Hundreds of demonstrators supporting the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe faced off against private security officers from Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners. Here’s what you need to know about what’s at stake.
Violence didn’t “erupt” - Energy Transfer Partners, the oil company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, sent private mercenaries from G4S Security (notorious for human rights violations) along with barely trained dogs from Frost Kennels, to attack the peaceful protesters.
A quick perusal of the #NoDAPL tag on Twitter shows firsthand footage of the following:
1. Private corporate mercenaries spraying protesters, including CHILDREN and elders, with pepper spray/mace
2. The same mercenaries unleashing agitated dogs against the peaceful protesters - at least six people were bit, including a CHILD and an elderly woman
3. Helicopters flying over the protest camp recording everything when the mercenaries moved in to to attack
4. Mercenaries removing the license plates from their vehicles and refusing to identity themselves when questioned
5. The oil company went out of its way on Saturday to bulldoze through Native burial grounds and ancient cairns - they deviated from their original construction path EXPRESSLY TO DO THIS
It turns out that Frost Kennels is owned by a white supremacist - screen shots are on Twitter under the #NoDAPL tag.
It turns out that one of the pipeline project managers used to work for the Army Corps of Engineers, who illiegally approved the pipeline in flagrant oversight and breaking Federal treaty law.
Follow the money. There is a reason that North Dakota law enforcement was not present at the protest on Saturday - they knew that the GS4 private mercenaries would move in with gas and attack dogs.
I will do a master post on what you can do to help, but in the meantime:
TWEET @POTUS, Hillary Clinton, @CNN, @FoxNews, @NBCNews, tweet every media outlet you can think of in the United States and demand that they cover this story. Thus far only Lawrence O’Donnell of MSNBC has given any mainstream media coverage to these protests which have been going pon since April 2016.
don’t be complacent in the murder of native americans and the wanton disrespect from the government. don’t let people cover their ears and close their eyes and wait for us to die out. please please support NODAPL. here’s a place with an address to send supplies to and a list of supplies needed. water is especially important since they’ve cut everyone off. the government doesn’t care about us or anyone, the government doesn’t care about justice, the government cares about money and corporations.
I just went to the North Dakota Petroleum Council website to do some quick research and my takeaways are:
1) It looks a LOT like a church website. Font, layout, colour scheme of images… looks like some evangelical mega church’s home page.
2) There are editorials proclaiming the inevitability of oil flowing “to the markets,” claiming that academics are too PC-cautious and also all the “grant money” is in studies that are shaped to support whatever “the Indians” claim.
3) Underneath that is a write-up that says the protesters have lost credibility for their “violence and intimidation” tactics.
4) These editorials are near the top of a sidebar of news/new posts; further down is a little blurb proudly proclaiming that Trump delivered the keynote speaker at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference back in May. (The Williston Basin extends from Saskatchewan to South Dakota and includes the DAPL.) Much like church websites, this one is clearly not updates frequently.
Recording History at the Dakota Access Pipeline with Camille Seaman
To see more of Camille’s photography and coverage from North Dakota, follow @camilleseaman on Instagram.
Camille Seaman (@camilleseaman) has her #EyesOn the Dakota Access Pipeline. “The message I heard over and over when I was growing up was any harm you do to the environment, you’re doing to yourself,” the California-based photographer says. “I felt called to come not only as an indigenous person, but as a recorder of history.” Camille arrived in North Dakota nearly a month ago, but since April, there have been times when thousands of people gathered near the town of St. Anthony in response to the construction of the pipeline, a means for transporting crude oil out of the state. “From the point of view of the people standing up here, they are calling themselves protectors. They see themselves as not just protecting their own access to water, but the access for those 18 million Americans who also rely on that water,” Camille says. Earlier this week, an appeal to halt the project was struck down in court; the pipeline has permission to continue construction. “This is a huge, global call to stand and say that not only is clean water essential and important, a sacred thing, but it’s time to draw the line in the sand and say enough,” says Camille.
Video shows authorities arrest one of the last remaining demonstrators at Dakota Access Pipeline protest camp after evacuation deadline passes. http://abcn.ws/2leOWys
Protesters gathered near The White House on Tuesday after Pres. Donald J. Trump signed memorandums aimed at advancing the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. http://abcn.ws/2jXZ1lv
Please consider donating to Sacred Stone’s camp if you can–since it’s winter they are currently experiencing below-freezing temperatures, and they are in dire need of the following items:
Firewood (preferably oak, maple, ash)
Tipi/Tipi poles/Tipi liners for winter
Pick-up truck with a 4 wheel drive
Trailer/campers (for winter shelters)
Snow tires - various sizes; tire chains
Gas cards
Wall tents with wood stoves and poles
Sleeping bags for subzero temperatures (including military style)
You can send these supplies or anything else off of their supply list, cash or check donations to:
Sacred Stone Camp P.O. Box 1011 Fort Yates, ND 58538
If you send mail/packages to individuals to our addresses: Please include a contact email or phone number on the package/letter so we can find the individual. If you can’t include it on the mail itself please send a text to (701) 301-2238 saying if it’s a letter or a package, who it is addressed to, and how to contact that person so we can get it to them. Also make sure the person you are sending it to is at Sacred Stone Camp, not Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Red Warrior, Rosebud, or the other camps. We only accept mail for Sacred Stone Camp. If you don’t know, please ask the person you are sending to.
