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, as well as the 17 million people living downstream of the pipeline. It's not a question of IF there will be a spill, but WHEN. |
Since the camps burned, Native American leaders have stepped up their calls for divestment from the DAPL and fossil fuels in general. So even though oil now flows through the pipeline, we continue to fight to protect the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. We continue to educate ourselves and others on Native American colonization, and promote divestment and public banking.
How We Came Together
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.
From September 2016 through March 2017, we organized protests, helped promote other protests and related events, promoted divestment, wrote articles to raise awareness about what was going on at Standing Rock. Since then, we continue to raise awareness through our writing, social media, staffing information tables and handing out flyers, promoting our events and related events, fundraising and now driving a movement to have the City of Santa Rosa start a public bank.
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.
From September 2016 through March 2017, we organized protests, helped promote other protests and related events, promoted divestment, wrote articles to raise awareness about what was going on at Standing Rock. Since then, we continue to raise awareness through our writing, social media, staffing information tables and handing out flyers, promoting our events and related events, fundraising and now driving a movement to have the City of Santa Rosa start a public bank.
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Our Work
We work to raise awareness about Standing Rock, and call people to action to support Standing Rock and fossil fuel resistance. We work to raise awareness of Native American colonization and how they relate to environmental justice. 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. It's Not Over for 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. Keep Up the Pressure: Divest from Fossil Fuels! Climate activists have called for divestment from fossil fuels for years, and Native American leaders continue to call for divestment. 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. Join the Public Banking Movement Individuals can divest from Wall Street banks and move to local banks and credit unions. However there are no socially responsible banks or credit unions large enough to handle institutional accounts, such as 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 has teamed up with the Friends of the Public Bank of Santa Rosa to work on getting the City of Santa Rosa to start its own public bank. Public banking appears the only way around the $250,000 limitation. It's clear that divestment and public banking go hand in hand. Native American organizations such as Lakota People's Law Project and Mazaska Talks (Money Talks) promote public banking as the ONLY way for institutions to divest from fossil fuels. A public bank is a wholesale bank. It can partner with local banks and savings and loans to offer lower interest rates for home loans, businesses, and student loans. Astonishingly, if a city owns and operates a public bank, it can cut the cost of infrastructure up to half as well. So we propose that the City of Santa Rosa start a public bank, which can cut the cost of rebuilding after the fires IN HALF. We propose that the public bank adhere to socially responsible banking criteria - something cities, etc. cannot do with Wall Street banks. For all of these many benefits in the public interest, we need your support. In particular, we need your presence at city council meetings for the next few months. We need your letters to the Editor in support of a public bank. Join us to build a better future for all of us - and kick Wall Street banks to the curb! Join Us Join our mailing list and check our Facebook page for updates. We meet once a month, usually on the 3rd Saturday of every month. We occasionally reschedule meetings, so please see our Facebook Events page or join our mailing list for the latest scheduling updates and other events of interest. Join us! Ways to Stay Updated
Thank you for your interest! Mni Wiconi! Water is Life. #NoDAPL, #WaterIsLife |