Pine Ridge, South Dakota – Aerial footage filmed by X user Rob shows hundreds gathered at a field in Pine Ridge on Day 3 of a grassroots vigil and protest. Indigenous families and activists are calling for justice and transparency for dozens of missing or detained Lakota community members following a federal raid on the reservation last month.

The 45-second drone video captures roughly 300–400 people across dew-covered grass under a fading amber sky. Most wear black hoodies, beanies, and boots. Many hold faded photographs or small handmade signs, while some stand silently, facing the horizon.

A dozen figures in bright orange jumpsuits or vests move along the crowd’s edge. One unfurls a banner reading “Justice for the Forgotten” before the wind snaps it closed. Their presence adds contrast to the otherwise dark sea of mourners.

Law enforcement forms a perimeter roughly 50 yards out, with two dozen officers in tactical camouflage and blue riot gear. Some hold rifles at low ready while others speak into radios. Plainclothes officers move through the crowd, and mounted patrols circle the field.

The vigil stems from federal ICE sweeps and EPA blockades that cut off access to water, traditional farming, and ceremonial sites. Protesters, mostly Oglala Sioux Tribe members, are demanding accountability for systemic erasure, lost loved ones, and broken treaties.

The drone closes on a woman in black cradling a young girl, both staring at a patch of trampled wildflowers. Floodlights flicker to life along the horizon as yellow police tape frames the vigil, capturing grief and defiance in equal measure.

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