So, the Morton County Sheriff’s Department claims that they took their Facebook account offline for five days, due to overwhelming negative attention and traffic. The page came down shortly after Anonymous threatened to take it down for the department’s treatment of the Standing Rock Water Protectors. While the removal of the page may not have in fact been the result of a hack, the question has arisen as to whether or not the page was scrubbed, due to the numerous federal civil rights violation lawsuits that have started to come in.
The page came down on the 25th of November. When it was first removed, there was much speculation as to who took it down. Was it Anonymous, as they had promised such action? Was it Facebook, who finally had enough? Or had the Sheriff’s Department actually taken it down themselves to ensure that the photos posted did not support allegations of civil rights violations? Anyone who has followed the activities of the Sheriff at Standing Rock knows that the Sheriff is a liar and a war criminal. He has conducted his war against the protesters in violation of the Geneva Convention, which is supposed to govern the treatment of war prisoners, to highlight the extent of his actions.
Videos and photos have flooded the internet, depicting acts of horrendous violence and cruelty to the indigenous native tribes and activists in attendance. Even after being exposed by the dozens of videos rolling, the Sheriff, Kyle Kirchmeiser, denied his use of water cannons and flash bang grenades. Other video has surfaced showing what is now known to be masked Morton County Deputies harassing and threatening protesters at a nearby hotel. The treatment of the peaceful participants of the sit-in at Standing Rock has been a mar on the nation. It has been a hotbed of civil rights violations, which Sheriff Kirchmeiser may have inadvertently displayed on his own Facebook page.
Despite the Sheriff’s claims that the site came down due to overwhelming traffic, it is clear that the removal of the page and obvious destruction of evidence is directly connected with a federal civil rights violation lawsuit filed against him and the Sheriff’s Department. Dundon v. Kirchner was filed in federal court after the complainant, Vanessa Dundon, was shot with a rubber bullet that caused significant damage to her face, and may ultimately result in the loss of her right eye. Dundon’s lawsuit was not the only one pending, however, due to the large number of victims of police violence at Standing Rock, it is difficult to say how many lawsuits in total will arise.
Morton County Sheriff’s Propaganda Video Series.
The Sheriff has lied and manipulated the media in his attempts to remove the Water Protectors from the path of the DAPL. Despite the recent determination by the Army Corps of Engineers to not grant additional permits to the Dallas pipeline company, Energy Transfer Partners, the oil giant has vowed to continue construction and simply “pay the fine.” This ensures that the battle over Standing Rock is far from over, and we are sure to see continued acts of violence against the only people who seem to care about the nation’s water supply.
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