At this time the camp has a surplus of clothes and encourage you to buy things from our Amazon list instead of sending old clothes.
Please be aware that the camp only has limited solar and wind power at the camps.
TOP NEEDS
Firewood (preferably oak, maple, ash) *NEED
Tipi/Tipi poles/Tipi liners for winter
Pick-up truck with a 4 wheel drive
Trailer/campers (for winter shelters)
Snow tires - various sizes; tire chains
Gas cards
Wall tents with wood stoves and poles
Sleeping bags for subzero temperatures (including military style)
If you live in American, you’ve likely heard of the ongoing struggle taking place at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. There, hundreds of protestors are standing their ground against both Dakota Access LLC (Energy Transfer Partners) and the militaristic police presence. The police force in this area has ordered and deployed vicious assaults against the peaceful protestors in the form of attack dogs, rubber bullets, tear gas, and more.
What Is The Dakota Access Pipeline?
The Dakota Access Pipeline is a proposed crude oil pipeline that has been approved by The US Army Corps of Engineers in July 2016. The pipeline would run underground from North Dakota to Illinois by way of South Dakota and Iowa. (x)
Why Is DAPL Bad?
The Dakota Access Pipeline is opposed because of several reasons. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe stated in their filed complaint in federal court that “the construction and operation of the pipeline…threatens the Tribe’s environment and economic well-being, and would damage and destroy sites of great historic, religious, and cultural significance to the Tribe.” (x) The construction of DAPL would disturb the environment and very possibly contaminate the natural water sources that the locals rely on. In addition, many feel that resources would be better spent investing in alternative energy sources.
What Can We Do To Help Right Now?
Even if you are not able to travel to Standing Rock to join the protesters, there are many ways to contribute to their cause and to their protection and well being.
Please share and participate if you are able! Help us meet the ask of the people who are putting their lives on the line.
Photo text reads:
“Hello, my name is ________, and I stand with the water protectors at Standing Rock. I demand that the Army Corps of Engineers, Morton County Police and Highway Patrol, and National Guard rescind the evacuation notice. Not only is this environmental racism, but it violates yet another binding agreement between the United States and this land’s indigenous peoples. Additionally, we demand that no government body hinder or prevent any efforts to provide emergency supplies or any resources that the climate necessitates. Both the statement from the Army Corps of Engineers as well as the evacuation notice from Governor Jack Dalrymple are creating unsafe and potentially lethal sets of circumstances for the water protectors. These decisions are hypocritical in nature since they claim to be concerned for the health of the water protectors while depriving the Oceti Sakowin camp of the means to remain healthy in a harsh climate.
The DAPL means environmental disaster for indigenous people who live on the land, and the planned illegal eviction of the Oceti Sakowin camp endangers the lives of the water protectors who recognize the hazardous consequences of the pipeline. Be on the side of history that stands up for democracy, indigenous rights, and a sustainable future for generations to come. Water is Life.”
Apparently the situation at Standing Rock is being made worse because white people are going there just for the “cultural experience” and treating it like it’s a vacation. If you can’t be respectful and cognizant of the protocols in place at Standing Rock, then it would help everyone out more for you to just stay home (and there absolutely are measures that you can take to support Standing Rock and NoDAPL that don’t involve actual protesting–there’s nothing wrong with supporting from a distance if you’re worried that your presence at Standing Rock will not be received well for whatever reason).
Be respectful. Take the time to actually learn about the traditions in place before you go to Standing Rock. Talk with the Native people there. Leave the camp the same way that it was when you got there (or better). Don’t make it all about your own personal feelings or how you think these demonstrations should go. It’s not about you, and if you’re going to Standing Rock you better be the best ally you can. Native people and sites are not your playthings, so stop treating them like they are.
[[Image Description: A set of three screenshots of a FB post made by Alicia Smith, which read:
“On my way back from the camps. Need to get something off my chest that I witnessed and found very disturbing in my brief time there that I believe many others have started to speak up about as well. White people are colonizing the camps. I mean that seriously. Plymouth rock seriously. They are coming in, taking food, clothing and occupying space without any desire to participate in camp maintenance and without respect of tribal protocols.
“These people are treating it like it is Burning Man or The Rainbow Gathering and I even witnessed several wandering in and out of camps comparing it to those festivals. Waiting with big smiles expectantly for us to give them a necklace and an ‘indian’ name while our camp leader was speaking.They are literally subsisting entirely off of the generosity of the native people (AND YOUR DONATIONS if you have been donating) who are fighting to protect their water just because they can. Some literally will not even prepare food but will take food that is prepared, again, having not done anything else all day.
