Standing Rock Resources/Reportback from Standing Rock

• The original pipeline was to lay north of Bismarck, but the residents didn’t want it that close; instead, it was placed “most efficiently” through the vulnerable land of the native people.
  • North Dakota = Mississippi of the north
• you can be helpful without getting arrested by camp involvement: help in kitchen; cut wood; pick up trash; help build structures; etc.
• plan to be self-sufficient! (weather-wise, food-wise, camping-wise, etc.)
• press gets targeted!
• LRAD (Long range audio devices) is in use — sonic assault on auditory systems that can be painful and cause hearing damage with prolonged, unprotected exposure
• front lines — have ear and eye protection!! wear wind protection!!
• NO children on the front lines
• Trump wants to open all pipelines — this is just the beginning!
• people feel they’re jumping in at the middle of this, but if this presidential term reigns as promised, this is just the beginning of the movement…
• leave behind: oversensitivity; anger; ego
• this is our time to say we will no longer be selfish at the cost of our future generations!
• all of us are indigenous to this planet!
• This is a survival story
• This is a feminine movement (started with teenage girls running for awareness of the pipeline)
• Take your money out of the banks!
• Free your mind of thinking we have to be part of this broken system
• filming: no prayers; no ceremonies; no children; no people without asking
• get a press pass via the media tent on “Facebook Hill” by the law tent
• don’t take it personally: let it go if someone doesn’t want you to photograph them; say thank you
• end of September/beginning of October:
  • camps were full
  • people were caravanning with 80-120 car caravans to work sites and slowing/stopping work
• most every action was well attended and well executed; the ones that didn’t have large numbers, many arrests were made
• agricultural plane sprayed people at one action with chemicals
• going to camp in general, not just the front lines, there is a risk of arrest
• be mindful of threat of law enforcement in surrounding states: if you get pulled over and your destination is revealed, there is risk of a heightened response
• they have weaponized drones; they have planes; they have flashbang grenades; guns; military vehicles; armed forces; bean bag launchers; rubber bullets; etc.
• they are purposefully keeping people on edge/sleep deprived by flying planes 24 hours a day and heightening noise from aircrafts dawn to mid-morning and dusk to late night
• the one night it was quiet from planes and helicopters was the night the fires burned on the hillside

once the bridge was taken with the north camp (October 27th), people were cut off from the worksite and had a bridge between

• what’s happened has happened; now, we must move forward
• what are our goals? what actions can we take to make those dreams a reality?
• police vehicles have been parked upon sacred burials of two highly respected women beloved by the community
• we need to fight against the systems of power and profit, but we also need to begin to build new sustainable systems so we can totally abandon the systems in place
• we need to hold ourselves, each other, the community, and the world to higher standards of care for the earth, the people, and sustainable systems
• besides the physical tools and weapons, we’re up against the largest propaganda machine known to man
• public opinion hasn’t condoned civil disobedience, but public opinion also hasn’t had a direct presence at Standing Rock and hasn’t witnessed the full truth of the earth/people treatment

Front Line Activity

• no expectations
• let go of the ego
• ask questions respectfully
• be mindful that while there are chaos-ready cops, there ARE good cops, too
• the police don’t practice peace; help them learn
• women protectors—be aware and cautious
• wash supplies prior to drop off
• be prepared to have a different job everyday
• ask yourself: “Am I arrestable?” (professional affiliations; ethnicity; gender identity)

Two Main Camps:

• Sacred Stone — original camp on LaDonna’s private land within reservation borders that is prayer only and fairly structured with many rules (about people)
• Oceti Sikowan — on an exposed flood plain that will make winterization difficult; on Army Corps of Engineer’s land for which a permit was obtained to be present (about 5000 people strong)