It was exactly one year ago yesterday (August 10) that protesters opposed to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline took to the streets in North Dakota and elsewhere.

As NBC/North Dakota News reminds us, it didn't take long for the initial protests to garner world-wide attention.

A number of prominent people spoke out against the pipeline's construction. Among those arrested during the protests were actress Shailene Woodley and presidential candidate Jill Stein.

{Earlier this week, Dr. Stein pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal mischief, as reported in the Bismarck Tribune.]

Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier told NBC/North Dakota News that as summer turned into fall, last year's demonstrations became more volatile.

Standing Rock Sioux tribal Chairman David Archambault credits social media with the growth of interest in the protests.

A year later, the pipeline is active; the struggle to shut it down continues in the federal court system.

The total cost of the protest to taxpayers: $38.2 million; $30 million to salaries for officers policing the protests.

Protesters arrested: 709.

The protests lasted seven months and 22 days.

 

 

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