ABOVE: Red Square protesters call on the governor to indict the Dakota Access Pipeline. Photo by Ricky Rath // AS Review.
By Josh Hughes
On November 3, a large group of protesters stood outside Miller Hall in Red Square to show solidarity with Standing Rock, opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline. Signs reading “#NoDAPL” and “Water is life” popped up everywhere, and two members of the Lummi Nation broke into a traditional song as students and civilians alike stood united.
The Dakota Access Pipeline, which has gained attention over the last few months, is a proposed 1,200 mile, $3.8 billion oil pipeline that would transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois. Owned by Energy Transfer Partners, a Dallas based company, the pipeline poses many threats and concerns to multiple groups, predominantly the Standing Rock Sioux tribe found both in North and South Dakota. Environmentalists have also continually spoken out against the pipeline, though it has become an issue that transcends the damaging effects of oil and has begun to show the intersectionality of environmental and social issues.
After a long, slow-burning series of small protests and halted construction work, the pipeline story is at an all time high in terms of media coverage and protesting; it is currently one of the most relevant cultural and environmental issues in the country. Even with a lack of recognition from presidential candidates Clinton and Trump, the #NoDAPL movement has struck a chord in the #NativeLivesMatter movement and is now getting coverage from major news outlets and receiving national attention. While the fight is far from over, the widespread recognition is furthering the cause and bringing forth larger picture issues that need to be addressed in regards to culture and basic human rights.
The issues with the pipeline largely come from two major forces: the environment and the physical location. Activists, environmentalists and Standing Rock peoples unite in the fight for clean water; the proposed pipeline would go under the Missouri River, which is the major source of water for the Standing Rock reservation. Additionally, some protesters are more generally fighting against man-made climate change that comes from such pipelines and fossil fuels, as well as the overarching oil industry. But mainly, Standing Rock and other indigenous tribes are working to protect their rights as citizens and fight for the sacred land that would be uprooted by the project.
Though the area that would be infringed upon by Energy Transfer Partners does not fall on reservation land, tribal leaders believe that the tribe was not properly consulted or involved in the process of determining the pipeline route. The allegations state that Army Corps Engineers, who permitted the project, breached the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) by allowing desecration of burial sites and sacred spaces. At its core, the NHPA protects Native lands by considering the cultural significance of federal sites, even when not geographically on Native American land. The Standing Rock Tribe has sued the Army Corps Engineers for their disregard of of the NHPA, and the litigation is ongoing.
Protests started in early spring, and records show that by September, over 300 tribes (including Lummi) and 3,000-4,000 pipeline resistors had made their way to Standing Rock to stand in solidarity and peacefully protest. They have set up tipis and tents within the Energy Transfer Partners property, and certain activists intend to camp out into the coldest months of winter. Celebrities including Shailene Woodley and Mark Ruffalo as well as Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and defeated presidential nominee Bernie Sanders have also all spoken out against or gone to North Dakota to join in with Standing Rock. While major media coverage has been absent until recently, the constantly growing movement and controversy has picked up continuous steam from the national support it’s received thanks to social media, various tribes and college campuses like Western across the country.
In addition to indigenous rights issues that have been brought up, those at Standing Rock have also experienced issues with police militarization and brutality. Part of the reason that the story has recently received more national coverage, is that instances and videos of protesters getting maced and attacked by dogs have added to the outrage over DAPL. North
Dakota Police issued a warrant for the arrest of Amy Goodman, a journalist for Democracy Now! after she filmed a video in support of the resistors, claiming she criminally trespassed the area. Subsequently, charges against her have been dropped, but her case serves as a warning of violations of the freedom of the press that have haunted the developing story of Standing Rock.
Rallies and protests like the one at Western help keep momentum for the cause going, but students and anyone else looking to further help the movement can easily find petitions to sign online through websites such as http://standwithstandingrock.net/. Currently the project and controversy shows no chance of disappearing soon, so expect to see plenty of updates as the Dakota Access Pipeline continues to unfold in the next coming months.
BELOW: Protesters in Red Square rally in support of the people of Standing Rock, North Dakota. Photo by Ricky Rath // AS Review.
