Last night an atrocity was committed against peaceful American citizens, Water Protectors of the Standing Rock Sioux and their supporters, who have been peacefully protesting the building of the DAPL pipeline. They are there to protect water, the environment and sacred treaty lands. They were fired upon by militarized police with wide spray water cannons (in freezing temperatures), percussion grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets and mace while planes circled overhead with their lights out (a violation) streaming some type of unknown spray out the back. A young Englishman Kevin Gilbertt stood on a hill known as Facebook Hill for cell reception, filming with his personal cell phone as millions of people around the world watched his live Facebook feed. While live he talked to the EPA who promised to investigate what the planes were spraying this morning.
He asked that people call their governors, the White House, the Army Corp of Engineers, Amnesty International, mainstream press, and share on Facebook, twitter anything to spread word of the atrocity that was unfolding as about 150 militarized police in full riot gear fired water cannons on unarmed individuals trapped on a bridge in freezing temperatures. The crowd of approximately 400 were sprayed upon for hours. Kevin Gilbertt kept pleading with people to help. Slowly other alternative news services arrived with drones to report on the events as they were unfolding, such as Unicorn Riot.
Nowhere to be found was mainstream American media to report on one of the most outrageous attacks on peaceful protesters on American soil since the Vietnam War.
Where are all the field correspondents that are shipped to the far reaches of the world to report on these types of atrocities? Where is mainstream media to report on these events on our own soil? They are in the hip pocket of corporations and they capitulated to powerful white men who would strip America of its soul, for personal profit and gain.
What happened last night is a crime against humanity and needs to be addressed as such. The only leader to come out in protest was Bernie Sanders. The White House remained disquieting quiet. Brave Ken Gilbertt stood on that cold windy hill for hours to get the word out, young people with drones wanted to capture the events so that they could bear witness to the world of the atrocities as they occurred.
Kelcy Warren the CEO of Energy Partners and a donor of trump, has guaranteed his investors, that the DAPL would be completed now that trump is going to the White House. Warren views the acts of the Water Protectors as terrorism. The Army Corp of engineers put things on hold for further study, however in violation of this, the DAPL continues its work there, willing to pay the fine. I am disgusted in our national leaders for not helping the Standing Rock Sioux in their quest to protect clean water, the natural environment and their sacred lands. They should all be deeply ashamed.
Last week I attended a Standing Rock Rally and Prayer Gathering in Colorado. There was music, dance and prayers, there were young and old, and the 1000 grandmothers were represented as well as other people from the camps, they asked for much needed winter coats and funds to help them endure the winter in North Dakota, so they may continue to work to protect the waters, lives and the lands.
The most poignant moment for me was when a young Sioux man stood on the stage and shared that he was an Iran war veteran. He had lost an eye during his tour of duty. He looked out at us and invited us to come and look into his one remaining eye, that if we did that, even though unspeakable harm had been done to his people by the American people and the government he had served, we would still see love and forgiveness there.
So if you hear and read the words protesters, aggressive, violent, riots to describe the people of Standing Rock then think of this young man who risked his life to protect us all with love and forgiveness in his great big heart. He represents the spirit of the people who are there protecting clean waters, lands and the sacred for all of us.
http://standingrock.org/ to donate and to learn more. The Water Protectors and their supporters need winter coats, which you are welcome to deliver to the camps, and they need funds for food and for the medical units there. In addition you will find a list of financiers to send a strong message to by withdrawing your funds and business from their financial services and products