Standing Rock

An Improvised Tribe Of Americans Looking For 'justice

... would carry oil through lands it considers sacred, and beneath a lake that provides its water supply. The whole illegal immigration thing, hey, this whole country was taken by theft, rape and murder, and then you guys want to talk about legality? — Duncan, 40. Yet even as they share a common purpose, protesters have been notable for their diversity and fluidity. That helps explain the tension that had been apparent lately, as some people have resisted a request by the Sioux to clean up and clear out so the tribe could shift focus to the legal and political battles ahead with the Trump administration. But it also might explain the camps’ resilience. Oh, you can track down details about people if you really try. But part of what has drawn and kept many people here has been the chance to see themselves anew in the service of a larger ...

Native People React To Standing Rock Setback

... (Source: personal communication). Lee Sprague, activist and cultural educator, instructor at  Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College. [Note: the North Dakota wind makes a minute or so of Sprague's statement very hard to hear. Nonetheless, it's a good reminder of conditions people must endure at the encampments.]. (Source: Facebook live ). Dallas Goldtooth, Keep It In The Ground Campaign Organizer at  Indigenous Environmental Network. You know, what started out as literally 20 to 30 people in the middle of the prairie in this grassroots fight against this multibillion-dollar corporation has culminated into what just happened the other day in Seattle, where the city made the announcement that they are going to divest over $3 billion out of this company—or out of Wells Fargo, who funds this company. I think that shows the power of unified action. It shows the power of mobilization. And it shows the power of us, as the ...

It’s Time For Members Of Congress To Show Up And Stand Up For Standing Rock

... know your rights? These easy-to-use resources were created by the ACLU so you can have your rights at your fingertips. Defending our rights. The ACLU works tirelessly in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the Constitution’s promise of liberty for everyone in our country. It’s Time for Members of Congress to Show Up and Stand Up for Standing Rock. By Kanya Bennett , Legislative Counsel, ACLU Washington Legislative Office. February 14, 2017 | 4:30 PM. WEB 17-Standing Rock-Blog-1160 x 768-V 01.jpg. Tomorrow, members of Congress will have an opportunity to show up and stand up for Standing Rock. Wednesday’s Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing sounds like a snoozefest — “Modernizing Energy and Electricity Delivery Systems: Challenges and Opportunities to Promote Infrastructure Improvement and Expansion ” — but witnesses for this hearing include Chad Harrison, the councilman at large for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe , and Joey Mahmoud, the project director for ...

Revenue Declines At Standing Rock Sioux Casino

... the numbers just plummeted.". Long Bottom said the tribe will face some tough choices in the months ahead on what to fund. The casino's turnaround depends on how quickly Highway 1806 is reopened and how long it takes to entice customers to return, The Bismarck Tribune (__link__ m 7 SXFU) reported. "I don't know how bad the perception is," Long Bottom said, unsure how closely people associate controversy over the Dakota Access crude oil pipeline with the casino. Concert and visitor attendance at the casino are down over the past several months, general manager E. J. Iron Eyes said. "I'm looking for things to improve as we move into summer," Iron Eyes said. Iron Eyes is launching a public relations campaign to draw customers back to the casino. He emphasizes the pipeline protests were not the only problem. Iron Eyes said the casino usually serves an older demographic coming from surrounding North Dakota cities, including Bismarck-Mandan, ...

Melissa Etheridge Seamlessly Blends Activism, Art At Standing Rock Benefit Concert Review

... but rather about demanding equality, respect and basic civil rights. Heath discussed the mistreatment he saw by law enforcement officials against the Sioux elders. It was a disturbing, depressing opening for an otherwise fiery show, but there was no better time to deliver the message. The crowd came to see Etheridge and there was no way the party would stop once it had started. The night moved uphill from there, with Etheridge continuing the Standing Rock support with her (far more effective) brand of activism. In front of a gigantic banner reading "Stand with Standing Rock," Etheridge kicked things off with her memories of when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. "I've seen this all before; I've been to this party before," she said, describing the fear and division she remembered from the Cold War era. "What did we learn? People divided cannot be strong. This gorgeous life is for everyone to create and to love and to grow and to live and to be free.". She ...

At Standing Rock, Part 4

... life-threatening. Heather helped us find our way. One of the Al-Jazeera crew couldn’t get her new Therma-a-Rest pad to inflate and said it wouldn’t matter. Her partner was already wrapped up in his mummy bag. Matt climbed into his body bag from Afghanistan. Dylan and Tommy had army cold-weather bags. Heather had a very nice North Face bag she’d picked from dozens donated to the camp from all over the country. I couldn’t face grappling with my stiff overalls in a port-a-potty, and I couldn’t pee on the ground by someone’s tent. Knowing it would lead to problems before daylight I went ahead and stripped down, an exercise in trust in my somewhat substandard sleeping bag, and climbed in. Exhaustion is the best pillow, as they say. Heather lit a burner head screwed on a propane tank not meant to be used indoors. There were reports of carbon monoxide poisonings in the camp that weekend, but our tipi was so drafty that wasn’t a problem, ...

