Americans have a lot of pride for the country we live in. We wear red, white and blue and celebrate our independence with parades and fireworks once a year. We live in one of the most accepting countries in the world, and yet we can’t seem to listen to certain groups of people. Indians are an integral part of the United States. They were here first, yet to be honest, we haven't treated them that well over the course of history. The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is threatening Indians' natural right to have clean water.

Water is what everyone uses to stay alive, we all need it and we don’t exist without it. Texas-based company Energy Transfer Partners plans on building a pipeline to transport oil from North Dakota to Illinois ( about 930 miles). The pipeline sounds cool because it would give the southern area of the United States greater access to oil from the North. The problem is that the pipeline goes directly underneath the Missouri River, which is the main source of drinking water for the Standing Rock Sioux Indians.

The construction of the pipeline underneath the river has been halted by the government so that the environmental impacts of the pipeline can be further examined. The main fear associated with the pipeline is that it will rupture and contaminate the Missouri river, making the water unsafe to drink. Along with that, climate change will be exacerbated because the amount of oil that this oil field has needs to be kept underground. Exposing the oil to the air will further contribute to man-made climate change.

Water poisoning is nothing new to the United States, with water in Flint, Michigan being poisoned with lead. That water ended up poisoning a lot of children and altering their lives, most certainly not in a good way. The people in Flint are still dealing with the repercussions of having poisoned water.

The Sioux Indians are protesting in order to preserve the quality of water that they have. Water is something that is required for survival therefore it shouldn't be something that is risked for the sake of oil. Not only is this about the water being polluted, it’s about the livelihood of people that were in the country long before we were. As citizens of the United States the Sioux Indians of Standing Rock, North Dakota deserve their space and their water.

We’re all celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas knowing that people are being sprayed with fire hoses in freezing temperatures. They're being shot with rubber bullets and pepper-sprayed and having dogs bite them. Next time you drink your clean water think about what’s going on. This is no longer just about an oil pipeline being built that’s convenient for an energy company. Fighting to keep water clean and not risk it at all is something that these people shouldn't have to do.