Leaders and members of the
Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho attempted to block a megaload shipment that passed through the reservation early this morning.
Several leaders, including Chairman Silas Whitman, were taken into custody, The Lewiston Tribune reported. But they were not removed from the protest site, the paper said, so it's unclear whether they will face any charges.
"We are tired of being pushed," Whitman said last night, the Associated Press reported.
About 100 people, mostly tribal members gathered at a site in front of the
Clearwater River Casino on the northwestern part of the reservation. That's where the truck entered US Highway 12 around 2:25am, the Tribune reported.
The truck continued along the highway, which passes through the reservation. The shipment will continue through the Clearwater National Forest before entering Montana.
The truck is carrying a 225-foot-long water purification unit. The equipment is headed to the tar sands oil development area in Alberta, Canada.
A second truck is expected.
Get the Story:
Nez Perce briefly block megaload passage on Highway 12
(AP 8/6)
Tribe says it will intercept megaload on US 12
(AP 8/6)
Megaload passes by after protest, protesters had stopped load
(The Lewiston Tribune 8/6)
Nez Perce say they will stop U.S. 12 megaload
(The Spokesman Review 8/6)
Nez Perce, Forest Service fault Hillsboro's Omega Morgan for planning megaload shipments to Canada's tar sands
(The Oregonian 8/6)
Related Stories
Nez Perce Tribe opposes megaload shipments on
highways (8/5)
Join the Conversation
