Three Unicorn Riot Journalists Face Trial This Week From DAPL Coverage

Morton County, ND / Lee County, IA – A week after a heavily militarized police force evicted the main #NoDAPL encampment, three Unicorn Riot journalists are set for trial facing criminal trespass charges stemming from our fall 2016 coverage of direct actions intended to stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

[UPDATE: Three Unicorn Riot Journalists Have #NoDAPL Arrest Charges Dropped]

Chris Schiano and Niko Georgiades have trial dates of March 2nd and March 3rd in Morton County, North Dakota for criminal trespass. They were both arrested in a mass arrest on September 13th while reporting on a direct action which stopped pipeline work.

Jenn Schreiter has trial March 1st in Lee County, Iowa. They were arrested on October 12th while reporting on a Mississippi Stand action during which a water protector locked herself to DAPL construction equipment near Keokuk, Iowa.

In total, four Unicorn Riot journalists face criminal charges for our coverage. See our report from October 17, 2016 to read more: Four Unicorn Riot Journalists Face Charges For Covering #NoDAPL

The fourth journalist with charges, Lorenzo Serna, has two separate cases, in Iowa and North Dakota with trial dates upcoming. Lorenzo was arrested for trespassing after reporting on a October 7 event in which water protectors shut down the horizontal directional drill being used to put the Dakota Access Pipeline under the Mississippi River in Lee County, Iowa.

Lorenzo was also arrested in a mass arrest while reporting on a prayer walk near a pipeline site in Morton County, North Dakota and has been charged with engaging in a riot and criminal trespass.

Our reports from dates on which our reporters were arrested while producing #NoDAPL coverage:

September 13, 2016 – 20 Arrested During #NoDAPL Lockdown, Including 2 Unicorn Riot Journalists

October 7, 2016 – 6 Arrested in Iowa #NoDAPL Action, Including Unicorn Riot Journalist 

October 12, 2016 – Lockdown Stops DAPL Construction in Iowa, 3 Arrested, Including Unicorn Riot Journalist 

October 22, 2016 – Water Protectors’ Prayer Walk Ends Up with 127 Arrests, Including Unicorn Riot Journalist

Other organizations including The Intercept and the Committee to Protect Journalists have covered our situation and its implications for freedom of the press.


Below is Unicorn Riot's coverage of the #NoDAPL anti-Dakota Access Pipeline struggle from early summer 2016 to present:

Watch our feature-length documentary, Black Snake Killaz: A #NoDAPL Story

March - May 2016 August 2016 September 2016 October 2016 November 2016 December 2016 January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017 July 2017 January 2018 May 2018 July 2018 September 2019 July 2020 March 2021 April 2021 July 2021 September 2021 December 2021 July 2022 September 2022

Please consider a tax-deductible donation to help sustain our horizontally-organized, non-profit media organization: supportourworknew