Iran Press/ America: Over a dozen protesters were arrested on Friday after blocking Highway 16A, or Iron Mountain Road before President Trump was set to make his way from Rapid City to Keystone and then on the highway to Mount Rushmore. Several of those arrested prayed before being detained by law enforcement.
Protesters cited that the Black Hills are sacred to Native Americans and that Trump's administration opposes the interests of Native Americans and other minority groups, USA Today reported.
Trump’s protesters in Keystone arrested
Freddie Longworth, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, said that the problem is bigger than the current president, but that Trump was the catalyst.
"Respect our right to exist or expect our resistance," he said. "We are orphans crying in the night and we will keep making noise until they hear us."
The "orphans" to whom he is referring are all Indigenous people who were impacted for generations by broken treaties throughout United States history.
While several law enforcement agencies responded wearing riot gear, tear gas masks, and use of force weapons, they shot-close range smoke shells at protesters' feet and pepper spray into some protesters' eyes.
214
Read More:
Anti-racism protests in Los Angeles continue
Iran supports UN Human Rights Council meeting on racism in US
Ayatollah Araki's Message to all youths in the West: your justice-seeking movement is a blessed one
