WHY WE STAND
WITH STANDING ROCK
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It’s Not Over for Standing Rock.
The battle has moved from the camps to the courthouse. The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) still endangers the water supply of current and future generations. So even though oil now flows through the DAPL, we continue to fight to protect the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. |
About Us
A member of Comité Vida (immigrant defense advocacy and services) wanted people to come together in Sonoma County to support the Standing Rock water protectors. She asked a friend who works at the Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County to put together a kick-ass flyer to invite people to meet to talk about ways to support the Standing Rock Sioux. On September 24, 2016, around 30 people showed up at a cafe in Santa Rosa, CA, and overwhelmed the space. We were politely asked not to return with such a large group of people. And that is how our group began.
A member of Comité Vida (immigrant defense advocacy and services) wanted people to come together in Sonoma County to support the Standing Rock water protectors. She asked a friend who works at the Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County to put together a kick-ass flyer to invite people to meet to talk about ways to support the Standing Rock Sioux. On September 24, 2016, around 30 people showed up at a cafe in Santa Rosa, CA, and overwhelmed the space. We were politely asked not to return with such a large group of people. And that is how our group began.
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We work to raise awareness about Standing Rock, raise money for the legal battle, and call people to action to support Standing Rock and fossil fuel resistance. You can read about some of our accomplishments on the Articles / Media page under Coverage of Local Sonoma County/Bay Area Support (at the bottom of the page), including organizing a vigil and march on December 4, 2016 that drew around 500 participants. It was astounding how many efforts went on in Sonoma County alone to support Standing Rock. For many months we continued to hear of local residents who were going to Standing Rock or who have returned from Standing Rock.
Since the camps were burned down, a lot of coverage has slowed or stopped. Many think the struggle is over. But the legal battle with the government continues. And the legal defense of the water protectors arrested continues. News is starting to pick up again. It's still worth doing the work. The pipeline still endangers the water supply of the current and future generations at Standing Rock, and the 17 million people downstream of the pipeline. In April 2017, we helped organize and publicize a talk by Chase Iron Eyes, a powerful speaker and lead counsel for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Around 200 people packed and overflowed the room at Santa Rosa Jr. College. It was standing room only. There is still tremendous interest in Standing Rock. It's absolutely critical to continue pipeline resistance and fossil fuel resistance in all its forms and transition to a clean energy future. And Standing Rock helps people understand this better than all the climate science in the world. It's about social justice. Lives are at stake. Climate activists have called for divestment from fossil fuels for years. Now in just a few short months, divestment has boomed. It continues to accelerate, because of Standing Rock. Because of Standing Rock, people grasp fossil fuel resistance on an emotional level more than all the climate data in the world. Standing Rock inspires passion and action around the world. In just a few short months, individuals, colleges and universities, churches, pension funds and other organizations and institutions have divested billions of dollars from banks financing the pipeline. More cities and organizations are divesting millions from Wells Fargo and other DAPL investors. They are divesting from other fossil fuel investments. But there is no socially responsible bank or credit union large enough to handle the City of San Francisco or Seattle's accounts, as each account can only be insured up to $250,000 by the FDIC. Now our divestment team is working on public banking as it appears the only way around this limitation. It is becoming more and more clear to us that divestment and public banking go hand in hand. A public bank is a wholesale bank. It can support local banks and savings and loans and help lower costs, which benefits the local economy as well. Join us to build a better future for all of us. Join our mailing lists and check our Facebook page for updates. We meet 1-2 times a month, usually on the 2nd Saturday of every month and sometimes also the 4th Saturday of the month. See our Facebook Events page or join our mailing list for scheduling updates and other events of interest. Join us! News of Upcoming Actions, Events, Petitions, Articles/Blogs, Videos
Thank you for your interest! Mni Wiconi! Water is Life. #NoDAPL, #WaterIsLife |
