from government investigation and scrutiny.

And that is why we stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe of North Dakota.

The ACLU of Utah stands with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and its allied indigenous nations and supporters as they speak out against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. We recognize the vital roles peaceful protest, nonviolent civil disobedience, and activism play in defending our civil liberties and human rights. As such, we denounce any government suppression of the right to protest, including the militarized policing of protesters by the state of North Dakota.

Help us stand with Standing Rock. Sign the petition (https://action.aclu.org/secure/nd-standing-rock-sioux-tribe?ms=fb_160920_aff_ND_free_speech) and tell Governor Dalrymple to demilitarize North Dakota’s response to peaceful protesters and protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Ask him to stand down the National Guard; remove the highway checkpoint leading to protest encampments and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s reservation; and ensure state and county police do not appear at peaceful protest or nonviolent acts of civil disobedience in riot gear.

It is important that all people in our nation are allowed every opportunity to petition the government for a redress of grievances, whether through the voting process or through peaceful protests. Stand with us as we stand with the Standing Rock Sioux.