The Dakota Access Pipeline Is Officially A No-Go Near Standing Rock
December 4th is now a momentous day for our democracy in which our voices had the power to
change the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline Project. This project was originally supposed to carry crude oil across four states, including the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, leaking oil and contaminating their water supply. It would also ruin the reservation itself and the significance of their cultures’ land. In peaceful protest against the project, innocent civilians were attacked by the Army Corps with concussion bombs, rubber bullets, tear gas, and they were even splashed with freezing water amidst the snowy weather in North Dakota's cold winter. The protesters have been actively standing against the project since its approval in late July of this year. On Sunday afternoon, the Obama administration halted the construction due to the National Historic Preservation Act in which the U.S Army Corps of engineers is required to come to terms with the affected tribes on the potential impact of the pipeline.
The Sioux Tribe was not alone, they had the support of other Tribes and civilians with no Native
American Heritage, who joined in on the protest to stand together against the disastrous potential of the Pipeline to the environment.
It was no longer a matter of unjustness towards Native Americans. It became a matter of the best interest of the environment and the people who would be affected by the consequences of the government's greedy actions in building a billion dollar industry. It sparked Controversial attention on all social media platforms. Voicing the concerns of the millions of Americans who supported the action of the Protestors.
Protesters took pride in what they had accomplished along with the precedent they set for the power of people's voices as a democracy. As many believe the United States was built on the cruelty towards Native Americans, protesters are also hoping that now the government will no longer have the jurisdiction to stomp over and belittle the remaining tribes.
Photograph courtesy of countercurrentnews.com