West Roxbury Pipeline Protester Injured at Standing Rock

A New York woman who has demonstrated as part of West Roxbury's pipeline protest was severely injured while protesting a pipeline in Standing Rock, North Dakota, and could lose her arm, according to accounts from fellow activists.

Sophia Wilansky is part of the so-called “Mass Grave Six” and demonstrated alongside Vice President Al Gore's daughter, Karenna, against the Spectra pipeline here this June, as Boston Magazine first reported.

Activists claim Wilansky was injured at Standing Rock when she was "shot with a concussion grenade" in the course of a confrontation between police and protesters against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which crosses near tribal lands. Gory Facebook photos shared by supporters appear to show Wilansky's arm, bloody and badly disfigured.

According to a GoFundMe page raising money for Wilansky's treatment, "As of last night, we found out she was air lifted to County Medical Center in Minneapolis were she’s currently undergoing extensive, hours-long surgery from injuries sustained from the blast."

According to one supporter's post, Wilansky "will need multiple surgeries to try to gain some functional use of the arm and hand. She will be, every day for the foreseeable future, fearful of losing her arm and hand."

A sheriff's department spokesperson said "police had not used any concussion grenades during a clash with pipeline protesters on Sunday, contradicting several reports from activists," according to The LA Times.

Already, as of publication, the fundraising effort has topped $205,000 of its $250,000 goal.

Image via GoFundMe