The New York Times is one of a plethora of national media organizations covering the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. They spoke to a protester and a deputy.

Those against the pipeline have been fighting its construction for months and in recent weeks, things have become more heated.

The protesters, or water protectors, as they call themselves claim the protests are peaceful. Law enforcement on the other hand has called the protests riots and have responded with heavy machinery.

Mekaski Horinek is the activist the New York Times spoke with:

Mr. Horinek says he and the others, including his 68-year-old mother, were zip-tied and driven to the county seat, Mandan. He says he had bruises from being tied up so tightly, and from being thrown to the ground and pinned during his arrest. His mother and some of the older people were stiff and sore for days, he says.

Officials wrote numbers on their arms — his was 4838, he says — and held them overnight in cages in a parking garage, men and women separated by a plastic tarp. They spent the night singing and praying.

John Moll is the the sheriff's deputy the New York Times spoke with:

On this day, officials decided to move in and arrest the protesters for trespassing. As they did, some in the crowd started to yell, 'Bring out your horses!' to fellow activists who had parked their trailers in a field of winter wheat. From his patrol car, Mr. Moll says, he saw one of the horses charge directly at a line of officers, and he hit the gas and raced over to cut off the horse as another officer raised a shotgun loaded with beanbag rounds at the rider.

You run a 1,000-pound animal at a 200-pound person, that’s a deadly threat, Mr. Moll said. They were willing to use the threat of the horse against us, all the while screaming, ‘We’re peaceful protesters.’

Both individuals had much more to say. Read the full article here.

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