Selena
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Odinsdottir
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Post by Selena on Oct 31, 2016 0:03:06 GMT
So, I posted about Standing Rock at Old LA. Native American protesters -- from over 100 tribes -- have assembled in North Dakota to halt the construction of an oil pipeline, which, if ruptured, could pollute either farmland or the expansive Missouri River system (which provides drinking water for much of the midwest). The pipeline was originally meant to run elsewhere, but when people objected, they decided to move it to somewhere "out of mind." Namely, right next to the Standing Rock reservation and private farms. Which is usually the case with stuff like this. It's all fine so long as it doesn't impact "us." It's been going on for a while, but now thing are getting really tense. The oil industry has been solely responsible for boosting ND's economy in recent years, even if it's turning the land to shit, so white residents are very very very pro-pipeline. Both the police and pipeline security officers are getting very antsy -- they don't want to be dealing with this any more. They want this to progress for the sake of industry. Now that patience is running thin, you can see them all ramping up. They're using increasingly hardline, violent tactics to deal with the protesters. The water protectors are stressing non-violence and trying really hard to make sure the youths don't egg the police on. So far, it's largely working. If you examine the videos, you'll only really see protesters retaliate -- and even then, they usually don't. Meanwhile, the police have come out armed with sniper rifles, beanbag shotguns, and even other firearms with conventional ammunition. Incidents so far:
* An elder with a medicine stick was beaten by five officers with batons. * An actress (Shailene Woodley) was arrested for trying to access her vehicle after being told to disperse * Police shut down internet and phone access when they notice people live-streaming * A young man was shot off his horse by a beanbag shotgun blast. * Police began targeting the horses with live ammunition; one was grazed in the leg. * Over 100 were arrested and one of the camps was torn up. * Police were photographed cutting wires, after which they blamed it on the protesters. * Various other instances of framing evidence so they can have an excuse to crackdown harder. * Arresting grandmothers. * One of the pipeline workers was just caught firing a rifle at police disguised as protesters -- simply to encourage the police to move in and storm the camps. Distant video of boy shot off horse (camera man is then shot at 50sec): Dude with a taser barb through his face: Elder beaten:
In addition: The 100+ arrested were marked with numbers on their arms and thrown in dog kennels after they were taken from the site. One man was left tied up to a car with a hood over his head before he was relocated. The UN is now on site to examine human rights violations. The federal US government is so far a neutral party -- they said they backed the protesters, but they also aren't stopping North Dakota from cracking down. But with North Dakota police getting extra frustrated and tired of all this, it may get worse. Fast. Especially since white residents of North Dakota are openly calling for violence against Natives at this point. But there's also some moving, oddly poetic things that have happened. Buffalo are obviously a sacred symbol to the Plains Nations, and they think of the buffalo as their ancestors/brothers. Both the buffalo and Native Americans were essentially hunted to near-extinction -- both hanging on by a thread when the violence finally stopped. So, you can see the symbolism behind this moment, when a buffalo herd came rolling in -- seemingly out of nowhere -- during one of the tenser moments of the recent clash: Apparently a Golden Eagle landed near camp too, and, despite being wild, allowed people to touch him and pet him. He lingered for an hour before flying away. Tear gas was also dropped from a helicopter, and the winds suddenly gusted and blew it all away from the protesters. That's some good novel-writin' material there.
