Standing Rock and DC: Violence and More Violence from Cops

Submitted by blazinAZ on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 3:26pm

While mainstream media decried a little property destruction during the inauguration (see #disruptj20 for tweets, images, and videos), they simultaneously ignored the unrelenting aggression directed at the protesters in DC and at the water protectors in Standing Rock. The uniformed thugs acting as agents of the oligarchy continue to deploy teargas, pepper spray, water cannons, percussion grenades, rubber bullets, and other “less-lethal” tools in attempts to shut down the people’s voices and to prop up authoritarianism.

This first video (2:49) is an excerpt from a long video posted originally by Jon Ziegler, an alternative media livestreamer who tweets as @Rebelutionary_Z. He was the first to document the missile launchers at Standing Rock (on Monday). On Wednesday, as you can see in this video, the mercenaries retaliated. He was targeted by the cops: called by name as he was filming at the Backwater Bridge and then shot with rubber bullets. They were aiming for his camera, but hit his hand instead. He has since undergone reconstructive surgery. The authoritarians don’t want people seeing their shameful actions.
[video:https://youtu.be/REEu05Ptnts]

I’ve said this before, but I will repeat. There is absolutely no justification for that bridge being blockaded the way it is -- except to protect the illegal construction by Energy Transfer Partners on the DAPL. The blockade creates a dangerous situation for the people at Standing Rock, forcing them to drive 45 minutes or more out of their way in order to reach emergency services. The Department of Transportation has said that the bridge is structurally sound, so the original excuse given by Morton County sheriff’s office for the closure is not valid (it never was).

More documentation from the same night at the bridge. In the first video below (40:43), at 15 minutes you can hear calls for a medic, at 17 mins the cops cross the barrier to the people’s side of the bridge, and the response is “hands up” and the people start to sing.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0kIv6YPgck]

This next one (21:43) is worth watching for the exhortation from one of the water protectors, which begins at around the 10-minute mark.

This is not my country, but this is my land.

There’s no fear here. The camp may have gotten small, but there’s no fear.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6afDPw1D7Zk&feature=youtu.be]

I’m going to end this essay with a powerful music video by Nahko and Medicine for the People, “Love Letters to God” (5:37). I’ve been despairing the last few days, and this gives me hope.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgwzfjA272U]

Tags:

NoDAPL

Standing Rock

Sioux

Energy Transfer Partners

cop violence

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Comments

Submitted by Steven D on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 4:06pm

Have you seen this story yet?

North Dakota tribe formally calls on pipeline protesters to disperse

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on Friday unanimously passed a resolution calling for the camps to be dismantled, it said on its Facebook page on Saturday. The tribe has been encouraging protesters to go home since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed to an environmental review of the $3.8 billion project in December.

Despite earlier discussions about alternative sites, the resolution made no provision for relocating the estimated 600 protesters, which include non-native environmental activists and Native Americans from outside the tribe.

"The pipeline fight has moved beyond the camps and our strategy must evolve with the process," Standing Rock Tribal Chairman David Archambault II said in a statement dated Saturday.

The council said heavy snowfall in the area had raised the danger of flooding, and this week's clashes with police could imperil the environmental review process.

"Because we worked together, the federal government will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement," the tribe said. "Moving forward, our ultimate objective is best served by our elected officials, navigating strategically through the administrative and legal processes."

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"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott

Submitted by blazinAZ on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 4:31pm

tribal gov't

@Steven D
Elected officials of indigenous nations and tribes are always more conservative and more pro-government than the activists are. Dave Archambault and the Standing Rock Tribal Council have been trying for months to get people to leave, but there are many other people who don't agree.

He has said that Energy Transfer Partners is not still drilling and constructing -- which is untrue based on the company's own statements. He has said that there is danger of flooding -- which is true but won't be relevant until much later in the spring.

He and the council continue to put their faith in the courts and the "law," which I think is misguided. The only reason there have been the small victories we've seen is because of the ongoing, persistent activism on the ground.

The cops don't need an excuse to be violent, but they will use any pretext they can. If the federal government wants to slow down or do an end-run around the EIS process, they will. The water protectors will not be the cause of that, and I, personally, am still supporting the folks at the camps.

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There is no justice in America, but it is the fight for justice that sustains you.
--Amiri Baraka

Submitted by Pricknick on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 4:52pm

@blazinAZ

@blazinAZ @blazinAZ @blazinAZ
Are they also losing faith in their elders? Their elected officials have no real power in what's happening.
Maybe they're tired of turning their cheek to those who have lied while decimating their heritage.
Care package going out Monday.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

Submitted by blazinAZ on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 6:19pm

not sure if Archambault is seen as an elder, but politician

@Pricknick

There are elders still in the camps and advising the camps. I think this is just evidence that different people in the same situation have different views.

We have to choose where we send our donations. I give my money to the folks at the frontlines, not to the "tribe" (which actually is the tribal government). I agree w/ duckpin that the tribal council, including Archambault, is an imposed form of government.

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There is no justice in America, but it is the fight for justice that sustains you.
--Amiri Baraka

Submitted by duckpin on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 5:40pm

Tribal government

@blazinAZ I have no insight into the Sioux situation but I do have knowledge on other American Indian tribes and they have had an alien system of government imposed on them. One tribe I know about has no tradition of elected officials making decisions for the entire people - it's imposed for the benefit of the US government who can deal with a leadership group and coerce, buy off, persuade by reason, whatever...I have no idea what the situation is in the Dakotas but is common for have the government impose a "democratic" system on an Indian tribe. The American Indians with whom I am most familiar still keep as much power in their chapters as they can and do their best with the tribal council which many view as illegitimate.

