The media has done a terrible job of informing the people about what is going on with the South Dakota Pipeline Protest.
A Quick Summary:
The Dakota Access oil pipeline would carry crude oil from North Dakota to connect with another pipeline in Illinois. The pipeline would be 1,100 miles long. A section of the pipeline would be sunk below the Missouri River. The problem is that the pipeline would cause issues, like water pollution, for the Standing Rock Sioux Indian tribe that resides on the reservation.
Here are my thoughts on the protest:
1. History is repeating itself.
Although this protest is different, it has similar features as the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. Wounded Knee began because of broken treaties and shattered dreams of the Native Americans. The Native Americans began praying doing a ritual called "ghost dance," in hopes that they would be able to get some of their land back. American settlers around their reserve began to get frightened. Thus, an army came and arrested some of the Sioux leaders. The army surrounded their camp and began seizing the weapons of the Native Americans. This is where the problem occurred. It is said that they tried to confiscate a weapon from a deaf man who could not hear their orders and a gunshot rang out. No one is sure which side fired, but this began the massacre. American soldiers began firing into the teepees.
But it was not just an issue of guns; it was an issue with the Native Americans and what they stood for and fear of them. Why should they fear the Native Americans? Because the government took them from their homelands and placed them into a specific section of land that was to become their new home. I know, I know, "we won this land." Yes, I agree! America was now ours, but does that give us the right to treat the Native Americans the way they were treated? No. But the point is, the American settlers feared a retaliation from the Native Americans.
The South Dakota Pipeline protest began because of the building of the pipeline on their land. The Indians say that the pipeline will threaten the purity of the water and their ancestors burial ground. Native Americans are a vital part of America and the history of America, thus we should be treating them as such. I'm not a historical philosopher, nor do I have a degree in History, but from the amount of times that the Native Americans have gotten pushed around by the government, this was a long time coming.
2. Peaceful protest or violent unrest?
Honestly, the media has covered all of these violent protests in the last few weeks, but where has the coverage for this peaceful protest? The Native Americans have stood in the way of the pipeline being built and rallied for support from other tribes across the country. They have not began burning down buildings, killing cops, or looting buildings. BUT people that the government paid then comes in and releases attack dogs onto the Native Americans. That is wrong and unjust. The Indians have the right to protest and they have done nothing that should have resulted in attack dogs getting released onto them. I fear that the government is attempting to CAUSE violence among the protest just to that they are able to blame the Native Americans in the media.
3. National Historic Preservation Act
According to lawyers from Earthjustice, the Army Corps of Engineers violated the National Historic Preservation Act when it approved the project and that more environmental review should have been done, because it is threatening water supply and an ancestral site. Environmental groups have brought to attention that the Corps approved this project on a fast-track process, called permit 12, but this process was inadequate due to the size and sensitive areas that surrounded it.
4. We should stand with the Native Americans
Sure, this pipeline could make America some money. Is life all about money? This is deeper than money. The government and the projects have overstepped their boundaries to the Native Americans. They have been pushed around by the government since the very beginning. They are not violent people, but they care about the safety of their future generations and preservation of their ancestral sites. I support the Native Americans and you should consider it too. Do your research, stay informed, dig deeper than what the media tells you.
