Standing With Standing Rock

If you’ve been watching the news or checking your Facebook feed, you’ve probably heard about

the Dakota Access Pipeline protests taking place in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Earlier this

week, you might have noticed friends or family checking into the Standing Rock Sioux

Reservation on Facebook. If you’ve been wondering exactly what’s happening, you’re in luck!

Here at Fallout Yoga (soon to be called 21st Yoga), we share a strong belief in social justice and community-building. That’s why we’d like to tell you a little bit about what’s going on and how you can help.

Here’s What’s Happening and Why It Matters

The Standing Rock Sioux Reservation is situated on the border between North and South Dakota

and is home to several different tribal divisions including the Dakota and Lakota nations. Earlier

this year, a company called Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) decided to build a pipeline near these

lands that would transport oil all the way from North Dakota to Illinois. The proposed pipeline

would be 1,720 miles long and cost 3.7 billion dollars to complete.

But, here’s the catch – when the U.S. army made the initial decision to run the pipeline through

lands neighboring the Sioux Reservation, they never consulted local leaders. Had they done this,

they would have learned that the area is considered sacred, is home to ancestral burial grounds,

and is protected by treaties between the tribes and the U.S. government.

The ETP and U.S. government never conducted any kind of large-scale assessment of

environmental impact, either. The proposed pipeline would cross under the Missouri river, under

the Mississippi river, and would run near an important lake used by the reservation. Despite these

potential risks to the water supply – and despite the fact that the Dakota Access Pipeline would

be nearly as large as the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which was rejected on

environmental grounds – environmental research was never conducted. With these issues in

mind, it’s easy to see why protecting water and sacred places has been at the center of the

#NoDAPL cause.

Since pipeline construction began in September, ETP security forces and local law enforcement

agencies have been under increasing scrutiny for their hostility towards peaceful protestors.

Working together, these highly militarized groups have used attack dogs, pepper spray, tear gas,

rubber bullets, tasers, and other weapons to disburse crowds and drive peaceful protestors out of

the area. In the wake of these events, a United Nations group has opened an investigation into the

actions of local law enforcement.

What You Can Do

Though opposition to the pipeline started out small, thousands of people have converged on the

city of Cannon Ball to participate in the pipeline protests. Across the country, millions of

Americans are standing in solidarity with the Sioux tribe by participating in smaller local

protests, raising awareness on social media, and donating resources where they can. If you’re

concerned about the situation in North Dakota and want to make a difference, the Standing Rock

Sioux tribe is asking for help in three main areas:

Sign the Petition: On the Standing Rock DAPL website (standwithstandingrock.net), you can

find a petition addressed to President Obama asking his administration to permanently end

construction on the pipeline. In signing the petition, you can show support for this important

cause and make a tangible difference in the outcome.

Call the White House: On the website, the tribe is also asking concerned citizens to call the

White House and let the President know how they feel about the matter. The phone number is

(202) 456-1111.

Donate Resources: If you would like to do more, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is also

accepting donations. These funds will go to provide legal representation, supplies, medical care,

and other emergency resources to those on the ground. Right now, the camps in Cannon Ball are

preparing for the winter, so they are also accepting donated supplies (cold-weather sleeping bags,

tarps, warm clothes, etc.).

Additionally, 21st Yoga (formerly Fallout Yoga) will be hosting a special fund-raising event soon to raise resources for this important cause. So, save the date! We’ll be sending more details your way as soon as we know more. We look forward to seeing you at our new home in Sugar House!