Mexicali Blues is joining our friends at Urban Farm Fermentory in donating much-needed supplies to support the months-long peaceful action against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. Urban Farm Fermentory has volunteered to serve as a drop-off point for donations that will be sent west this Tuesday, December 6, so our staff are busy gathering up $5000 worth of warm and fluffy wool accessories and other toasty goods to show our solidarity with the protectors of Standing Rock. We invite other concerned members of the Mexicali Tribe to check out the supply list requested by the Sacred Stones camp and contribute if they can!
The Dakota Access Pipeline is designed to carry over half a million barrels of crude oil per day over four states—and over cultural and archeological sites sacred to the Mandan, Cheyenne, Lakota and Arikira tribes and perilously close to their vital water sources and lands. Any spill or failure of the pipeline would put these invaluable resources at great risk. Recent spills have dumped a million barrels into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan and 50,000 gallons into the Yellowstone River in Montana, so concerns about contamination are very real. A failure in the Dakota pipeline would affect over half of all the drinking water in South Dakota. Led by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, the dedicated and determined protectors at the Sacred Stones Camp in North Dakota have stood watch for months to bring progress on the pipeline to a halt.
The pressure to complete the pipeline is immense yet the tribal stand against it has gathered a lot of power and a lot of press. Since the tribe filed its first court injunction against the pipeline in late July and began putting up tipis by the Cannonball River, thousands of people have gathered to show their support. And despite court orders to vacate and mounting pressure from the US Army Corps of Engineers to move to designated “Free Speech Zones” away from the construction site, they are standing strong.
The weather has grown much colder. The efforts to stop the protectors have grown much hotter. Protectors have been harassed, arrested, pushed back with mace and water cannons and attacked by dogs. Hundreds have been injured but they have not lost hope.
At Mexicali Blues, we believe strongly in the power of peaceful protest and in the importance of protecting this beautiful earth. No matter where we all stand on the transport of fossil fuels we should all stand up for the right of a people to voice their concerns and protect their community against the business interests of large corporations.
If you can’t make your contribution before Saturday, there are so many other ways to show solidarity! You can:
Purchase supplies from the camp’s Amazon Wish List
Donate to the Sacred Stones Camp GoFundMe
Contribute to the Sacred Stones legal defense fund
Sign up to stay informed on the latest updates
Nearly 2,000 veterans have pledged to travel to Standing Rock to stand between the protestors and the police this weekend. Our warm woolens and well wishes are part of a groundswell of good vibes heading to North Dakota and we hope you get involved, too!
The post MEXICALI BLUES IS SHOWING OUR SUPPORT FOR THE #NODAPL PROTECTORS AT STANDING ROCK. JOIN US! appeared first on Mexicali Blues Blog.