BACKGROUND
April 2016:
Tribal members began protesting the 1,172-mile, four state, Dakota Access Pipeline construction by setting up camp along the banks of Lake Oahe in North Dakota.
August 2016:
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed suit in federal district court in Washington, D.C., against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is the primary federal agency that granted permits needed for construction of the pipeline. Background here — Sacred tribal sites still in danger from DAPL by Earthquake Weather
September 2016:
The small Sacred Stone Camp grows supporters there by the thousands with 280 tribes represented.
National attention grows from the next two events.
~The Dakota Access Pipeline guards unleash attack dogs on our American Indian water protectors by navajo (23,476 Facebook shares)
~North Dakota activates National Guard to protect the pipeline instead of our tribes by navajo (39,775 Facebook shares)
~The Vicious Dogs of Manifest Destiny Resurface in North Dakota by Jacqueline Keeler
Federal court denies the Standing Rock Tribe’s request for injunction. However, a joint statement from the Department of Justice, the Department of the Army, and the Department of the Interior asked for construction to voluntarily be ceased on federally controlled lands.
~Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s request to stop Dakota Access Pipeline denied, Dept. of Justice steps in by navajo
~Partial Victory for Standing Rock Sioux by EarthquakeWeather
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Thursday, September 8
North Dakota v. Amy Goodman: Arrest Warrant Issued After Pipeline Coverage
Morton County, North Dakota, issued an arrest warrant for Amy Goodman. The charge: criminal trespass, a misdemeanor offense. The case, State of North Dakota v. Amy Goodman, stems from Democracy Now!’s coverage in North Dakota over the Labor Day weekend of the Native American-led protests against the Dakota Access pipeline. On Saturday, September 3, Democracy Now! filmed security guards working for the Dakota Access pipeline company using dogs and pepper spray to attack protesters.
Please arrest Goodman. It would massively multiply national attention to the Standing Rock Tribe’s ongoing struggle.
It was also reported that members of Red Warrior camp have been arrested and that law enforcement check points are photographing people, perhaps to make mass arrests later. Activists are urged to avoid the check points.
Saturday, September 10
Indigenous Rising posts a video explaining to supporters that the struggle is not over yet:
I contacted Desiree Kane, who is the lead press and PR contact for Sacred Stone Camp. I asked how they were feeling up there since the statement by the Obama Administration. She replied, today we are feeling this: Erased By False Victory: Obama Hasn’t Stopped DAPL. In the article, after some commentary on the joint statement, Kelly Hayes summarizes that the federal government provided the illusion of victory.
So things are on hold at Lake Oahe until the powers that be think it through some more — with no assurances about how they’ll feel when it’s all said and done. The rest is a voluntary ask being extended to the company.
Let’s reflect on that for a moment: A company that recently sicced dogs on Water Protectors, including families, who stepped onto a sacred site to prevent its destruction, is being asked to voluntarily do the right thing.
But the thing is, they probably will. For a moment. Because what’s being asked of them isn’t an actual reroute. Right now, all that’s being asked is that they play their part in a short term political performance aimed at letting the air out of a movement’s tires.
Hayes, who organizes against state violence, knows the patterns of pacification. The promise of an investigation is meant to de-escalate the public outrage. But the pattern from recent history suggests otherwise:
Here’s the real story: This fight has neither been won nor lost. Our people are rising and they are strong. But the illusion of victory is a dangerous thing. Some embrace it because they don’t know better, some because they need to. We all want happy endings. Hell, I long for them, and I get tired waiting. But if you raise a glass to Obama and declare this battle won, you are erasing a battle that isn’t over yet. And by erasing an ongoing struggle, you’re helping to build a pipeline.
Personally, I’m hopeful that more communication is provided to the tribe and their concerns are allowed to be considered based on environmental impact.
Sunday, September 11
This movement against the pipeline must not slow down.
Fortunately, some media attention is still focused on us.
A beautiful photo collection with short biographies on individual Native Americans at the camp was posted yesterday by the New York Times: From 280 Tribes, a Protest on the Plains.
Lawrence O’Donnell has been providing ongoing coverage: POTUS steps in to help Standing Rock
A detailed analysis provided by attorney Robin Martinez—who is coordinating legal advice and representation for protesters at the North Dakota camps: What You May Not Know About the Dakota Access Pipeline
Monday, September 12
From the Guardian: Standing Rock protests: this is only the beginning
The world has been electrified by protests against the Dakota access pipeline. Is this a new civil rights movement where environmental and human rights meet?
We are all stewards of the earth.
#noDAPL