RAPID CITY (AP) — The Pennington County Sheriff and an organizer of a July 3 demonstration near Mount Rushmore have continued to clash over their account of who escalated confrontations between protesters and law enforcement.
The Rapid City Journal reports that Nick Tilsen, a protest organizer who is facing felony charges for his actions during the protest, accused law enforcement of mismanaging the situation and committing violence. But Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom said demonstrators broke the plans they had communicated to him and escalated the protest to confront law enforcement.
Thom also defended the decision to deploy the National Guard, who used shields, pepper spray and pepper balls to try to disperse protesters. He said the action was a success because no one was injured.
A group of protesters, led by Lakota activists, blocked the road leading to Mount Rushmore ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit for a fireworks celebration on July 3. The demonstration ended when protesters either dispersed or were voluntarily arrested.
21 people were arrested and charged with misdemeanor offenses. The organization that Tilsen operates, NDN Collective, has said the charges are “trumped-up” and called for them to be dropped.
Thom has said he expects to make more arrests in the demonstration.
