Standing with Standing Rock gathering

There were growing support for hundreds of protesters at the Bakken pipeline in North Dakota Saturday. Two thousand veterans are expected to arrive on the front lines this weekend, giving the thousands protesting a break ahead of the Monday deadline to leave.

Last week the Army Corp of Engineers told the protestors they have to leave the federal land by Dec. 5. The Department of Justice says it is providing resources to local law enforcement to help keep things orderly. Supporters of the pipeline say it will cause the United States to be more self-reliant on oil. Critics, including the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, say the project will affect the group’s economic and environmental well-being.

Locally, people were invited to stand in solidarity with Standing Rock Saturday in Pocatello. It was a gathering to inform those about the issues happening in North Dakota, but also to create strategies to see how locals can help.

“Water is life. We can’t drink oil. And they don’t — I guess, they should understand that. A lot of people are saying, ‘Well, it’s not really a big deal.’ OK, well maybe it’s not a big deal to you until they’re putting a pipeline through your backyard; through your grandparents’ graves,” said Amity Willis, a Standing Rock supporter.

Those who attended ranged from people who were at the protests, those who’ve donated, and to those who wanted to know how to a part of the cause. Willis was one of those who was on the front lines, helping keep protesters from being sprayed with water hoses.

“I don’t know if you heard about the girl who got her arm blown off? She was there with me, just a couple feet away from me. It was really emotional. These people are police officers and they’re supposed to be protecting us, but they’re just hurting us. A woman got shot in the face with a rubber bullet. There was blood everywhere,” Willis said.

The gathering started with a prayer, then a talking circle — an open discussion about the reality of what’s happening in North Dakota.

“There were people praying on the ground on their knees, and this officer just has this can of pepper spray and just kind of like sprays them, like it was no big deal. It was emotional. Kind of, I didn’t really know what to think about the whole thing. I don’t know,” Willis said.

People at the event said this will go down in history, and hope the resolution will be in the favor of the native people who need their water supply clean and uncontaminated.
If you would like to figure out how to lend a hand to those protesting at standing rock, take a look at the links below.

Standing With Standing Rock
Pocatello, Idaho

How To Be An Ally

On this site you can find information about standing with Standing Rock. There is advice about going to Standing Rock, raising money and collecting supplies, organizing actions at home, and spreading the word. http://www.standingrocksolidaritynetwork.org/how-to-be-an-ally.html

Some of the points made on the site:

If you are thinking of going to North Dakota, first read documents from the resource packet: http://www.standingrocksolidaritynetwork.org/resource-packet.html Be aware of current needs and conditions. Check these sites: http://www.ocetisakowincamp.org http://sacredstonecamp.org/faq/ Plan and coordinate. Donations of Supplies: Check the Oceti Sakowin Camp list of needs: http://www.ocetisakowincamp.org/donate Donate money. Pay Pal – www.paypal.me/ocetisakowincamp ; cash or checks may be sent to: Oceti Sakowin Camp P.O. Box 298 Cannon Ball, ND 58528 Spread the word. http://www.standingrocksolidaritynetwork.org/spreading-the-word.html As non-Native allies, we do not speak for the indigenous people gathered at Standing Rock. We speak for ourselves. Native perspectives are often excluded in settler society. Promote Native voices. This doesn’t mean we can’t speak. It means we speak as who we are, allies of the water protectors. There are many Facebook pages about Standing Rock that are often the quickest source of news directly from the camps. Facebook pages include Oceti Sakowin, Standing Rock Protectors, Sacred Stone Camp, among others.