Holly Miranda Drops Standing Rock Charity Single

... to an anthemic chorus that urges hope in the face of overwhelming odds: “Don’t let the midnight oil burn low, no don’t let it burn out / Let’s see how things turn out in the end.”. The song was originally released in 1978 by Cris Williamson , who also lends her voice to the New Asylum Choir. People peacefully leave the Dakota Access pipeline main protest camp near Cannon Ball, N. D., Wednesday. (Blake Nicholson/AP). Miranda first discovered the song at a vintage record store in upstate New York two days after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, which moved her to record a version of the song and seek out other activists to sing on the track. The charity single was released on the same day protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline set fire to the protest site hours ahead of the Army Corps of Engineers’ deadline for demonstrators to vacate the area. Police began arresting protesters Wednesday as some refused to leave their long-term camps. Members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and others sing Wednesday as they prepare to ...

Lakota Protectors Vow Treaty Stand To Resist Eviction Today

... after widespread criticism over his failure to condemn the waves of bomb threats against Jewish community centers and other attacks against the Jewish community since his inauguration. On Tuesday, Trump called anti-Semitism "horrible" and "painful" at the end of his tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D. C. President Donald Trump: "The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil.". Trump’s comments came as several Jewish community centers, or JCCs, were temporarily evacuated Monday after receiving bomb threats. In total, 69 threats have been reported against 54 JCCs since inauguration. Many are calling Trump’s comments "too little, too late." In a statement, the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect said, "The President’s sudden acknowledgement is a Band-Aid on the cancer of Antisemitism that has infected his own Administration." Meanwhile, a Muslim-led fundraiser has raised online more than $50,000 to ...

Local Pipeline Opponents Stand With Standing Rock

... TD Bank because it is one of 17 banks with “huge investments” in the pipeline. She said the boycott is urged “in order to get TD Bank to see it’s losing support for fossil fuel infrastructure. It’s also about honoring the treaty and a Native American rights issue.”. Bill Kilpatrick of Northfield said protesting the pipeline on Greenfield’s streets was a “walk in the park” compared to what protesters are facing in North Dakota. Today is the federal deadline for Standing Rock pipeline protesters to evacuate the site. Boston said Tuesday’s demonstration in Greenfield was organized by the Sugar Shack Alliance, which is also preparing to oppose the Kinder Morgan/Tennessee Gas Co. pipeline that is to run through the Otis State Forest. The local demonstrators are many of the same people who became energized opposing the now-canceled Kinder Morgan proposed pipeline through Franklin County. Boston said the protests will continue twice a week, noon to 1 p.m., on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Energy Transfer Partners of Texas got federal permission to lay a pipe under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota. That’s the last big section of the $3.8 billion pipeline, which ...

Standing Rock Chairman Calls Protests An ‘awakening’ At Cornell

... Donald Trump ordered an expedited review of the Dakota pipeline on his fourth day in office. Two weeks later, Robert Speer, acting secretary of the Army, gave Energy Transfer Partners the go-ahead to finish the pipeline, according to the New York Times. Archambault was en route to a meeting with a White House aide when he heard the news. After Speer’s order, the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux sued — again — to stay construction. But the same judge who four months earlier denied their request for an injunction ruled against them a second time. On Monday, Judge Boasberg refused to halt work on the pipeline, which could be operational in as few as 30 days, saying the pipeline currently poses no threat to the tribes’ well-being. Archambault said the tribes are now appealing on the ...

Standing Rock Benefit Draws Local Activists To Little Lake Grange

... she has been working in the water field, advocating for clean water and protection through various tribes through her work with the EPA and the Regional Tribal Operation Committee. “If I work for tribes, I can say a lot of things other people cannot because of our sovereign status,” the Washington State native said. She said she moved to Standing Rock at age 8 and hails from a family of outdoors loving people. Thus, she has always been aware of the importance of water. “We are at a crucial moment in time. We really need to assess where we are at in our relationship with water,” she said. “People don’t get a clear view of what’s really going on.”. Britton spoke about her work cleaning up streams that are not meeting water quality standards throughout the state. She touched upon the dangerous amount of mercury people put into their bodies ...

Dakota Access Protest Backfires For Standing Rock

... regarding U. S./State citizens with “Indian ancestry/race” so often touted by politicians and Indian advocates as being legitimate law. And yet, MSM continue to perpetuate willful blindness to the Constitutional absurdity that Congress, Presidents/Governors, Initiatives and Referendums can make distinguishable the metes and boundaries of a select group of U. S./State citizens with “Indian ancestry/race” post citizenship. The Constitution makes for no provisions for. 1. Indian sovereign nations. None of the asserted tribes possess any of the attributes of being a ‘sovereign nation:’ a. No Constitution recognition b. No international recognition c. No fixed borders d. No military e. No currency f. No postal system g. No passports. 2. Treaties with its own constituency. 3. Indian reservations whereby a select group of U. S./State citizens with “Indian ancestry/race” reside ...