A Eugene law firm is suing law enforcement agencies and the North Dakota County where thousands of Standing Rock Sioux and their allies are camped in protest of the expansion of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The class action suit claims excessive force by police against peaceful protesters.

On November 20th, DAPL protesters, who call themselves water protectors, walked onto a bridge that had been blocked by police vehicles. Attorney Lauren Regan with Eugene based Civil Liberties Defense Center says a small group tried to move one of the vehicles.

Regan: “And when they moved that vehicle to the side of the road, law enforcement began arriving in heavy numbers and, basically, what ensued over the next five hours was probably one of the most brutal, unethical, unlawful attacks against non-violent protesters since the 1960s.”

Regan compares it to the civil rights protests in Selma, Alabama. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets and fire hoses on protesters. Regan says more than 300 people were injured or sickened. The lawsuit calls on the court for a temporary restraining order against police.

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