#nodapl #waterislife
The news broke today…
Thousands upon thousands descended upon the Dakota territory months ago and continued to pile in in droves to fight the #dakotaaccesspipeline .
For the first time in our nation’s history indigenous peoples of all tribes and all walks came together to fight the pipeline. There are hundreds of Native American tribes that are still in existence in our country and the leaders of these tribes met in solidarity of a singular purpose: protect the sacred Sioux land and protect the water that millions of Americans rely on.
Non-indigenous people and indigenous people fought together against the incessant brutality of The Morton county sheriffs department who used attack dogs, rubber bullets, water cannons and concussion grenades to scatter those who came together in prayer, peaceful assembly and citizenry. One citizen had her arm blown off and many others suffered vision loss and painful beatings and unconstitutional incarceration , and some were thrown in dog kennels unsure of their release date. Some have been jailed for months and have yet to be released. The powers that be that control the moneyed interests behind the pipeline tried to use intimidation and fear mongering brute force to keep the citizens down and to scare them away.
Journalists descended upon the area and started doing their job which is to inform the American people about what is happening in the Dakota territory. These journalists were threatened with decades long imprisonment , or worse, were charged with the crime of journalism.
Over 3,500 veterans who have dedicated their lives in service to our country descended upon the territory a couple of days ago, to provide a shield to the citizens and indigenous people who are braving the brutal weather conditions and the brutal beatings – this charge led by Tulsi Gabbard, an Iraq War vet.
Bernie Sanders andJill Stein, Van Jones and Jordan Chariton just to name a few, spoke openly and consistently about the environmental dangers of this pipeline. Multiple veterans went live on social media and gave truthful, wrenching poignant accounts of the environmental dangers and impact the pipeline will have on millions of Americans.
Today Barack Obama went public and made good on his 2014 promise to protect the Missouri River and the indigenous land and halted the last permit to push the pipeline through. The Army Core of Engineers has acquiesced to this decision.
He would not have made this decision if the moral outrage of our entire nation hadn’t come together and demanded the pipeline be stopped. Civil disobedience and activism and standing up for the moral imperative of our nation is a responsibility many , like my friend Ed Higgins, Rose Aguilar and Chris Hedges are not afraid to take on.
I hope Donald J. Trump can step away from his Twitter account and reflect humbly on how history has been made. But I can almost guarantee you will never read about this historical moment in our nation because it does not reflect the corporate interests that control our government.
But for today, it was a victory .
People : 1
Corporate structures of power that have seized our democracy : 0