DAPL Cleanup Continues, but Does the Protest?

Bobcat engines are still roaring in day two of the cleanup at the DAPL campground.

The number of protesters there are continuing to dwindle, begging the question, what’s next?

William McMaster is from Idaho and has been at the DAPL campsite since November

He says the cleanup caught most people here off guard at first.

“A lot more of these dumpsters had shown up here,” McMaster said. “At first, because there wasn’t a lot of communication at first people weren’t really sure what was going on.”

Volunteers say it’s tons of trash spread through out the campground.

People like McMaster has been trying to help in the efforts.

“It gives us a lot to do here over the past couple of months,” he said. “It’s just been picking up sorting through things for donations. A lot of donations is being forwarded to other reservations.

The protest campsite a few months was bigger than cities in the state of North Dakota. Now, it’s seemingly a ghost town.

So, with the cleanup, does that mean the protest is over?

The people here sure don’t think so.

“It’s never over. It’s never been over since back in the day,” Ira Makes Him First Jr. said.

President Donald Trump continues to make noise with his executive orders, leaving doubt in the minds of protesters.

Makes Him First Jr. thinks with the uncertainty looming over the camp, may bring more people back.

“It’s going to pick up.”

McMaster says the protest changed his life. Even when it does end, he thinks this protest will have a lasting impact.

“The ripple effect of this is the beauty of this. Like I said earlier, the fuse has been lit. “