“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
We have seen these protests in North Dakota play out on television for the past few months and as of yesterday, things got worse, much worse. Many of us forward thinking individuals are wondering what can we do? We know as in the quote above by the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this is a threat to us everywhere and we can’t stay silent in times of oppression. Police in North Dakota Thursday moved in on hundreds of demonstrators, including members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, who were challenging the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The project threatens the area’s water supply and destroys sacred Native American sites. Over 118 people were arrested as they shouted “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” sound familiar?
Here’s What You Need to Know:
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is deeply concerned about the construction of a major crude-oil pipeline that passes through its ancestral lands. There are two broad issues. First, the pipeline would pass under the Missouri River (at Lake Oahe) just a half a mile upstream of the tribe’s reservation boundary, where a spill would be culturally and economically catastrophic. Second, the pipeline would pass through areas of great cultural significance, such as sacred sites and burial grounds that federal law seeks to protect.
Here are 10 Ways You Can Help From the Free Thought Project:
1. Call North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple at 701-328-2200. When leaving a message stating your thoughts about this subject please be professional.
2. Sign the petition to the White House to Stop DAPL: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/…/stop-construction…
3. Donate to support the Standing Rock Sioux at http://standingrock.org/…/standing-rock-sioux-tribe…/
4. Donate items from the Sacred Stone Camp Supply List: http://sacredstonecamp.org/supply-list/
5. Call the White House at (202) 456-1111 or (202) 456-1414. Tell President Obama to rescind the Army Corps of Engineers’ Permit for the Dakota Access Pipeline.
6. Contribute to the Sacred Stone Camp Legal Defense Fund: https://fundrazr.com/d19fAf
7. Contribute to the Sacred Stone Camp gofundme account: https://www.gofundme.com/sacredstonecamp
8. Call the Army Corps of Engineers and demand that they reverse the permit: (202) 761-5903
9. Sign other petitions asking President Obama to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Here’s the latest to cross my desk – https://act.credoaction.com/sign/NoDAPL
10. Call the executives of the companies that are building the pipeline:
a. Lee Hanse Executive Vice President Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. 800 E Sonterra Blvd #400 San Antonio, Texas 78258 Telephone: (210) 403-6455 Lee.Hanse@energytransfer.com
b. Glenn Emery Vice President Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. 800 E Sonterra Blvd #400 San Antonio, Texas 78258 Telephone: (210) 403-6762 Glenn.Emery@energytransfer.com
c. Michael (Cliff) Waters Lead Analyst Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. 1300 Main St. Houston, Texas 77002 Telephone: (713) 989-2404 Michael.Waters@energytransfer.com
The most effective means of showing support for this cause is to actively participate in protecting this sacred land. Anyone who is able to travel to the peaceful encampments is encouraged to do so. For those unable to make the journey to North Dakota, please utilize the alternate methods provided to show your support for the Standing Rock Sioux who have united over 100 tribes from across the U.S. Please join this effort to stop this pipeline, which desecrates sacred lands and has serious potential to damage or destroy the Standing Rock reservations lifeblood – its water.
