Line 3 demonstrations taper off after peaceful standoff with State Patrol

A standoff between more than 100 people protesting Enbridge Energy's new Line 3 oil pipeline and the Minnesota State Patrol ended soon after it began Friday on the Capitol grounds after days of demonstrations against the nearly completed project.

It was ultimately a quiet end to a week of peaceful demonstrations during which thousands of people made a late-stage plea to elected officials to halt construction on the controversial pipeline, which will carry oil from Canada to Superior, Wis. After arresting several protesters Friday afternoon, state troopers agreed to leave so a religious ceremony could take place.

"We held that ground today in prayer because it is our right as humans. We were born with that right to connect to spirits, mother and creation as we choose," said Niimi Makoons [Little Dancing Bear], founder of Protect the Sacred.

"Plus, we've got that Native American freedom of religion act," she said, referring to the 1978 federal law that preserves access to sites, use and possession of sacred objects and freedom to worship.

The Treaties Not Tar Sands protests had event permits for Tuesday through Thursday. But Friday afternoon, more than 100 troopers, many carrying wooden batons and zip ties, surrounded about a dozen remaining protesters as dozens more watched from outside a caution tape perimeter.

About 1:30 p.m., Makoons told the crowd that law enforcement had agreed to leave to allow the ceremony, and she asked the crowd to be respectful. They cheered as troopers left and chanted, "People united, we will never be defeated."

A news release Friday afternoon said "water protectors" — activists who oppose projects and policies that they believe harm water systems — had decided to end their ceremony on the Capitol lawn, but it said a march was planned from the Capitol to Wells Fargo on Saturday morning to protest the bank's funding of the new pipeline.

The $3 billion-plus Line 3 prompted a six-year battle through Minnesota's regulatory process, with Calgary-based Enbridge receiving its final permits late last year. The pipeline replaces the original Line 3, which is corroding and can be operated at only 51% capacity.

Enbridge says the new pipeline is a significant safety improvement and that it will restore the full flow and boost the company's earnings. Opponents say the line will expose new regions of Minnesota's lakes, rivers and wild rice waters to oil-spill degradation and exacerbate climate change.

Makoons said she would enter "fast and ceremony" for at least 38 days — or until the pipeline permits were revoked — to honor the 38 Dakota warriors hanged in a mass execution Dec. 26, 1862, in Mankato, Minn., after the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. She said what was happening Friday was a ceremony, not an event or protest, and that attendees had agreed to remove tepees.

According to Minnesota Department of Public Safety spokesman Bruce Gordon, a tepee remained on the Capitol grounds Friday after the event permit expired Thursday evening. The State Patrol, which is responsible for Capitol security, met with tribal liaisons, owners of the tepee and other group leaders "to come to an agreement for the group to voluntarily take the tepee down," he said in an e-mail.

"The tepee was removed by its owners while troopers provided security today. Personal property that remained at the site was also removed by members of the group," Gordon said. "Some individuals were uncooperative with creating space for the tepee to come down."

Four people were arrested on misdemeanor trespass charges, and another two were cited for obstruction and released, Gordon said.

The Capitol remained fenced off Friday with other law enforcement guarding the building. Organizers of this week's rallies have objected to the heightened security, saying it's a militarized response to peaceful demonstrations.

On Wednesday, about 2,000 people, including Indigenous leaders, elected officials and activists, descended on the Capitol and called on Gov. Tim Walz and President Joe Biden to halt construction of Line 3.

The 340-mile pipeline is more than 90% complete.

Staff writers Mike Hughlett and Stephen Montemayor contributed to this report.

Shannon Prather • 651-925-5037