Shailene Woodley has reportedly been arrested for criminal trespassing while peacefully protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Woodley, who previously voiced her opinion about the controversial pipeline issue, streamed a live video on Facebook Live of her involvement in a recent peaceful protest against the Dakota Pipeline. The two-hour long video took a drastic turn when police arrived to break up the protestors and an officer started to speak directly to the actress. The unidentified officer is seen telling Woodley on the video that she was going to be placed under arrest for trespassing.
The actress asked why she was being arrested, when no one else in the group was being apprehended. Woodley then asked the officers if she was being arrested because she is considered a famous celebrity.
Another officer commented that she is being arrested for trespassing on private property and ignored her previous question. Shailene Woodley then started to ask why the other hundred or so people at the gathering aren’t being taken away in handcuffs.
The actress claimed the only reason why she was being arrested was because she had over 40,000 people watching her Facebook Live video. The actress also reportedly claimed that when she was heading toward her vehicle, the police surrounded her with “giant guns” and a “giant truck” just so that they can arrest her.
The Morton Country Sheriff’s Department official stated that Woodley was one out of 27 people who were arrested at the protest site. The official also stated that the protest started at 7am Central Time and ended at 12:30 pm after the police arrived. The department official concluded their statement claiming that 125 to 150 people attended the protest and Woodley was arrested around noon.
Last Sunday a federal judge rejected the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s request for a permanent injunction to block the planned Dakota pipeline. The tribe stated in the trial that the new pipeline would not only cross tribal land but intrude into their burial grounds.
The pipe is expected to extend 1,170 miles and cost 3.7 million dollars to install. The pipe is also expected to be responsible for transporting 470,000 barrels of oil a day.
