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[Joe]

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Dakota Access pipeline protester 'may lose her arm' after police standoff

A 21-year-old woman was severely injured and may lose her arm after being hit by a projectile when North Dakota law enforcement officers turned water cannon on Dakota Access pipeline protesters and threw “less-than-lethal” weapons, according to the woman’s father.

“The best-case scenario is no pain and 10-20% functionality,” said Wayne Wilansky, Sophia’s father, who travelled to Minneapolis where his daughter underwent eight hours of surgery on Monday. He said his daughter had been hit by a concussion grenade thrown by a police officer and that the arteries, median nerve, muscle and bone in her left arm had been “blown away”.

Sophia will require additional surgery in the next few days and her arm may still have to be amputated, he added. “She’s devastated. She looks at her arm and she cries,” he said.

The activists, who call themselves “water protectors”, have faced a heavily militarised police force. More than 400 protesters have been arrested by law enforcement officers who have deployed pepper spray, teargas, rubber bullets, Tasers, sound weapons and other “less-than-lethal” methods.

Following Sunday’s confrontation 26 protesters were taken to hospital and more than 300 injured, according to the Standing Rock Medic & Healer Council. Most of the injured had hypothermia after being hit by water cannon in below-freezing weather.

Medical Fund for Sophia Wilansky

Sophia Wilansky is a water protector from New York. She left New York City several weeks ago to help with the struggle at Standing Rock. She been an active participate and family to the activist groups NYC Shut It Down and Hoods4Justice. Sophia has always been committed to confronting injustice through vigilance and resistance.

Sophia was giving out bottles of water to protectors holding down the space when she was shot with a concussion grenade.

Police fire water cannon at Dakota pipeline protesters in freezing weather

Police fired volleys of tear gas at the protesters to prevent them from crossing the bridge. Law enforcement also fired rubber bullets and sprayed protesters with water in temperatures that reached as low as 18 Fahrenheit (minus 8 Celsius) overnight.

“It is below freezing right now and the Morton County Sheriff’s Department is using a water cannon on our people - that is an excessive and potentially deadly use of force," said Dallas Goldtooth, a spokesman for the Indigenous Environmental Network, one of the organizations involved in protests.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

Any of the officers who don't approve of spraying people with water at below-freezing temperatures and blowing people's arms off should step down or refuse to engage.

 

[Vena]

How exactly is this level of force legal? They're a few inches from just outright shooting these people with actual bullets if they're using concussion grenades.

 

[Red]

Any of the officers who don't approve of spraying people with water at below-freezing temperatures and blowing people's arms off should step down or refuse to engage.

So they can be replaced by officers who don't think that stuff is so bad?

 

[Switch Back 9]

I saw the photos today on my newsfeed, it's pretty bad. The family has asked people not to circulate the photos but at the same time I think people need to see what's happening.

 

[Lambtron]

Here's the "quality" analysis this is getting locally.

 

[BlazinSkatinAxel]

History repeating...

 

[Boney]

They were also shooting those bean bag shotguns in the face of protestors. This situation is insane, they called for state of emergency and have 5 different state police dp with militarized equipment.

And this shit is a practice run for when more people protest in cities.

Here's the "quality" analysis this is getting locally.

Man this is so outrageous

 

[Laiza]

At this point we can see their definition of "less-than-lethal" is far too relaxed - if it could cause that much damage to her arm, any closer to her internal organs and she would definitely have been killed.

And the use of water cannons in below-freezing weather? Really? No class, man.

On the flip side, if it makes people feel any better, we're not far off from having fully functional prosthetics that are indistinguishable from the real thing. Well, depending on your definition of "far off", anyway (I consider "within this decade" to be pretty close when we're talking about 1:1 replacement limbs). Not that anyone should ever need such a thing when we're talking about entirely avoidable human error.

Just another day in authoritarian America. Sigh. Ho-hum.

 

[SigmasonicX]

This is horrible. Definitely going to donate.

 

[platocplx]

Police should not be handling things like this. They are Extremely under trained for this and it shows. That poor woman.

 

[phanphare]

this whole situation has been disgusting. really goes to show how the big money interests have a stranglehold on the media and politicians.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

How many police and how many protestors are there?

 

[Byakuya769]

Police state.

 

[Akuun]

All this senseless violence to push through a fucking oil pipeline.

If they actually go forward with internment camps or something, these same police will show up with this shit.

 

[Nappuccino]

Jesus Christ.

 

[Ac30]

Here's the "quality" analysis this is getting locally.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry, this is some quality victim blaming.

 

[Frankfurter]

Why on earth do police throw concussion grenades at protestors? Is this a civil war?

 

[RefigeKru]

“The best-case scenario is no pain and 10-20% functionality,” said Wayne Wilansky, Sophia’s father, who travelled to Minneapolis where his daughter underwent eight hours of surgery on Monday. He said his daughter had been hit by a concussion grenade thrown by a police officer and that the arteries, median nerve, muscle and bone in her left arm had been “blown away”.

