Violent Police Crackdown at Standing Rock Documented by Josh Fox, Journalist/Congressional Candidate Erin Schrode Shot By Police with Rubber Bullets

CANNONBALL, N.D., Nov. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Firing mace, pepper spray and rubber bullets, police cracked down on a peaceful protest led by the Standing Rock Sioux against the Dakota Access Pipeline today in Cannonball, North Dakota.

Eyewitnesses include Erin Schrode, a 25-year old journalist who ran for Congress in California, shot today by police at point-blank range with rubber bullets, and Josh Fox, the Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker of GASLAND. Last month, the producer of Fox's latest film "How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change" Deia Schlosberg was arrested and charged with serious felonies for filming pipeline protest actions.

"We witnessed a very brutal police repression of a very peaceful protest," said Fox. "About 300 peaceful water protectors standing in the water, freezing, were confronted by about 100 police with shotguns, riot gear, mace and pepper spray. Suddenly I am watching people being maced, then I hear a pop and see that they shot Erin Schrode with a rubber bullet.  How is it possible that from ten feet away, they are shooting at peaceful protesters, journalists, bystanders, medics?"

"They were standing up there praying for these officers who were wielding guns, said Schrode.  "I was facing the water when I felt the strongest brute-force blow to my lower back.  I went down, people scattered and I saw the guy with the rubber bullet gun staring down his barrel at me."  Schrode has posted a statement about her experience on facebook.

"We need our government to step up," Fox said.  "Barack Obama says, wait two to three more weeks and then they'll make a decision about moving the pipeline route.   That's insane. People are being hurt today."

"We have a president who is saying, we will wait weeks, we have an Attorney General who is absent, we have a mainstream media who won't cover this," said Schrode. Though major outlets didn't cover today's crackdown, on NowThisNews, Fox's short video on Standing Rock got 12 million views in past 24 hours.  More than 1 million people have "checked in" on Facebook to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation page, in support of the protesters. Fox has posted video of his and Schrode's eyewitness account and will soon post footage of the crackdown itself, on his facebook page.

Contact:  Stephen Kent, [email protected], 914-589-5988

SOURCE International WOW Company