Indeed; any other blockade of the nation's capitol would have been violently broken up 3 weeks ago. That the federal government needed to declare this a nation

Indeed; any other blockade of the nation's capitol would have been violently broken up 3 weeks ago. That the federal government needed to declare this a national emergency to prompt the police to act is, itself, quite telling. The indigenous activists I've heard speak of this express hope that future protests will be treated with such honor, grace and respect.