How You Can Stand With Standing Rock

Since April of 2016, members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes and their allies have been protesting the current routing of the Dakota Access Pipeline. If you stand with Standing Rock and want to deny the 1,170 mile long oil pipeline from passing under the Missouri River and coming within a half-mile upstream from the Standing Rock Sioux reservation boundary, there are a lot of ways to show your support.

One question that is burning inside all of us who are not there to support and protest—and unable to—is how to help. Luckily, there are quite a few ways you can help, whether you have the funds to do so or not.

Use Your Voice

This is the most powerful way to show your support. Civil action doesn’t begin and end in the voting booth. Instead, it is something that you should do everyday. Calling is perhaps the easiest and most effective way, although a handwritten letter and personalized email also works. But again, a phone ringing off the hook and a full voicemail is a sure way to get attention.

Here are the people and offices you can call to urge them to take part in stopping the proposed route of the Dakota Access Pipeline, and to voice your concerns of the proposed pipeline carrying crude oil will have on clean water and sacred land. North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple and Senator John Hoeven, are in support of the DAPL. Senator Heidi Heitkamp has remained largely silent, although she supports the Army Corps of Engineers order for protesters to leave. Calling just one or two of these numbers is a good thing to do, and calling all of them will take you less then 15 minutes.

• North Dakota Office of Governor Dalrymple: (701)328-2200.
• Rep. Senator Hoeven: D.C. Office: (202)-224-2551 and Bismarck, N.D. Office:(701) 250-4618
• Dem. Senator Heitkamp: D.C. Office (202) 224-2043 and Bismarck, N.D. Office: (701) 258-4648
• The White House: (202) 456-1111
• Army Corps of Engineers at (202) 761-5903 You can voice your concerns about the DAPL to the ACE, and also state that you oppose the December 5 evacuation.
• Morton County Sheriff’s Department: (701) 328-8118 & (701) 667-3330.
• N.D. National Guard: (701) 333-2000

Use Your Money

Once you are done using your voice to stand in solidarity with Standing Rock, if you have the means, feel free to donate directly to Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. You can also send a donation (monetary or supplies) to the legal team for Standing Rock here. Or, the Florida School of Holistic Living has set up a monetary donation page for Standing Rock’s Medic and Healer Council. You can also send herbal and other supplies to the Medic and Healer Council. If you wish to donate to youth councils or individual camps, go to Camp of the Sacred Stones for a detailed list

Other Ways To Support

The above lists the most effective way to say #NoDAPL and to Stand with Standing Rock. But if you have done all of this already, then feel free to share any articles or other informational pieces of how to help on social media. Reading and sharing journalism reporting on the situation is also important. Tweet at President Obama, Governor Dalrymple, and both of North Dakota’s Senators that you support the Water Protectors. Remember to use these tags: #NoDAPL #RezpectOurWater #WaterIsLife and #MniWiconi (Lakota for “Water Is Life”). You can even buy shirts showing your support.

PHOTO BY: Fibonacci Blue