First jailed Dakota Access protesters appeal to high court

BISMARCK, N.D. – The first people to be sent to jail for protesting the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota have appealed to the state’s Supreme Court.

Sixty-four-year-old Mary Redway of Providence, Rhode Island, and 27-year-old Alexander Simon of Lamy, New Mexico, were convicted Oct. 19 of misdemeanour disorderly conduct. Redway served four days in jail and Simon 12 days.

The Bismarck Tribune reports both are appealing their convictions, as is a third protester, 46-year-old Kevin Decker of St. Joseph, Missouri. He also was convicted of misdemeanour disorderly conduct. He was sentenced in February to a year of probation and $1,585 in fines and fees.

Protests against the pipeline resulted in 761 arrests from August 2016 to February 2017. Opponents worried about environmental harm, which the developer said were unfounded.