Shailene Woodley was arrested yesterday (Monday, 10th October) for criminal trespassing while peacefully protesting the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) at North Dakota’s Standing Rock Reservation.
The “Divergent” actress captured the entire ordeal on live stream via Facebook Live, making sure that everyone around the world could witness what was going on. Her arrest at a construction site happened towards the end of her 2-hour video when she was placed in handcuffs and taken into custody.
At one point, her video camera was facing the wrong direction, so Woodley explained what was taking place. “I don’t know if you guys just heard me, but I was walking back to my RV, which is right there so that we can go back to camp peacefully and they grabbed me by my jacket and said that I was not allowed to continue,” the actress said in the video. “And they had giant guns and batons and zip ties and they’re not letting me go.”
When the long time activist wanted to know the reason for her arrest, the official replied, “We can’t talk right here, but you’re going to be placed under arrest for criminal trespassing.” “Yeah, but so did hundreds of people, we were all down there. When you asked us to leave, we did,” Woodley answered.
The 24-year-old star claimed that armed police were waiting to arrest her at her vehicle because of her celebrity status in addition to the fact that there were “40,000 people watching”. Besides Woodley herself, 26 other protestors were also arrested for trespassing.
In a report by E! News, Woodley’s publicist has confirmed that the actress has since been released from Morton County Jail in North Dakota. “She appreciates the outpouring of support, not only for her, but more importantly, for the continued fight against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline,” said Woodley’s rep.
True enough, many of Woodley’s friends from Hollywood has taken to social media to voice their support for her efforts. Check out their tweets below:
I feel proud of you. @shailenewoodley #DakotaAccessPipeline https://t.co/XiwTNsKBTa
— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) October 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/AnselElgort/status/785583147031339009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
I stand with @shailenewoodley for standing with the Standing Rock Water Protectors. #NoDAPL https://t.co/BqIbfApUCI
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) October 10, 2016
You can arrest someone but you CANNOT silence them… https://t.co/hGvzmiYArD
— Maggie Q (@MaggieQ) October 10, 2016
Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day … How will you celebrate? Please watch @shailenewoodley and others protest the #DAPL … Heroes XX
— Charlie Carver (@Charlie_Carver) October 10, 2016
As of time of writing, the Woodley’s full 2-hour video from Facebook Live has since been viewed more than 3.1 million times.
Watch:
Just 2 months ago, the cast of “Justice League” – Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and Ezra Miller – threw their support behind the “Rezpect Our Water” campaign in protest to the construction of the pipeline.
Sources: E! News, CNN, MTV, BBC.
