Local Community Rallies Around Morton County Law Enforcement

It has become evident that the situation in Morton County has created a stress on public safety officers and financial resources greater than anyone could have anticipated three months ago.

In this situation, the local community has come together to support the men and women who are protecting private property as well as those working on the lawful construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

In support, residents have started a GoFundMe account called the “Morton County Heroes Fund,” designed to support law enforcement and ranchers affected by the protests. Wayne Papke of Mandan, who started the account, has begun to receive funds from donors around the country, and is working with farming organizations to help ranchers with the cost of livestock that has been lost, slaughtered, or gone missing in the midst of the protest chaos.

Local residents aren’t the only ones who are thankful, in an open-letter from the labor community pipeline workers thanked members of law enforcement who are protecting their right to a safe workplace. In the letter Cory Bryson of Bismarck wrote, “Every North Dakotan deserves the right to feel safe at home, at work, and in the communities where we live.”