AP

Minnesota judge: Blocking pipeline protest camp was wrong

Sep 13, 2022, 7:57 PM | Updated: Sep 14, 2022, 9:27 am

PARK RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) — A judge in Minnesota has ruled that sheriff’s officials had no right to block access to a camp set up in opposition to the Enbridge Line 3 oil pipeline.

In an order issued Tuesday, Hubbard County District Judge Jana Austad ruled the pipeline protesters were using a private driveway, not a county trail, to access Camp Namewag near Menahga.

In June 2021, Hubbard County Sheriff Cory Aukes served notice on American Indian activist Winona LaDuke and Tara Houska, who manages the site, that the road to the camp was a county-owned trail which would be barricaded and that those who drove on it would be arrested.

The blockade lasted about three days, according to court filings, and then was in place occasionally after that. Sheriff’s deputies made a number of arrests and blocked people from bringing food and water onto the property, according to the civil complaint filed by LaDuke and Houska.

Austad ordered the sheriff to take down any notices prohibiting motor vehicle traffic on the driveway. She also voided the citations LaDuke and Houska were given for driving on the roadway.

In her order, Austad wrote that the easement and driveway clearly were linked to the camp, which would be landlocked without them, and the county had no right to block the road.

In 2018, LaDuke bought a parcel of land near Menahga and secured an easement to reach it across county-managed land, using the existing driveway, the Star Tribune reported.

The 1,100-mile tar sands pipeline, which has long been the target of protests, went on line in October and carries heavy crude oil from Canada to Superior, Wisconsin.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

20 hours ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

21 hours ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

21 hours ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

Minnesota judge: Blocking pipeline protest camp was wrong