So, a couple days ago, the “protestors” at the Dakota Access Pipeline had another incident with the cops and private security at the construction site. The two versions of what happened are in stark contrast to one another. One is based on reality, while the other is entirely fictional and written by people who know nothing about law enforcement tactics or equipment.
Just to clear up one important fact before we get too far into this, because some folks have not been paying attention to what is going on with this incident: the pipeline is being constructed on private property, not tribal lands.
Here are some quotes from the “Anti Media” piece that was written on the incident. Feel free to read the entire piece to make sure I’m not just pulling quotes out of context to make them look stupid.
“The month-long standoff between Native American ‘water protectors’ and militarized law enforcement saw a dramatic escalation as water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets, concussion grenades, armored vehicles, and other “less than lethal” weapons were used against the protesters after they cleared an abandoned vehicle that acted as a roadblock on a nearby bridge.”
“But perhaps the most egregious act was when a concussion grenade fired by police struck activist Sophia Wilansky in the arm, tearing it apart. In photos taken after the incident, bone could be seen where the flesh was torn away (photos are not included because they are too graphic). Her arm may need to be amputated due to the injuries.”
“In light of this overwhelmingly violent crackdown by U.S. law enforcement, one would expect the media to be up in arms with their coverage of Standing Rock. I mean, chemical weapons (tear gas), grenades, assault weapons, water cannons, and street tanks are being deployed against peaceful Americans in America. But the media’s coverage is apathetic. In fact, most outlets are downplaying the violence there.”
So that is what these folks are pushing as the “truth.” Even though I was not there, I can only see one allegation they make that I partially agree with, and that is the very last line that I quoted. There is indeed violence occurring there, but not like they are insinuating, but more on that later.
The following screen grab shows the injuries the “protester” received and the text in which they attempt to claim how she received those injuries.
Before moving on, I need to address a few of the completely moronic comments from this ridiculously biased pile of trash.
First, there is no such thing as “DAPL Police.” Law enforcement agencies are government entities; they are not employed by a private company building a pipeline. While there may indeed be private security contractors working at that location, insinuating they are “police” is completely dishonest. Also, there are indeed law enforcement officers working there too, but they are not employed by the pipeline. You sound like a complete idiot if you cannot even get simple matters like this correct.
Second, nothing about this sentence, “a concussion grenade fired by police struck activist Sophia Wilansky in the arm, tearing it apart” is based on reality. Cops do not use “concussion grenades,” but we do use flashbang grenades, which are a diversionary device. Flashbangs are handheld and thrown, they are not “fired” or launched from anything. Even if you were to be hit with one, it would not be flying with enough force to do the type of damage that was inflicted. It would hurt like hell, but would be similar to getting hit with a large rock. When a flashbang goes off, it DOES NOT FRAGMENT. The heavy steel body is extensively ventilated and when they go off, they make a very loud bang and emit a very bright flash of light. Other than the possibility of receiving a burn if you were too close, or receiving hearing damage, they do not cause injuries. However, in my 20 years in law enforcement, I have seen injuries very similar to those on a number of occasions, and they were never from blunt force impacts. Every time I saw them, they were the results of some dirtbag making explosives (pipe bombs or CO2 canister bombs) and accidentally blowing themselves up. Just saying.
And just to be clear, Anti Media are not the only leftist media sources pushing this fictional version. RT, HuffPo, EcoWatch, RT again, and the list goes on. Even some celebrities decided to jump in on Twitter and share their ignorance on the matter with the world.
Please help this water protector who’s having her arm amputated after being hit by a concussion grenade at #standingrock last night#NoDAPL https://t.co/Z1eVCXX3s9
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) November 22, 2016
Moving on…
The Daily Caller ran a piece on the same incident and it was a much more balanced article than any of those others. In fact, it included information from both sides of the incident, not just the “protesters” as the Anti Media piece does. Rather than me quoting it, because nothing in the Daily Caller piece is utterly ridiculous requiring quotations, you should just read the entire, reasonably short article.
Then lastly, we have a piece by Bob Owens over at BearingArms.com. Bob did some digging and his article sheds a ton of light on the situation. Not only does the information he gathered sound more realistic, it actually would explain the amount of damage received by that “protester.” You see folks, remnants of several likely improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered from the scene. To get more of the real facts, read the whole article.
If you ever used to listen to Paul Harvey, then you are familiar with his signature line, “and you know the rest of the story.”
The only thing I would add to what Bob wrote is, don’t be surprised when the feds arrest Sophia Wilansky after she gets out of the hospital, likely minus a left arm.
(hat tip to Alan G. for the links)