Hundreds Protest Against Dakota Pipeline on Thanksgiving

More than 350 people protested in Portland, Oregon, to show their solidarity with North Dakota protesters, who have been camped out for months to show their opposition to the pipeline that they say would damage sacred territories of indigenous Americans. Families with young children rallied together, despite the chilling rain.

According to Shannon Berger-Hammon of Families for Peaceful Protest, the organization behind the Oregon rally, the Thanksgiving is "meant to highlight peace and thanks and community and to celebrate indigenous nations, and the indigenous nations are suffering right now."

​Earlier this day, some 300 people gathered in the North Dakota city of Mandan, some 50 miles from the main protest camp. The protesters reportedly blocked traffic at one intersection and nearby streets, deploying tables with pumpkins and a pig head and passing out food to attendees.

​The people of Mandan have reportedly been issued a phone warning about the upcoming protest by local police. The recorded message urged people to be "on alert to their surroundings" and report any "suspicious activity," as "rioters" were expected to try to "create an unsafe environment to public."

​At least one protester has been arrested, according to local police. More than 520 protesters have been arrested since August, as protests against Dakota Access pipeline intensified by the end of the year.