Standing Rock

I guess everyone has heard something about the Dakota Access Pipeline, Standing Rock and this big Native American movement to stop the pipeline from passing through the reservation’s water source. Of course the usual line was drawn. Some people side with the Dakota Access Pipeline and some people side with the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

They were originally going to construct the pipeline through Bismarck. Bismarck residents rejected the pipeline for the same reason the Sioux are rejecting it, they were concerned about their water source. Seeing how the pipe recently burst somewhere down the line, I think their concerns are reasonable.

Why weren’t the residents of Bismarck told that the pipeline was going through their area whether they liked it or not? Why was it acceptable for Bismarck to reject the pipeline?

The pipeline was re-routed to go through the Standing Rock Reservation. The Sioux rejected it, but their rejection was ignored. They’re taking a nonviolent stand and law enforcement is attempting to drive them off with violence. Why is that acceptable?