To the Editor:
Native Americans are again being brutalized and violently attacked. At this very moment in Standing Rock, North Dakota they are defending their sacred lands from the Dakota Access Oil Pipeline which threatens to contaminate the water supplies of millions of people.
The historical treatment of the Native Americans by the US government, the US Army, and the white settlers is one of unspeakable brutality and horror. Their lands were stolen, their cultures shattered, their way of life completely dismantled and disrupted leaving them devastated and destitute .
The Indians protecting the water are called “water protectors” and they are peacefully protecting the water for all of us. Every pipeline is dangerous - there have been hundreds of ruptures, spills, and fires - one spill was so bad that Alabama and six neighboring states declared a state of emergency.
The highly militarized police and private security forces have repeatedly attacked the water protectors with tear gas cannisters, vicious dogs, flash/bang grenades, rubber bullets, water cannons (in freezing weather), and weaponized sound devices. Peaceful protesters have been arrested, beaten, locked in dog cage enclosures, and suffered hundreds of injuries in the last few days.
The genocide and violence that occurred back in the 1800’s is history we cannot change. However, it’s repetition is something we can stop. Please visit www.sacredstonecamp.org to learn how to help. The corporate media has virtually blocked out all coverage of Standing Rock. Don’t let this brutality continue. Now is the time to speak up.
Eli Kassirer
Native Americans are again being brutalized and violently attacked. At this very moment in Standing Rock, North Dakota they are defending their sacred lands from the Dakota Access Oil Pipeline which threatens to contaminate the water supplies of millions of people.
The historical treatment of the Native Americans by the US government, the US Army, and the white settlers is one of unspeakable brutality and horror. Their lands were stolen, their cultures shattered, their way of life completely dismantled and disrupted leaving them devastated and destitute .
The Indians protecting the water are called “water protectors” and they are peacefully protecting the water for all of us. Every pipeline is dangerous - there have been hundreds of ruptures, spills, and fires - one spill was so bad that Alabama and six neighboring states declared a state of emergency.
The highly militarized police and private security forces have repeatedly attacked the water protectors with tear gas cannisters, vicious dogs, flash/bang grenades, rubber bullets, water cannons (in freezing weather), and weaponized sound devices. Peaceful protesters have been arrested, beaten, locked in dog cage enclosures, and suffered hundreds of injuries in the last few days.
The genocide and violence that occurred back in the 1800’s is history we cannot change. However, it’s repetition is something we can stop. Please visit www.sacredstonecamp.org to learn how to help. The corporate media has virtually blocked out all coverage of Standing Rock. Don’t let this brutality continue. Now is the time to speak up.
Eli Kassirer