On 29 July 2021, Jill Ferguson was arrested while protesting the construction of the Line 3 Pipeline. On 30 August 2021, a Clearwater County jury found the 68-year-old Milwaukee woman guilty of obstructing legal process (interference with a peace office), a misdemeanour, and she was sentenced to two days in prison with time served.

Ferguson suffered a concussion during the arrest, and said she continues to experience chronic physical and psychological effects from the trauma. “I have not been the same person physically, emotionally or spiritually since that day, and still receive treatment for post-concussion syndrome and PTSD. Part of the trauma is the hopelessness that I feel, knowing that we don’t have the right to defend our land and water. The first amendment has been obliterated while the second amendment is untouched.”