“This is a turning point, and this is a real victory, for us as Native people that have lived through genocide. And we’re still here! And we’ve never changed our story over 500 years: that you have to take care of the Earth. So that she can take care of us.”
– Kandi Mossett, Indiegnous Environmental Network
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied the easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under the Missouri River at Lake Oahe, just north of the encampments at Standing Rock. This is amazing, virtually unprecedented, and a movement victory — and the water protectors who have led the fight are right to claim it as such.
This was a huge step forward for our struggle, but by no means the end. We encouraged people to:
- Support local solidarity actions
- Donate to indigenousrising.org, Indigenous Peoples Power Project, ocetisakowincamp.org, or the Water Protector Legal Collective (formerly Red Owl Collective Legal Defense) Fund to support the ongoing infrastructure & organizing at Standing Rock.
- Divest from banks invested in DAPL
- Pressure police departments to permanently withdraw from Standing Rock. Here is a list.
- Pressure Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco to comply with the law and complete a full Environmental Impact Statement.
The Indigenous-led struggle in Standing Rock, North Dakota against the Dakota Access Pipeline was a turning point in the climate justice movement. What began with Oceti Sakowin youth running 2000 miles from North Dakota to Washington DC in April of 2016 grew into a powerful grassroots movement that led a victorious campaign against one of the largest pipeline projects in North America.
Through leadership from the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), GGJ collaborated with the Climate Justice Alliance to hold weekly Standing Rock solidarity calls for our members and allies. We supported delegations of frontline leaders heading to Standing Rock on an on-going basis.
“It’s important that the world understands the Standing Rock fight is about much more than stopping just one oil pipeline; it’s about all of us standing together from the North to the South and around the world to keep fossil fuels in the ground and create a just transition to a renewable energy economy.“
Kandi Mossett of the Indigenous Environmental Network
#StandWithStandingRock #NoDAPL #WaterIsLife