August 19, 2016 5:04 pm by Jeremiah Jones

“We need people to stand up because that’s the only way the government is going to listen to us. That’s the only way they are going to revoke these permits.”

“The Missouri River gives drinking water to 10 million people. We are protecting everyone. We are standing for everyone.” -Waniya Locke, Standing Rock Sioux

Kate Bubacz of Buzzfeed reports that Last week, the federal government gave final approval to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which will run for 1,172 miles to transport crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken oilfields to Patoka, Illinois.

Hundreds of outraged protesters, primarily Lakota and Dakota from Native American reservations, assembled at the edge of the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota to voice their anger and concern.

Truthout reports that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed for both a permanent and preliminary injunction to block the pipeline’s construction. The case for the preliminary injunction, filed on August 4 to halt construction immediately, is set to be heard on August 24.

The pipeline is scheduled to travel through lands SACRED to the Lakota people, and cross under the Missouri, Mississippi, and Big Sioux rivers.

A spill, which does occur with pipelines, would mean contaminating farmland and drinking water for millions of people; not to mention all the wildlife affected.

After many intense interactions with North Dakota state police on Monday, and several arrests, the beginning stages of construction were stopped by protesters, at least for now.

The pictures below tell part of the story of the protest. You can even see a couple people being arrested for creeping past the protest zone.

Protesters stand at the front barricades of the protest zone, holding signs that read “Water is sacred” and “Mni Wiconi” (“Water is life” in Lakota).

 

Horses and riders from the Rosebud reservation arrive to support the Standing Rock community. The horses are in traditional Lakota regalia.

 

Protesters congregate next to a construction site for the Dakota Access Pipeline on Monday morning, as a crew arrives with machinery and materials to begin cutting a work road into the hillside. The flag in the foreground belongs to the American Indian Movement.

North Dakota state police form a line between the protesters and the entrance to the construction site as a tank truck turns into the property.

 

A protester is arrested for standing on the outer layer of barricades that separate the protest site from the police line and construction zone on Monday morning.

 

A protester is arrested for standing on the outer layer of barricades that separate the protest site from the police line and construction zone on Monday morning.

 

After the protesters disrupted the construction site and shut down work for the day, a group marched up to the main gates.

Congratulations to the protesters that were able to temporarily stop construction of the pipeline that could devastate water supplies and destroy a lot of life. If they are going to continue to succeed in preserving the water and land, they need more help, they need your help! Stand with them if you can. Help in whatever way you can, show your support and thank the protesters for helping to save your water! “Water is Sacred.” “Water is Life.”

(Article by Jeremiah Jones)

http://countercurrentnews.com/2016/08/north-dakota-pipeline-last-indian-war/