Almost two years ago exactly, I was tasked with writing a research paper on the topic of sustainability.

Not only did I have to write a paper, but I also had to interview someone of relevance to the topic. Right off the bat, I knew I was going to interview my friend and fellow Neighborhood Association board member Joe Carvalho. If anyone could inform me of impending issues that this country was and is facing, it was definitely him. Joe, a longtime community activist and Green-Rainbow Party member, was successful in his attempt, along with a few others, to block Hess LNG from placing a Hess liquefied natural gas project in Fall River, ending a long and bitter battle over the proposal between the company, citizens and lawmakers.

During the interview, Joe and I talked about frackingbecoming another major issue and hurdled in our way of achieving sustainability and protecting the earth.

Fracking is basically a method of releasingoil or gasfromrock by forcingliquid at highpressureintotherock. It also is linked to causing cancer.

At the time, I had heard about fracking but didn't realize the dangers it entailed or exactly why we were going through with it. After some intense research and speaking with Joe, my entire outlook on our country changed. It really opened my eyes to the wool that is constantly being placed over our eyes.

Energy Transfer Partners is trying to build a $3.8 billion pipeline to shuttle more than 500,000 barrels of oil a day across four states.The 1,172-mile pipeline claims to be the fastest route to bring Bakken shale oil from North Dakota to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries, however, it would not only pass through the ONLY source of water for the Standing Rock Sioux Nation, but also violate several of their sacred burial sites.

Wow! How can we keep doing this to our native people? How can we expect a Catholic church or Muslim mosque from being discriminated against or destroyed, if we cannot protect the natives' rights as well? How is this fair? At all?

It's not! We take and take, and we don't even ask. It is truly disgusting and embarrassing at this point.

The Dakota Access Pipeline construction has been halted by President Obama following the recent protests and arrests at Standing Rock in North Dakota. Protesters have been lining up by the hundreds. Since this weekend, there have been thousands of social justice activists and members of native tribes from all over the world coming to stand with Standing Rock.

Over the weekend, you know what happened? They arrested hundreds of protesters. Marked them with numbers and threw them in dog kennels.

Seriously America? This is who we are? We arrest our own people who are using their constitutional right to protect their land and their freedoms, and we treat them practically the same way as the Germans treated the Jewish back in WWII.

I woke up this morning and a friend had checked me into North Dakota, Standing Rock. As I scrolled through my News Feed on Facebook, I saw that everyone else was also checked into Standing Rock. I started digging up and doing research and sure enough, the protesters have asked that we all check in to Standing Rock in North Dakota and stand with them in solidarity to confuse the State Police and local authorities who are trying to track down where the protesters are at any time.

Since this weekend's arrests, people from all over the world are coming to stand in solidarity with Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. California, Canada, and Hawaii are just some of the places that these people hail from. They are bringing an abundance of water, sleeping bags, mats, and cedar that the native people use for ceremonies.

I wish that I could be on the front lines with them all right now as well. It disgusts me that this was done with no consideration for the people of Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. I hope that we can all unite all over the world and stand in solidarity with the Sioux people. No one deserves to have their home, sacred places, or means of basic necessities such as water destroyed by a money-grubbing greedy oil company.

We have to do better than this America!

We have to open our eyes, and stand up for our rights as a country, protect our people!

I stand with Standing Rock!

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