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Selena
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Odinsdottir
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Post by Selena on Oct 31, 2016 15:06:37 GMT
So, I posted about Standing Rock at Old LA. Native American protesters -- from over 100 tribes -- have assembled in North Dakota to halt the construction of an oil pipeline, which, if ruptured, could pollute either farmland or the expansive Missouri River system (which provides drinking water for much of the midwest). The pipeline was originally meant to run elsewhere, but when people objected, they decided to move it to somewhere "out of mind." Namely, right next to the Standing Rock reservation and private farms. Which is usually the case with stuff like this. It's all fine so long as it doesn't impact "us." It's been going on for a while, but now thing are getting really tense. The oil industry has been solely responsible for boosting ND's economy in recent years, even if it's turning the land to shit, so white residents are very very very pro-pipeline. Both the police and pipeline security officers are getting very antsy -- they don't want to be dealing with this any more. They want this to progress for the sake of industry. Now that patience is running thin, you can see them all ramping up. They're using increasingly hardline, violent tactics to deal with the protesters. The water protectors are stressing non-violence and trying really hard to make sure the youths don't egg the police on. So far, it's largely working. If you examine the videos, you'll only really see protesters retaliate -- and even then, they usually don't. Meanwhile, the police have come out armed with sniper rifles, beanbag shotguns, and even other firearms with conventional ammunition. Incidents so far:
* An elder with a medicine stick was beaten by five officers with batons. * An actress (Shailene Woodley) was arrested for trying to access her vehicle after being told to disperse * Police shut down internet and phone access when they notice people live-streaming * A young man was shot off his horse by a beanbag shotgun blast. * Police began targeting the horses with live ammunition; one was grazed in the leg. * Over 100 were arrested and one of the camps was torn up. * Police were photographed cutting wires, after which they blamed it on the protesters. * Various other instances of framing evidence so they can have an excuse to crackdown harder. * Arresting grandmothers. * One of the pipeline workers was just caught firing a rifle at police disguised as protesters -- simply to encourage the police to move in and storm the camps. Distant video of boy shot off horse (camera man is then shot at 50sec): Dude with a taser barb through his face: Man beaten:
In addition: The 100+ arrested were marked with numbers on their arms and thrown in dog kennels after they were taken from the site. One man was left tied up to a car with a hood over his head before he was relocated. The UN is now on site to examine human rights violations. The federal US government is so far a neutral party -- they said they backed the protesters, but they also aren't stopping North Dakota from cracking down. But with North Dakota police getting extra frustrated and tired of all this, it may get worse. Fast. Especially since white residents of North Dakota are openly calling for violence against Natives at this point. But there's also some moving, oddly poetic things that have happened. Buffalo are obviously a sacred symbol to the Plains Nations, and they think of the buffalo as their ancestors/brothers. Both the buffalo and Native Americans were essentially hunted to near-extinction -- both hanging on by a thread when the violence finally stopped. So, you can see the symbolism behind this moment, when a buffalo herd came rolling in -- seemingly out of nowhere -- during one of the tenser moments of the recent clash: Apparently a Golden Eagle landed near camp too, and, despite being wild, allowed people to touch him and pet him. He lingered for an hour before flying away. Tear gas was also dropped from a helicopter, and the winds suddenly gusted and blew it all away from the protesters. That's some good novel-writin' material there.
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wisp
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Post by wisp on Oct 31, 2016 15:44:41 GMT
I admit, I haven't been following this situation very much because it makes me too upset (and we all know how utterly useless I am when anxiety overtakes me), but I just can't believe how terrible people are. By pure coincidence, just after I read this thread I came across a blog post with pictures of some assholes dressed up as pipeline protesters for Halloween. Like, I know it can already be kind of a contentious issue as to whether people should wear cultural clothing as a Halloween costume... but this is on an entirely different level, and I'm shocked that there are people who exist who do things like this. I mean, I know I probably shouldn't be shocked, but I am.
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Egann
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Post by Egann on Oct 31, 2016 21:19:40 GMT
I'm not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. It's my opinion this is a mountain out of a molehill, but at the end of the day...it's the reservation's land and if they say no for whatever reason, that's final in my book.
As for the animals...you think that's some good stuff for a book? Wait until the eagle comes back.
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Selena
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Odinsdottir
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Post by Selena on Oct 31, 2016 23:52:08 GMT
Update from last night: Someone deliberately started a wildfire across the highway, which burned about 15-20 acres before low temperatures and weather naturally stopped it.
The tribal emergency services were standing by and asked for permission to put it out. They were minutes away. But since it was technically on state land, the state denied their request. County services then dragged their feet for a full hour before bothering to show up. Conveniently, all air traffic stopped right when the fire broke out -- before that point, the area had been under constant surveillance from drones and aircraft.
Elders told protesters not to go fight the fire without permission. Given previous incidents, it was very likely that the county would have issued a statement saying the protesters were the ones who set the fire if anyone had been seen up there.
