Around 300 people gathered Nov. 15 at the downtown Santa Rosa Citibank to protest its funding the four-state Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in North Dakota. It was one of hundreds of protests at Citibanks. An estimated 600 people attended an inspiring Nov. 6 benefit at the Sebastopol Grange for the indigenous people and their allies, raising nearly $29,000.
“This is the rebirth of the native nation,” declared an indigenous man named Adam, who led the drummers and chanters at both events. “This is a spiritual movement connected to our legal rights. This is the traditional relating to the political. We have kept our word, but the U.S. government has not.” Young people and elders have been at the fronts of both the Sonoma County and North Dakota events.
“Wars are fought primarily over land and resources,” Adam declared. “The prophecy of a black snake is coming true. Standing Rock is a continuation of the Indian Wars that we have dealt with for a long time,” Adam asserted as he explained the threat of the 1,172 miles long DAPL. It costs $3.8 million and would cross both the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers to carry fracked oil.
“This is blood oil,” declared elder Tom Goldtooth, interviewed on KPFA.FM’s Flashpoint program on Nov. 17. “They are degrading our sacred space. They are making nature into a commodity. We’re fighting for everyone, not just for Native people. 17 million people live downstream from this site on the Missouri River and depend on it for their water, which an oil spill could pollute.” He also described this struggle in the context of “unpredictable global climate change.”
“This is about the privatization of water by corporations,” Goldtooth continued.” At both the Sonoma County gatherings children and adults held signs like “Water is Sacred,” “Love Your Mother,” and “Water is Life.”
The Army Corps of Engineers halted construction of the Texas-based Energy Transfer Partner’s pipeline on Nov. 14 and called for “additional discussion and analysis.” Donald Trump supports the pipeline.
More information: https://standingrock.org