This is the 10th anniversary of the Anti-Dakota Access Pipeline protest, which began in April 2016 and ended February 2, 2017 and took place near the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. The pipeline ran from the Bakken oil fields in western North Dakota to southern Illinois, crossing beneath both the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, and under Lake Oahe near the Standing Rock Reservation. Many from the reservation and surrounding communities consider the pipeline to be a serious threat to the region’s water. The construction also directly threatened ancient burial grounds and cultural sites of historic importance.

The NoDAPL protest was a flashpoint for environmental activists and Native people. This was the first time that all Tribal Nations across the continent had come together in a unanimous show of support. Many environmental and civil rights groups also joined in the effort. It also showed the extent at which state and local law enforcement had become militarized and their willingness to use weapons of war against US citizens.