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tydaze
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Post by tydaze on Nov 1, 2016 6:31:01 GMT
I admit, I haven't been following this situation very much because it makes me too upset (and we all know how utterly useless I am when anxiety overtakes me), but I just can't believe how terrible people are. By pure coincidence, just after I read this thread I came across a blog post with pictures of some assholes dressed up as pipeline protesters for Halloween. Like, I know it can already be kind of a contentious issue as to whether people should wear cultural clothing as a Halloween costume... but this is on an entirely different level, and I'm shocked that there are people who exist who do things like this. I mean, I know I probably shouldn't be shocked, but I am. I'm kind of the same way. I know that if I think too much about this, it will just infuriate me. It's utterly disgusting.
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JRPomazon
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Post by JRPomazon on Nov 1, 2016 6:37:48 GMT
I've been seeing a lot of updates concerning the pipeline protest on my Facebook feed, but I'm not sure which news sources I can trust for the facts. it seems like a total media blackout from big names like CNN and FOXNews, which I'm sure are all completely focused on the upcoming elections. I was hoping the president's order to stop all construction on the pipeline would have at least order to stop all construction on the pipeline would have at least stopped things long enough to validate their legality.
But from what I've seen so far, it just seems like a losing battle. From what I've read recently, a UN inspector it's supposed to be looking at the site to make sure no one's rights are being violated but who knows if that's gonna make a difference.
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Jinn
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Post by Jinn on Nov 1, 2016 10:48:55 GMT
1) There was an official order to stand-down the construction back in November September. Who authorized the resumption of works? Was it the same entity that quietly authorized the construction of the Trans-pecos and Comache trail pipelines that divert Texan oil into Mexico?
2) Can any authority verify that the project encroaches land of cultural/religious significance? E.g. burial grounds etc Because I was under the assumption that the route/redirected route is on exclusively private property.
3) Will the US Army Corp direct its subcontracted entity to release the minutes of stake holder meetings (that were held with the Sioux, Hunkpapa and Yanktonai tribes) for public viewing?
3) There are other fuel/energy lines that cross the Missouri upstream of this - that are older in age/older technology and by default be categorized in a higher risk category. Why isn't anybody concerned about these?
4) Is there any verification that the abused protesters were not trespassing on project sites, threatening workers or tampering with equipment?
@selena: Was there a situational overview from the previous thread you started? The thread seems to have gone MIA. If there isn't - maybe we can jointly prepare one to provide context for the forum citizens. Just a suggestion.
@jrp: I don't think its a losing battle. The Keystone XL project was disbanded (for now).Yes this project is about 20% completed - but its still very early in its project life cycle, resource wise. Even if it isn't - I've personally witnessed similar more regional (regional to me) projects continue by skipping the project scope segment in question to re-evaluate the risk at that point for better engineering controls or downright reroute.
@viewers in general: Protesting and 'facebook stand-ins' usually doesn't won't directly address the issues at hand. I am not trivializing the efforts/pain of the people out at Standing Rock - they and the media are bringing attention to the matter especially from a more human perspective.
I am saying the public needs to be more informed about the framework of the project and focus its effort at the parts of the contract owner where the decision making actually occurs (i.e. not some sub-contacted construction company).
Edit: corrections in red
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Jinn
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Post by Jinn on Nov 1, 2016 10:58:59 GMT
But there's also some moving, oddly poetic things that have happened. Buffalo are obviously a sacred symbol to the Plains Nations, and they think of the buffalo as their ancestors/brothers. Both the buffalo and Native Americans were essentially hunted to near-extinction -- both hanging on by a thread when the violence finally stopped. So, you can see the symbolism behind this moment, when a buffalo herd came rolling in -- seemingly out of nowhere -- during one of the tenser moments of the recent clash: Apparently a Golden Eagle landed near camp too, and, despite being wild, allowed people to touch him and pet him. He lingered for an hour before flying away. Tear gas was also dropped from a helicopter, and the winds suddenly gusted and blew it all away from the protesters. That's some good novel-writin' material there. Not to sound like a kook or anything, but I think that nature has an intelligence that is not yet fully understood by the Western world. The native tribes of the area held/hold the belief that the lands of that region sacred. Probably for good reason. If I'm not mistaken there are some old Sioux legends about 'all the native tribes/peoples banding together one day to save the land'. From the destruction caused by an 'enormous black snake traversing the land'. The current situation oddly reminds me of this. Eerie.