Absolutely disgusting.

Why do they even have grenades?

 

[Javaman]

Man, that's horrible. I wonder if the cops "cooked" the grenade and it went off midair or if she tried to pick it up.

 

[Bruce Springsteen]

I thought these were peaceful protests, did they recently get violent?

History repeating...

this is not the same compared that, false equivalency is trash on both sides when used

 

[HighResTomato]

History repeating...

Yeah... totally the same.

Spoiler

/s

 

[How About No]

This is disgusting

 

[Kinyou]

Aren't the protesters peaceful? Should be illegal to use these kind of weapons against them.

 

[Syder]

This is completely deplorable.

 

[Mega]

History repeating...

This is bad in its own way but it isn't remotely the same as the widespread and systemic discrimination that befell entire black communities.

 

[wesleyshark]

Saw the photos on twitter last night (someone RTd them, thanks?) Her arm was an absolute mess. Horrifying.

 

[Duane Cunningham]

Here's the "quality" analysis this is getting locally.

Ugh why do I always read the comments.

 

[Boney]

How many police and how many protestors are there?

I mean, it's not your fault since no media is covering this and GAF has just a passing interest but this has been going on for months, with many tribes, even some from South America joining the protest camps.

There's hundreds of people protesting and being faced with unmeasured force and humiliating treatment after arrests. Vicious dogs, pepper sprays, clubs and non lethal guns are being used. The arrested people for "trespassing have been kept in dog kennels for numerous hours without any comunication.

They've also arrested the few reporters and documentarians there, some facing 5 years of jail time.

This is the same guy that is happy trump got elected since trump has investments in that company and will by pass the eco impact study that's being demanded

I thought these were peaceful protests, did they recently get violent?

Uhm no? They've been bashing the protestors skulls open for months on end, there's numerous activists doctors helping down there.

 

[azyless]

Saw a picture of her arm earlier, it was shocking. How do you justify using such violence ?
And then the poor woman has to rely on freaking crowdfunding to pay for injuries sustained at the hands of police, absolutely insane.

 

[Nevasleep]

WTF why are American police such whimps.
Shields and batons, unless they are seriously violent.

Police should not be handling things like this. They are Extremely under trained for this and it shows. That poor woman.

This is the police's job, they need to be trained correctly. Other countries can manage it. Doubt much is going to change though for a while.

 

[DarkKyo]

This country needs to reboot its police system from scratch to weed out all the shit. That will never happen though since the US power structure will need its police state in the coming years.

 

[Boney]

Here's how they were attacking protestors last month.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Where's all the bad ass open carry bros protesting against the government now?

 

[Patrick S.]

Holy fucking shit, don't do the same mistake I did and image search her name There are graphic pictures of her injuries. No way in hell is that arm salvageable Poor girl

 

[Old Gimlet Eyes]

Concussion grenade? Like a flashbang or what?

 

[CoolOff]

Here's the "quality" analysis this is getting locally.

Man, that comment section.

 

[Dartastic]

Dear god. Seriously, at what point is it legally defensible to carry a weapon and return fire? I'm not saying that they should, but the police there can literally kill people with things like using water cannons in freezing weather. Now they've mutilated a young woman. This is wrong, in every sense of the word.

 

[Oersted]

Obama, where are you?

 

[eggandI]

And this is why everyone should own a gun.

 

[Kinsei]

This is sickening.

And this is why everyone should own a gun.

And if she did then she'd be dead right now.

 

[stump sock]

Dear god. Seriously, at what point is it legally defensible to carry a weapon and return fire?

never.

 

[Mr. X]

Warm up for when people start protesting internment camps, deportation squads and conversion therapy.

 

[gaugebozo]

I keep seeing the grenades being called "concussion." Do they mean "stun", like flashbangs? A concussion grenade is a high explosive with the purpose of killing everything in close quarters.

 

[Trojita]

Here's the "quality" analysis this is getting locally.

 

[eggandI]

Warm up for when people start protesting internment camps, deportation squads and conversion therapy.

Yup. This is why entire communities need to arm themselves for self defense. When trump sends his thugs to suppress protests they won't stop at tear gas and rubber bullets

 

[Dartastic]

never.

When police are using potentially lethal force against protesters I'm not so sure about that.

 

[AbsolutBro]

This is bad in its own way but it isn't remotely the same as the widespread and systemic discrimination that befell entire black communities.

As opposed to the "widespread and systemic discrimination that befell entire" native tribes?

 

[eggandI]

never.

LOL

 

[stump sock]

When police are using potentially lethal force against protesters I'm not so sure about that.

you asked when you could legally do it. I answered.

e: let me put it another way. It's illegal to defend your property if a cop illegally enters it. If a cop attacks you for no reason, you fighting back has then given them a reason. It's a no-win situation.