Barack Obama's Military Response to Standing Rock Protests Under Scrutiny Again Amid George Floyd Demonstrations

As people across the country continue to criticize President Donald Trump's militarized response [...]

By Allison Schonter

As people across the country continue to criticize President Donald Trump's militarized response to the George Floyd protests, former President Barack Obama's response to the Standing Rock protests is coming under renewed scrutiny. Currently, protests are taking place nationwide, drawing tens of thousands of people. The large demonstrations prompted Trump to announce that he would be "mobilizing all available federal resources, civilian and military, to stop the rioting and looting," leading to now viral scenes of peaceful protesters being tear gassed and shot with rubber bullets.

The Standing Rock protests, meanwhile, were sparked in 2016 in response to the approved construction of Energy Transfer Partners' Dakota Access Pipeline, which was set to run from North Dakota to southern Illinois, posing a threat to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation's drinking water as well as ancient burial grounds and cultural sites. In efforts to remove protesters, attack dogs, water guns, and other measures were used, including pepper spray and tear gas, and police with riot gear and military equipment were brought in. The Obama administration eventually denied a final permit to the pipeline, though in 2017, Trump signed an executive order that reversed the Obama legislation.

The heavy military and police responses to large protests, and the violence they brought, as many have said, points to a much larger problem. Across social media, many people have claimed that the responses show there is no divide between how political parties respond to such demonstrations, while others have used the examples to call for demilitarization of police and the banning of tear gas in the United States. Keep scrolling to see what social media is saying.

​

prevnext

​

prevnext

​

prevnext

​

prevnext

​

prevnext

​

prevnext

​

prev
0comments
Start the Conversation

of