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Selena
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Odinsdottir
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Post by Selena on Nov 1, 2016 15:48:30 GMT
Jinn : 1) Court ruling.
My understanding is the Court of Appeals ruled against the tribe shortly after construction was halted. Construction resumed immediately. The "indefinite stand-down" order was mostly a political gesture from the White House -- it wasn't going to permanently stop anything. That said, the pipeline company lacked many of the permits necessary to proceed, so that's a red flag on their side. 2) Land ownership is complicated here.
Technically, a huge chunk of pipeline land was acquired through eminent domain. Meaning, the government seized land from citizens. Those people were paid for their lost land, but they also didn't have a say in it. For that reason, the tribe isn't alone in protesting. There are a lot of farmers along the pipeline route who lost land, and they're understandably upset. Farming is their livelihood, and a one-time payoff won't compensate for permanent loss of crop land. Concerning tribal land ownership, the pipeline passes right outside the current tribal border (but still close enough to where a major spill would end up being their problem). But it passes through traditional tribal boundaries. Explanation: Most of the Plains Nations -- the Sioux tribes, the Crow, the Blackfoot, etc. -- used to have large reservations. See the reddish sections on this big map. They were given large reservations so they could grow enough crops to sustain their populations / have room for traditional hunting. Modern maps sometimes reflect this, too. This was altered by the Dawes Act. Congress passed a law, without any approval or consent from tribes, to open the reservations up for white settlement. As a result, most of the "big" reservations aren't what you see. Adrienne's tribe, for example, only owns about 1% of their reservation (Yankton). Non-Native settlers bought the rest, and are still bitter that they don't have access to that last 1%. The farmers still go through and knock down all the road signs that say "Entering Ihanktonwan Reservation." The Dawes Act was very likely an illegal bill, but it's one of those things where the general public has accepted it -- because it benefited everyone else. So, legally, the pipeline is outside the current reservation's control. But it's on the land that was illegally seized from the tribe via the Dawes Act. So there could be any number of cultural/burial/sacred sites there. Eminent domain is technically a legal process too, but it obviously upsets the people who owned seized land. 3) Minutes of meetings.I don't know if any of those will be released. It may also be somewhat irrelevant. This isn't necessarily a formal protest by tribal governments (though many have voiced their support). There would still be protests even if tribal leaders fully endorsed the pipeline. A lot of tribal governments in the central states have problems with corruption -- with tribal members largely suffering the consequences. That's a whole 'nother big topic, so I'll spare the details on that for now. It sounds like the tribal governments didn't fully engaged the pipeline company when they were given an opportunity to do so, which infuriated the rest of the tribe (who were adamantly against construction). The protest has admittedly grown to a surprising, unprecedented size. Normally, protests like this would be small and ineffective. But for whatever reason, other tribes started sending delegations. Now it's become the largest tribal gathering since before European contact -- people from tribes all over the world have shown up, from Hawaii to Ecuador. Even the Sami from northern Scandinavia, surprisingly. I think it's safe to say the protest has grown beyond anyone's actual control -- and it's now about more than just the pipeline. It's arguably about how tribal rights are often undermined in every capacity. The pipeline is just keeping everyone focused... for now. 4) Other fuel lines.They are definitely upset that there are other lines running across the Missouri River (and elsewhere). Previous oil spills throughout the Dakotas are the main reason they're concerned about yet another pipeline. They can't readily undo the pipelines that have already been built, but they can focus efforts on stopping new projects. Every additional pipeline that runs across the river increases the chances of a spill -- even if the old ones are technically more dangerous. If they had their way, the older ones would be gone too. Most tribal members are big on renewable/sustainable energy. So they feel that progress in that direction is being halted by further investment in oil. 5) Trespassing. Technically, all of the protesters are trespassing whenever they're up by the pipeline. They're there on the basis of it being traditional tribal land. Some people have tampered with equipment, including Presidential candidate Jill Stein -- which, for the record, irritated a lot of people because it gave the police an excuse to use harsher tactics on others and shift more blame on protesters. The people who are tampering with equipment are usually a few individuals breaking away from the main group, and it's pretty rare. It's more the "chain yourself to a bulldozer" sort of thing rather than outright damage/defacing. I haven't heard any reports of protesters causing violence. Their leaders are stressing non-violence in all situations. Some might fight back if police get too rough, but I haven't heard anything about them instigating any fights. State police have been over-exaggerating how "violent" the protesters are, some accusations of which are outright fabrications. If you watch protest footage, tribal protesters very rarely get into scuffles and the elders are all stressing non-violence to any young idiot who tries to throw stuff towards officers. There have been several occasions where pipeline workers or county police do damage to equipment and then blame it on the protestors -- police were seen not long ago cutting wire fences. Later, they said the protesters cut the wire. They didn't realize they were being filmed. So, the pipeline is technically legal -- but it was "made" legal in a way that managed to infuriate a lot of people. It doesn't help that it's yet another instance of state/county authorities redirecting risky materials right next to a reservation. It happens a lot. It's a "better them than us" mentality from state authorities. Things deemed "unfit" to run by a non-Native settlement are often rerouted next to a reservation. So that they're out of sight and out of mind.... at least to anyone who isn't indigenous.
