Malibu City Council meets on Monday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m. Will you join me in requesting our council join the 19 U.S. city governments who have passed resolutions or written letters opposing construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline?
In California, the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Oakland and Berkeley express solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux and Indigenous Peoples in general. This pipeline was redirected from another area because white people complained it would impact their lives in a negative way. Who will stand with Standing Rock to protect their sacred tribal sites and water supplies? The Dakota Access Pipeline threatens the lives of more than 17 million people who get their water from the Missouri River. On Monday, Nov. 16, President Obama, invoking the historic mistreatment of Native Americans, is continuing to withhold the final permit.
From the Native perspective, white supremacy is the law of the land. With the new regime coming in, if we standby and watch the rights of the most vulnerable be trampled, I can only imagine who next will fall victim to racist violent bullies, intent on getting their way. Native Water Protectors and Water Warriors have more than earned both acknowledgement and solidarity.
Valerie Sklarevsky