Nevada County Activists
In case you missed it!
On Wednesday, November 9, Nevada County Stands with Standing Rock will host an action between 12 noon and 2 p.m. in front of the Wells Fargo Bank on Sutton Way, in support of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota. Participants will peacefully demonstrate, sing, and pray. Some will enter the bank to withdraw funds and close their accounts as a protest against Wells Fargo’s financial support of the highly-controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, which threatens the tribe’s water supply.
We will have banners but we hope people will make signs that relate to this action and can be used in future actions. Some ideas: This bank funds dirty oil, Save Mother Earth from Corporate Greed, etc. Add more ideas in comments below. We could also use another couple of monitors, to make sure people stay safe, etc.
Background:
Several local people have travelled to the camp, taking supplies and generous financial donations from Nevada County. Ten local people are there now. Throughout the past months, thousands of people, including members of over 500 Native American tribes, have joined the Standing Rock Sioux “water protectors” in their camp in North Dakota. They continue to pray, welcome allies, and engage in nonviolent direct actions. Hundreds have been arrested attempting to block construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which when completed would travel below the Missouri River near the Standing Rock reservation, carrying half a million gallons of crude oil a day. A pipeline accident would contaminate their water supply, as well as the waters downstream.
Leaders from many different religious groups have made statements in support of this action, and 500 clergy from around the country participated in an action there on November 3. The United Nations has issued a statement calling on the United States to ensure the right of the Sioux to participate in decision-making about the pipeline, since its construction would negatively impact their rights, lives and land. People around the country are sending money, transporting supplies, and engaging in solidarity demonstrations, demanding that the government respect the Sioux’s treaty rights and protect the water for future generations. The Standing Rock rallying cry is “Mni Wiconi,” “Water is Life.”