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Jinn
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Post by Jinn on Nov 2, 2016 11:40:20 GMT
The questions were more or less rhetorical You know. To widen the sphere of perspective on the situation. However I do have an appreciation for the response - especially the introduction unto the land ownership issue and Dawes Act. I'll have to take in some further reading on this. Also I think the impending 'arrest warrant' for Jill Stein will bring more national attention to the situation - at a time where other selfproclaimed 'leaders' are purposefully avoiding the issue. I am reminded about the need for third party and independent elements in governing politics.
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Egann
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Post by Egann on Nov 3, 2016 13:18:52 GMT
That's interesting. I was aware the land was being seized with eminent domain, but I wasn't aware it's specific course was through Dawes Act land, which is just gray enough to cover their ankles legally...but not under national public scrutiny. The tribe might not be able to claim ownership in a legal sense, but there's plenty of ground to argue whatever's not developed should be considered IUNC Category VI (which doesn't forbid sustainable use) protected land because of it's cultural significance. I'm not too worried about trespassing--once the land was seized with eminent domain, it became the only way. That said, both sides know they're in the wrong to be where they are. That's never a promising beginning, as it's the start of a slippery slope to violence.
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Selena
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Odinsdottir
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Post by Selena on Nov 21, 2016 16:14:25 GMT
The Young Turks has a strong liberal bias, but this is one of the better video compilations of what happened last night.
The DAPL workers are apparently starting to drill under a regional lake without a permit, so the water protectors (as they style themselves) went out to protest. Militarized police turned water cannons on people in sub-freezing weather and bombarded them with excessive tear gas. Rubber bullets were repeatedly fired into the crowd, but were now often aimed at faces instead of torsos. Even rubber bullets can be lethal if they strike the head.
One elder went into cardiac arrest and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Mass hypothermia from the water cannons. Numerous incidents of protectors shot in the face -- including a 13 year old girl.
Police claimed the water cannons were used "only to put out nearby fires." ....Which were started by police grenades. They used the hoses long after the fires were quenched, and deliberately aimed them at the crowd.
We're hitting a dangerous point in this struggle. Winter was always going to be their biggest challenge.
The state and pipeline company won't stop unless ordered to stand down by the feds, but the federal government is effectively neutral -- which means this whole thing is dragging on much longer than it should. And the longer it goes on, the harsher local police get. It's only a matter of time before injuries turn to fatalities.
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Post by Jasi on Nov 21, 2016 22:01:14 GMT
This is insane. How is it possibly okay to attack peaceful protesters like that? And there's so little coverage of this in the media... I feel like this is the only place I read about it passively.
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Selena
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Odinsdottir
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Post by Selena on Nov 21, 2016 22:43:11 GMT
Pictures of the injured from last night. Under spoiler tag due to gore -- so only look if you can stomach large wounds. Most injuries are the results of rubber bullets. The news accused the protesters of "starting fires," thus the hoses, but the fires were started from 1) police grenades igniting dry grass, and 2) people starting bonfires (away from the police) in order to warm up those who had entered hypothermia. The largest wound there is on a woman's arm. She is facing potential amputation -- though some comments unofficially suggested that she indeed lost her arm after staying overnight in the hospital.
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