Presidential Candidate Jill Stein Sticks It To ‘The Man,’ Arrest Warrant Issued


Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein literally walked the walk during her time protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline recently, and now she’s a wanted woman, with a warrant out for her arrest.

According to The Guardian, Stein and her running mate, Ajamu Baraka, spray-painted messages on construction equipment that sits on sacred Lakota land. Controversy over who actually owns the land the equipment sits on has muddied the issue. However, the Standing Rock Lakota say that the cordoned-off land actually belongs to the tribe, and the land that was bulldozed was a sacred burial ground.

Stein was invited by the protesters, who call themselves “Water Protectors,” because of their focus on how the DAPL could permanently impact the water supply beneath the Missouri River. Jill was encouraged to leave a message for the DAPL and its parent company, Energy Transfer Partners. She spray painted “I approve this message” on the large front blade of the dozer. Baraka spray-painted the word “decolonization” on another piece of equipment.

For these acts of civil disobedience, the Morton County sheriff’s office issued an arrest warrant for both Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka. It’s not the first time Jill has been arrested, and it may not be the last. She is one of the rare people seeking office who is willing to put her freedom on the line in order to stand up for what she believes is right. A warrant for a misdemeanor vandalism charge (for an act that did no permanent damage) will not mute Stein or her message of unity, dignity, and respect for others.

The New York Times reports that the warrant was issued for criminal trespass and criminal mischief, and are valid only in North Dakota.

Jill Stein has brought up a bigger question: why are those who willfully bulldozed Indian burial grounds not also charged with vandalism? The destruction of Lakota ancestors’ graves is akin to bulldozing Arlington Cemetery. It’s highly disrespectful, and insults the relatives of those who died. On Sunday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supported a motion for a temporary restraining order against the oil company, which should have stopped further construction. Instead, workers took bulldozers on what activists called “a 20-mile detour” with the singular goal of destroying ancient burial grounds, according to the Free Thought Project.

In responding to the arrest warrant, Stein issued a statement on Wednesday.

“I hope the North Dakota authorities press charges against the real vandalism taking place at Standing Rock Sioux reservation: the bulldozing of sacred burial sites and the unleashing of attack dogs. I hope they take action against the Dakota Access Pipeline company that is endangering drinking water not only for the Standing Rock Sioux, but for millions of people downstream of the reservation who depend on the Missouri River.”

Jill Stein has also called the DAPL “vandalism on steroids,” and knowing the potential for environmental damage it has, her statement is not far off the mark.

The Morton County sheriff’s overreaction in issuing an arrest warrant for Jill Stein over spray-painted equipment tells a bigger story. It is the story of how the fossil fuel industry uses government entities to advance their own agendas. It is a story of a corrupt government willing to sacrifice the health and lives of those they believe cannot fight back.

In response to Stein’s spray painting, some critics on social media have called Stein’s actions unpresidential, but even presidential candidates ought to show their willingness to go the distance to hamper the development of projects that pose a threat to the health and culture of a group of people. If the warrant is fulfilled and Jill is arrested, it still will not stop her from continuing to “stick it to the Man,” so to speak.

In a video statement while visiting the construction site, Stein expressed outrage at the continued desecration of indigenous lands and indigenous sovereignty. She also expressed an urgency to stop projects that continue to negatively affect the climate.

While former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has openly denounced the DAPL, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has remained silent on the issue. A previous Inquisitr article examined why Clinton has not uttered a word of support for the Standing Rock Lakota, despite prior vows to stand up for Native Americans.

Despite her warrant, Jill Stein will be in Chicago on Friday, September 9, at 4:00 p.m. in Daley Plaza for a rally. Her focus will be the Standing Rock Lakota and their fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline issue.

[Photo by Alicia Ewen/KX News/AP Images]

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