Shailene Woodley just took celebrity activism to a new level. The Divergent actress was involved in a peaceful protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline in Sioux County, North Dakota, when police arrested her and 26 others for criminal trespassing. She was among 100 people who attended the rally, including her mom and friends.
“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,” Shailene said over Facebook Live as she streamed her arrest. “And they had giant guns and batons and zip ties, and they’re not letting me go.”
An officer is then seen telling her, “We can’t talk right here, but you’re going to be placed under arrest for criminal trespassing.”
More than 40,000 viewers tuned in to her live-stream, which ran for two hours and ended when she was placed in handcuffs and taken into custody. To help get her out, fans and supporters are using the hashtag #FreeShailene on Twitter.
On the way to the site, Shailene said, “Today is National Indigenous Day—some people like to call it Columbus Day, but that’s inaccurate—and the U.S. Court of Appeals decided to deny the injunction to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.”
The pipeline is currently in construction on Standing Rock Sioux ground. Activists are concerned that it will threaten the tribe’s ancestral lands and water supply. Watch Shailene’s Facebook Live video below.
