U.S. Bank Stadium Protesters Charged With Misdemeanors

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 32-year-old Minneapolis man and 25-year-old St. Paul woman were both charged with misdemeanors for their protest of the Dakota Access pipeline during a Minnesota Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Sen Holiday and Karl Zimmermann were both charged with burglary, disorderly conduct and trespassing in connection with the Jan. 1 incident.

Minneapolis police were called to U.S. Bank Stadium during the Vikings' regular season finale against the Chicago Bears after two people were spotted rappelling from a catwalk and banner protesting the Dakota Access pipeline. Security personnel were forced to evacuate fans from seating below as a safety precaution.

According to a complaint, Zimmermann and Holiday gained access to the catwalk by entering an area restricted to the public. They jumped a fence or railing and started climbing up a ladder.

Zimmermann and Holiday, who both had tickets to the game to get entry to the stadium, used climbing equipment that they got past stadium security to attach themselves to the catwalk and rappel. They also had a banner, which stated "USbankDIVEST #NODAPL" in protest of the Dakota Access pipeline.

The complaint states the two were in that spot early in the football game and remained there until it was over. Officers demanded them to come down several times, but the two wouldn't comply. Police waited to remove them until the game was over to avoid confrontation with other fans.

If convicted on all charges, both face more than a year in jail and $5,000 in fines. Their first appearance is Feb. 17.