Sports

Banner Protesting Dakota Access Pipeline Drops From The Roof Of Stadium During Vikings Game

The stunt was so well-coordinated many thought it was a sanctioned event.

In a move so logistically impressive that many thought it was a team-sponsored event, protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline managed to unfurl an enormous banner during Sunday’s Vikings-Bears game. While the Minneapolis venue is among the closest to the proposed pipeline, the protesters sought to bring to light a lesser-known aspect of the controversial project. US Bank, the namesake and sponsor of the Vikings’ US Bank Stadium, serves as a principle funding source of the project, offering a $175 million credit line to Energy Transfer Partners, a parent company of the project. To learn more about the 17 institutions that serve as capital partners in the Dakota Access Pipeline, visit this site, which lists the companies and their involvement.

The banner reads in large letters “DIVEST” followed by the hashtag “NoDAPL.”

In short order, the police showed up, and due to safety concerns that come with having unauthorized people dangling above crowded sporting events, the seats below were cleared to ensure that if the perpetrators fell, they wouldn’t take out unwitting sports fans below them.

Here’s perhaps the most nausea-inducing look at the two men as they dangled above the action:

The protesters, Karl Mayo and Sen Holiday, remained up there until the end of the game, at which point they were taken into custody for trespassing.

Those responsible followed up the stunt with a more traditional ploy – a press release:

Though the project was stopped in early December, it is set to be rerouted, meaning the same environmental issues will surface, albeit in a different area.