No DAPL Social Media Movement By Robyn Burchell
#No. DAPL Social Media Movement By: Robyn Burchell
What is the Dakota Access Pipeline? �It is a huge underground oil pipeline being created to transport oil in a more efficient way from one state to another in America. It starts in North Dakota and travels all the way underground up until Illinois. Through many indigenous reservations along the way. The Dakota Access LLC which is the company in charge of building the pipeline started this project in 2014 and it’s still on going.
Timeline of Events: -January 25 th 2016 Dakota Access LLC received permit approval by the North Dakota Public Commission to move ahead with the final leg of construction for the Dakota Access Pipeline. -April 29 th, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers held a hearing for Native Americans on the pipeline, there was near unanimous opposition to the project. -July 25 th the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers approved three easements for water crossings for the Dakota pipeline at Sakakawea, the Mississippi River, and the ancestral site for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, Lake Oahe. - July 27 th 2016, Attorney’s for Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, a North Dakota American Indian tribe who's reservation is located in proximity to a junction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, filled an official court complaint against the US Army Corps of Engineers. Shortly after the court filling, protestors began arriving from across the US to a makeshift camp near the Stand Rock Sioux Reservation. -September 3 rd 2016, the tension erupted into physical confrontation, as protestors and private security employed by Dakota Access clashed, leaving 30 protestors pepper sprayed and between 6 and 12 were bitten by dogs. -September 9 th 2016 Federal Judge James Boasberg of the U. S. District Court in Washington D. C. denied Stand Rock Sioux Tribe’s legal request for a temporary injunction against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Less than an hour later, three Federal agencies halted construction, saying in a joint statement: The Army will not authorize constructing the Dakota Access Pipeline on U. S. Army Corps of Engineers land boarding or under Lake Oahe site under National Environmental Policy Act.
Timeline. . . -September 13 th, Energy Transfer Partners, the parent company to Dakota Access LLC, sent a letter to their employees that the company was committed to completing the project. They said that the pipeline was 600% complete, they had already spent $1. 6 billion on equipment, materials and the workforce thus far. -November 14 th, the Department of the Interior and the Army Corps of Engineers released a joint statement delaying a final decision on permitting the pipeline. They said the permit had followed all legal requirements, but more consultation with Native American tribes was needed. -November 25 th the US Army Core of Engineers threatened Dakota Access Pipeline protesters with possible arrests if they don't evacuate their camps by Dec. 5. Tribal leader Dave Archambault made it clear that they intended to stay in the Oceti Sakowin camp — one of three camps near the construction site. -November 28 th North Dakota Govenor Jack Dalrymple issued an executive order for the expulsion of DAPL protesters "to safeguard against harsh winter conditions. " -November 30 th, North Dakota law enforcement have begun blocking vital supplies to the main camp of Dakota Access Pipeline protesters, following the emergency evacuation order issued by governor Jack Dalrymple.
Why the protests? � The protests started because the standing Rock Sioux tribe was fighting back against the Dakota Access LLC. They didn’t want the pipeline to contaminate their main source of water (Lake Oahe) and they didn’t want it to be built on their sacred burial land, they wanted to protect their territory. Protests and demonstrations started to get violent between the protestors and the North Dakota police and armed soldiers. Guard dogs, mace, water hoses all types of riot gear were used in order to try and get protestors off the pipeline construction site. Violent Protest video: https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=y 0 XMg. Gu. VHQ 0
The Hashtag ###### � The #No. DAPL Hashtag started because of indigenous youth, they were aware of what was happening within their reservation so they took it to social media, in order to spread the word and help have their voices heard by others. The Hashtag was also useful in spreading the news about what was going on within North Dakota and the Standing Rock reservation, because at that time there was not a lot of media coverage about what was going on with the pipeline. News channels and reporters seemed to only be more interested once the protests and retaliations started happening, the more violent it got the more press it seems. The #No. DAPL Hashtag is what helped other people across North America become educated about what was going on and helped them retaliate back as well, by holding marches and protests themselves. There were some in LA, NYC, Chicago and here in Montreal(Kahnawake). It also caused many indigenous people from different reservations across north America and non indigenous people as well to go a join the protests happening in North Dakota at Standing Rock. The Hashtag is seen on not only twitter but Instagram as well as Facebook. It helped start and spread the movement.
Why it’s important to care! � I believe it’s important to care about this Hashtag and what it stands for because in my opinion indigenous people and their reservations are still not respected to the level that they should be. Many people are still ignorant to indigenous people and their culture. Many people are not even aware that indigenous people live so close to them or that they're affected by these type of events in the world. Perhaps that is why the media coverage for this event was not good enough, people should have been informed way sooner. I feel as though many people see Indigenous people as a lower social class and don't give them the dignity in society that they deserve. Some people are still not even sure what the appropriate or proper name to call an indigenous person is. (indian, native. . etc. ) The right name: http: //www. cbc. ca/news/canada/manitoba/what-s-in-aname-indian-native-aboriginal-or-indigenous-1. 2784518 That is why it’s important to care what goes on in their territory just as much as our own, they are just as much a part of our North American society as we are.
Real Activism � In this case I think this social media movement was successful in spreading awareness and information to the public, the #No. DALP Hashtag helped people get involved, have protests of their own and join in on the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. It helped educate people on Indigenous issues and taught them to care more about what going on within other cultures and societies around them. I think there was certainly a change in some members of society and their view of Indigenous people after hearing so much about this issue because of the Hashtag and social media and also through the news eventually broadcasting about it. I hope it helped the general population to open their eyes a bit more. Kahnawake protest: http: //montreal. ctvnews. ca/kahnawake-protesters-show-support-for-standing-rock-1. 3161549
Bibliography: � http: //www. cbc. ca/news/canada/manitoba/what-s-in-a-name-indian-nativeaboriginal-or-indigenous-1. 2784518 http: //standwithstandingrock. net/take-action/ http: //www. truth-out. org/opinion/item/38165 -how-to-talk-about-nodapl-anative-perspective http: //montreal. ctvnews. ca/kahnawake-protesters-show-support-for-standingrock-1. 3161549 http: //www. trunews. com/article/nodapl-full-timeline-of-dakota-access-pipelineprotest http: //www. independent. co. uk/news/world/americas/dakota-access-pipelinefacts-explained-pros-cons-protests-what-next-a 7544451. html
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