(Stillness in the Storm Editor) Thanks to several readers, I was informed that this story is not accurate per a statement issued by Red Owl Legal Collective/National Lawyers Guild:
Our statement regarding the rumor of a 2.5 million-dollar anonymous donation to release #NoDAPL arrestees:
The Red Owl Legal Collective, who appeared at the bond hearings for those arrested, absolutely denies that any such contribution was received or used for bail money, vehicle forfeiture money, or in any manner for the defense of those arrested. We question the validity of the statement from “The White Wolf Pack” or any other media source, and we are concerned that this false assertion will deter people from contributing to the organizations who have been involved in posting bail for and defending the water protectors.
It appears the rumor could have been started to thwart donations and appease the growing tied of people who are rallying behind the cause.
Please continue to send help and spread the protest story far and wide.
by Nick Bernabe, November 1st 2016
Following the recent mass arrests of 141 people at the Dakota Access Pipeline construction site located near Standing Rock, North Dakota, an anonymous donor just donated $2.5 million to bail out everyone who was arrested at the protests.
The news came after Tamara Francis-Fourkiller, a tribal leader from the Caddo Nation tribe in Caddo County, Oklahoma, was arrested at Standing Rock. Francis-Fourkiller was released after spending two days in jail, but her family says she was just an innocent observer in the clashes between militarized law enforcement and Native American activists, or “water protectors.”
[UPDATE 11/1 4:35 pm EST: A statement from Red Owl Legal Collective/National Lawyers Guild that is advising Standing Rock has issued a statement saying the $2.5 million has not been received yet. We are waiting on confirmation from the Caddo Nation tribe.]
According to local news affiliate News On 6:
Family members of Caddo Nation chairwoman Tamara Francis-Fourkiller said an anonymous donor paid $2.5 million late Saturday afternoon to release everyone arrested on Thursday at the Dakota Access Pipeline site. They said, however, that Francis-Fourkiller should not have been arrested in the first place.
Though the donor who sent the $2.5 million remains anonymous, it appears the person is connected to the Caddo Nation tribe in some way .
News9.com – Oklahoma City, OK – News, Weather, Video and Sports |
The anonymous donation is welcome news to those arrested in the mass crackdown last Thursday; however, Standing Rock is still raising legal defense funds for future arrests — which are all but guaranteed to happen.
Related DAPL Standing Rock Articles and Updates
This article (Someone Just Donated $2.5 Million to Bail Out Everyone Arrested at Standing Rock) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Nick Bernabe and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email [email protected].
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Stillness in the Storm Editor’s note: Did you find a spelling error or grammar mistake? Do you think this article needs a correction or update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at [email protected]. Thank you for reading.
November 2nd, 2016: This article was retracted and updated given a statement received by a reader indicating that no such funds were actually received.
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