“An elder, who I respect dearly, was screamed at by a young woman who was already warned once about disrespecting protocol. She was neither native, nor LGBTQ, but was occupying a camp for 2 spirit people. This girl also said ‘ancestors don’t matter we should just love each other.’ It gets worse, I saw affluent looking white people participating in ceremony and then standing off to the side to smoke and talk about their travels in Australia before it was even halfway over. I listened to a man on the phone with his friends telling them to all come because he thinks it’s such a great 'cultural experience.’ Yesterday I spent all day with some wonderful people at the 2 spirit camp building a new pier for the morning water ceremonies, only to learn that our 2 spirit elder was forced out of the ceremony the next day, their position occupied by white women.
“Last night, a dozen or so white people were running camp to camp telling people the cops were going to raid the camp and everyone needed to block the bridge right now. These agitators unnecessarily wanted to put people in danger of being arrested just so their picture might go viral. With complete disregard for the agreement one of the camp leaders told us about, between the police and the camp, to keep the bridge clear. I saw a couple of good allies while I was there. A young white woman who jumped in front of a truck to stop it from running over one of our elders. The man driving got out with a gun and fired it over her head and she did not move. This girl is in my heart forever. A white man also came out in the mud with us to help construct the pier. Both did this humbly and respectfully and obviously to the betterment of the camp itself and to these people who never even asked for a thank you, I thank them anyway.
“I am writing all this to say that if you want to come, or know someone who does, tell them to really search their heart and ask themselves why. And instead to maybe thinking about sending money or supplies to help winterize the camp. The first snow is supposed to fall Thursday. And to be honest I am worried for our warriors.”
Transcript for fourth screenshot can be found at the above link or here.]]
Hundreds of Native American protesters temporarily stopped construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Nearly 400 protesters gathered to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a $3.8-billion system that, if completed, would stretch across North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois — rivaling the length of the rejected Keystone XL Pipeline. So far, 16 members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe have been arrested, including the tribe’s leader, David Archambault II.
On Wednesday, Archambault contacted the White House and met with North Dakota senators to try to get construction halted on the 1,172-mile behemoth. While the pipeline doesn’t cut through any federally reserved indigenous land, it will hurt the tribes in numerous ways.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s water supply may be heavily compromised if the pipeline would ever leak.
As environmentalist Bill McKibben noted in the New Yorker, the pipeline was originally slated to cross the Missouri River not far from North Dakota’s capital city of Bismarck, but the route was changed partly due to concerns about the potential contamination of the capitol’s drinking water in the event of a leak or spill. The pipeline is now set to run half a mile from the Sioux reservation near its water supply, Lake Oahe. (x)
The construction of the pipeline is expected to disrupt the tribe’s sacred burial grounds and other historically significant sites.
In a broader perspective, the environment would suffer extreme consequences as it will fuel climate change.
Not only is it infringing on Native American rights but this pipeline will quicken the demise of Planet Earth. This is bigger than politics.
Gunman yelled, “Go back to your country!” while shooting.
(AP - Bismarck, ND) A Trump supporter was shot by a man wielding an assault weapon yelling, “Go back to your country!” The victim, Willie “Tex” Johnson, came over from his home in Portland, Oregon, in order to work on the Dakota Access Pipeline and is in critical but stable condition at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Hospital in Bloomington, IL.
The attack appears to be unprovoked, although sources in the prosecutor’s office say that hate crime charges are planned for the suspect, Wahchintonka Jones of Bismarck, who fired multiple rounds in his attack.
It’s not immediately clear where Mr. Johnson’s family is from, but it’s clear he is of non-native extraction.
“He doesn’t even claim Cherokee ancestry - which about 99% of white people claim even though less than 1% have any Cherokee ancestry at all.” said family friend and co-worker, Ed Cochrane, “He’s whiter than the Queen of England. So I think it was a hate crime.”
Witnesses say that Mr. Johnson was coming out of a 7-11 with a bag of pork rinds and a Mountain Dew, and Mr. Jones followed him out of the store. It’s unclear if there was a confrontation inside, but as Johnson started getting into the passenger seat of Cochrane’s truck, Jones pulled out a gun and fired while yelling.
Jones fled the scene, dropping the gun and was found by police walking along the side of the road less than a mile away. He was taken into custody without incident and his public defender is asking for a psych evaluation.
This may sound strange on the surface but I’m PROUD of Shailene Woodley for her arrest. Civil disobedience and peaceful protest are things that MLK and Gandhi were praised for. Shailene doesn’t give a shit that she’s supposed to present a pleasant public personality. She sees the injustice in our government’s treatment of Native Americans and is using her celebrity platform to make sure the entire world sees it too.
Just wanted to make it aware, for those who don’t know, that Shailene Woodley was arrested a few hours ago for joining a peaceful protest against the Dakota Access Pipelines. She was arrested for being vocal about this problem; for protecting Mother Earth. She was arrested for Live streaming this incindent on Facebook, making millions of people aware. She is standing up with Native Americans, she was standing up for earth. Water is sacred. Water is life. Water is important. You can’t drink oil or money. I want to thank her for standing up and helping this movement and making it more than just a protest.
Federal authorities have halted construction of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline amid growing protests that were expected to draw some 2,000 U.S. military veterans.
