Ruby Montoya

Ruby Montoya is an American former teacher and climate activist from Arizona known for her involvement with Jessica Reznicek in actions targeting the Dakota Access Pipeline.

In 2022, Montoya was sentenced to six years in federal custody for conspiracy to damage an energy facility. She later taught elementary school in rural Arizona.

Dakota Access Pipeline activism

Montoya became involved in protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016. Reporting by Julia Shipley described Montoya as having followed the pipeline controversy before joining protest activity connected to the Mississippi Stand encampment in Iowa. Demonstrators at the encampment sought to stop construction through tactics including blockades and attaching themselves to construction equipment. The actions included fires set at construction sites and damage to pipeline-related equipment. They were not immediately arrested; federal charges were filed two years later, and she was arrested while working as an elementary school teacher in Arizona on September 27, 2019.