Missile Launchers Vs. Pipeline Protesters ???

Over the last several months, the world has watched the American police state in action as cops from more than a dozen states beat, gassed, pepper sprayed, tasered, shot, and severely injured water protectors and protesters in North Dakota. Using their militarized gear, police have blinded at least one person and blown up the arm of another. With all the heavily armed police and military in the area, one would think that having a missile launcher would be entirely unnecessary - however, one would be wrong.

Jon Zeigler has been live streaming from DAPL since last year. On Monday, he found something quite disturbing — the Avenger AN/TWQ-1 Air Defense System.

You can read the rest @
http://www.mintpressnews.com/activists-report-presence-of-missile-launcher-at-dakota-access-pipeline/224174/

Is this a prudent decision to protect national infrastructure against terrorist attack, or an over-the-top response to peaceful protests?

I think I would be more worried if this weapon had an antipersonnel mode, which it apparently does not:

http://www.armyrecognition.com/united_states_american_missile_system_vehicle_uk/avenger_an/twq-1_short-range_missile_air_defense_vehicle_technical_data_sheet_specifications_picture.html

Or is the "high energy laser weapon" capable of killing people? At the very least, it could blind them.

Very strange goings on in the USA.