On November 19, 2018, Williams & Connolly, LLP and the Civil Liberties Defense Center filed a civil rights action in the U.S. District Court of North Dakota against Morton County, ND and other law enforcement agents on behalf of Sophia Wilansky, a water protector present at the Oceti Sakowin camp as part of the Standing Rock resistance to the\u00a0Dakota Access Pipeline.<\/p>\n
“At the time Sophia Wilansky alleges she was grievously injured by an explosive munition launched by a heavily militarized law enforcement presence, Sophia was engaged in a peaceful demonstration against the proliferation of fossil fuels and the disregard of Indigenous rights, two of society\u2019s most significant moral issues.\u00a0 Such civic engagement by Sophia (only 21 years old at the time) and her generation is critical to our nation\u2019s future.\u00a0 Law enforcement\u2019s violent response not only violated the Constitution but also threatens our democracy.\u00a0 It would be too easy for Sophia to let this painful episode pass to avoid further public ridicule.\u00a0 Instead, she took the courageous step of filing this lawsuit yesterday because she refuses to accept that we live in a society where the government has a license to maim (if not kill) those who seek to engage in nonviolent civil protest.\u201d Lauren Regan, attorney for Sophia Wilansky.<\/p>\n
Read the full complaint against law enforcement here:<\/p>\n