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"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"

Submitted by Steven D on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 7:22pm

Sorry

@blazinAZ In responded to you downthread but somehow it ended up as a response to myself. That was not my intent.

http://caucus99percent.com/comment/235127#comment-235127

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"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott

Submitted by Steven D on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 7:19pm

Thanks

@Steven D I was unaware of the internal politics of this situation between the tribal government and the elders, activists etc. Always good to get the full picture. The Reuters reporter obviously didn't bother or his report was edited to remove any "nuance."

Steve

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"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott

Submitted by snoopydawg on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 5:14pm

I wish that the veterans would return

Yes I know that Archambault asked them to leave, but it wasn't until they showed up that Obama or the ACE decided to do further studies and refused them to drill. But immediately after that happened the oil company said that they were going to ignore them and drill anyway.
I read an article yesterday that said that they have drilled under the water already.
And the national guard has missile defense equipment there.

I still think that this is a trial run to see how people will react when mercenaries are deployed on American soil.
So far they have failed the test.
Where's the militias who say that they stand against this type of over reach?

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The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt

Submitted by Alligator Ed on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 6:58pm

Mercenaries have been deployed at Standing Rock

@snoopydawg They are called "police", "sheriffs", and "guardsmen". They are thugs hired by DAPL to put down a so far unilaterally violent protest. Missile defense system!?! What, for bows and arrows that haven't been used or for rocks and bottles that haven't been thrown?

This IS Nazism, the merger of state and corporation. It pre-existed Trump but has become uglier every day. Lame Stream Media will not cover this and hasn't. DT will quietly encourage this until the ACE gives its approval of a never to be issued environmental impact report, because "we don't need no stinkin' report".

I have a modest proposal. Let us allow North Dakota to secede from the Union. Canada won't have them. Then DT can charge a 35% tariff on the oil they transport into "our" country.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 8:02pm

Ed, it's not just the police and national guard

@Alligator Ed Tiger Swan is like Blackwater and they are in charge of the security according to this article. http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/10/31/security-firm-running-dakota-acce...

TigerSwan is one of several security firms under investigation for its work guarding the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota while potentially without a permit. Besides this recent work on the Standing Rock Sioux protests in North Dakota, this company has offices in Iraq and Afghanistan and is run by a special forces Army veteran.
According to a summary of the investigation, TigerSwan “is in charge of Dakota Access intelligence and supervises the overall security.”
The Morton County, North Dakota, Sheriff’s Department also recently concluded that another security company, Frost Kennels, operated in the state while unlicensed to do so and could face criminal charges. The firm’s attack dogs bit protesters at a heated Labor Day weekend protest.

And the dog handlers weren't properly licensed to provide security according to this article and some of them may be charged
http://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/investigators-dog-han...
I'm not holding my breath to see if anyone actually gets charged because no one in a position of authority has said how wrong it is that private mercenary contractors are working on American soil.
Who was it that said that wars abroad come home?

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Submitted by Alligator Ed on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 8:34pm

Sorry, I forgot about the "legitimate" mercenaries.

@snoopydawg

Submitted by asterisk on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 9:32pm

@snoopydawg They think they can

@snoopydawg They think they can get away with treating citizens like criminals because they already know there will not be a public outcry. They did a trial run in Watertown after the Boston bombing. You may have seen this before, but it still is a frightening warning of things to come.

I did not find the video of a young blond woman being forced down the street with her hands in the air. There was no way she could have been the suspect in disguise. The parents with their little children did not look like criminal bomber types either.

Submitted by riverlover on Sun, 01/22/2017 - 1:59am

So wrong. So wrong.

@asterisk Castle doctrine? Still in lockdown here due to bear tracks, not sure what is happening now due to no snow (currently 46F). Still foggy and rain is acoming. They can shoot dogs now? That vid has many pissed-off dogs guarding.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Submitted by Pricknick on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 7:06pm

Totally agree.

We have to choose where we send our donations.

Mine are going with a member of the Michigan Sauk tribe.
Isn't it interesting how many different people and tribes are working together?
Karma.

—

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Sun, 01/22/2017 - 2:12pm

asterick, I have been commenting on Waterton since it happend

@Pricknick I feel it was trial run to see how people would react to martial law if they though there was a threat to their safety.
And the PTB saw it went just as they though it would.
I feel the same is happening at Dapl to see how people would react with mercenaries on US soil. They haven't disappointed me but then maybe they don't know about them since the media won't tell them.

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Submitted by PriceRip on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 9:18pm

All this is a bit discomforting.

I grew up among the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla People, members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. As an outsider (even though I wanted to marry into the community -- long story) I learned never to presume any understanding of reservation politics.

The one thing I can say without fear of alienating my friends of the various tribes is that "our" Federal Government has never treated the members of the first nations with any respect.

I know a few Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota and have similarly learned that I have no foundation for commenting, except for the obvious: We should work to remove these outsiders from this war zone and do what ever is necessary to remove the DAPL invaders from their lands.

I appreciate your efforts to keep a channel for information open.

"We love our country - it is composed of the bones of our people and we will not part with it." Cayuse Delegation Treaty of 1855

Submitted by Tao Joe on Sun, 01/22/2017 - 5:02pm

As more of us know what kleptocracy looks like in the flesh ...

Now we can focus on those who are profiting from it while they are raping countless Sovereign Nations all over the globe.

So far the only Silver Lining we have got from our new President is the cancellation of TPP, which would have legalized Kleptocracy and promote it as the new 'normal'.

Just saying!