On Wednesday, in Washington, DC, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman, Dave Archambault II stood alongside attorneys from Earthjustice in support of an injunction that would halt production of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Chairman Archambault II was joined, on Wednesday, by hundreds of people, both Native tribes and non-natives, including celebrities such as Susan Sarandon, Shailene Woodley, and the infamous fracking protester, Josh Fox who stated during the rally:
“Anything is possible when they get together in the name of justice….and that is how we are going to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.”
The Dakota Access Pipeline, or DAPL, is a 1,172 mile, 30-inch diameter, pipeline that will transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois where it will meet major marketers in the oil industry. This “black snake” as the Native American Tribes have named it, is causing an extreme uproar all over the country.
A camp was set up in April as part of a prayer location and peaceful gathering on Standing Rock land where members of the tribe pushed for the halt of the construction where the DAPL would cross their most sacred asset, the Missouri River. The camp started with under 100 people and now house more than 3,000 residents, Native American and non-native alike.
When, because they always occur, the pipeline springs a leak, it will destroy Standing Rock’s water supply, a source of nutrition, and sacred ground surrounding the reservation. The Missouri travels through several states and leads into a plethora of rivers and lakes, ultimately threatening the drinking supply of more than just this one indigenous tribe and spreading outward to all citizens of this country.
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe may be representing their Native American land and rights, but they are also representing the fundamental human rights of all people, animals, and plants on this Earth. Clean water is not a privilege it is a basic human right, and the DAPL is threatening both our drinking water and the safety of our sacred Mother Earth.
The injunction was heard, and the Judge in Federal District Court on Wednesday decided that there needed to be more time and more research done before reaching a decision. In an exclusive interview with The Progressive Nomad and Liberal America, Earthjustice attorney Jan Hasselman explained:
“ We’ve asked for a preliminary injunction stopping construction until legal issues can get resolved. We had hoped we would get a decision today, or maybe tomorrow, but the courts said these are big complicated issues, it’s going to take a couple of weeks. Our concern is that every day the construction is more complete. They have cleared and grated substantial majority of the route, they’ve built half of the pipeline. So every day that we are not out there protecting the tribe’s cultural resources is a potential for losing that little piece of history. So, we came in and told our side of the story, and we will see what the judge does.”
The Judge will give the final ruling between the 9th and 14th of September, but until then, construction can continue on the 1,100-mile long black snake.
Watch this video from Reality TV showcasing some of the moments from the rally.
Featured Image Via Michael H.D. Kline
