The First Amendment, and our right to know what is happening in North Dakota is under attack by the police and prosecutors in North Dakota.

Democracy Now's Amy Goodman, a highly regarded journalist, has been charged with riot, a misdemeanor punishable by jail time and a fine, for her coverage of the Standing Rock protests against the North Dakota Access Pipeline. Her reports on the situation, including the use of attack dogs on protestors, had a major impact on the public's awareness of the protests, and probably influenced the Obama administrations decision to halt work on the pipeline.

 Documentary film maker and journalist Deia Schlosberg was arrested and charged with felonies carrying a whopping maximum sentence of up to 45 years in prison—simply for reporting on the ongoing Indigenous protests against fossil fuel infrastructure.

Actor Shailene Woodley was arrested on October 10th while live-streaming a prayer action at a Dakota Access construction site. The police told her she was singled out because she was well-known and had 40,000 people watching live on her Facebook page.

These people are being arrested and charged with crimes for merely exercising their First Amendment rights, and informing the world about what is happening in North Dakota.

It is time for the federal government to step in and enforce the laws protecting our Constitutional rights.

Therefor, we are petitioning Christopher C. Myers, Acting U.S. Attorney for North Dakota, to do the job that he is sworn to do. He should protect and defend the Constitution by putting the police and prosecutors of North Dakota on notice that if they do not immediately drop all charges against people exercising their First Amendment rights, that he will enforce federal laws against violation of rights, specifically 18 USC 241 and 18 USC 242. If the police and prosecutors do not heed his warning, he should have them arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.