“I even witnessed several wandering in and out of camps comparing it to
festivals. Waiting with big smiles expectantly for us to give them a
necklace or an ‘indian’ name while our camp leader was speaking.”.... “This is not
Burning Man or a festival. Do not bring your party at the expense of
these peoples fighting or life or death”
http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/33832/1/people-are-treating-the-dapl-protest-like-burning-man
Mike Fiorillo posted this on ice mail -- it could be a Borowitz or Onion satire. Maybe it is. Do you know white people who rushed to Standing Rock to pad their activist resumes?
People are treating the DAPL protest like Burning Man
Standing Rock has reportedly been overrun with white demonstrators trying to soak up the ‘cultural experience’
http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/33832/1/people-are-treating-the-dapl-protest-like-burning-man
Demonstrators
at North Dakota’s Pipeline protest have spoken out about the amount of
white people who have turned up to “colonise” the camp.
The concerns have been raised by protestors in a series of tweets and
Facebook posts. According to them, people have turned up to the
Standing Rock demonstration to soak up the “cultural experience”, and
are treating the camp like it is “Burning Man” festival or “The
Rainbow Gathering”.
“White people are colonising the camps. I mean that seriously. They
are coming in, taking food, clothing... and occupying space without any
desire to participate in camp maintenance and without respect of tribal
protocols,”
said protestor Alicia Smith on Facebook.
“I even witnessed several wandering in and out of camps comparing it to
festivals. Waiting with big smiles expectantly for us to give them a
necklace or an ‘indian’ name while our camp leader was speaking.”
She
added that many protestors appeared to be living off the native
Americans, and were taking full advantage of the donations that people
had been sending in for the cause. This was a trend noticed
by another Twitter user, who witnessed one protestor turn down tap water to spend donations on “fluoride free” water.
“They are literally subsisting entirely off of the generosity of the
native people... who are fighting to protect their water just because
they can,” Smith wrote. “Some literally will not even prepare food but
will take food that is prepared, again, having not done anything else
all day.”
The situation has reportedly got so bad that an open letter detailing
the camp’s ground rules has started trending on Twitter. Responding to
the new influx of support, it reminds demonstrators that the camp is
“not a vacation.” It also says that protestors should avoid drugs and
alcohol, engage with the elders, and refrain from playing “guitar or
drums” around the fires.
“This is not
Burning Man or a festival. Do not bring your party at the expense of
these peoples fighting or life or death”, it reads. “I know this may
sound harsh but it’s what we are experiencing here. We need this to be
very clear so take time to understand the traditions and Native ways
before arrival.”
The construction of the 1,170-mile long pipeline has sparked protests
for its potential effects on the Missouri River. The water, which is
relied on by the area’s Standing Rock sioux tribe, could end up being
contaminated with crude oil; threatening the livelihood of many native
Americans.
Over the last few weeks, the protests have gained publicity from the
amount of famous people who have chosen to speak out against it. This
includes Grimes,
Shailene Woodley, Bernie Sanders, Katy Perry, and
Jaden and Willow Smith.
Sign the petition to stop the construction of the DAPL here, or donate to the Standing Rock tribe here.
2 comments:
Partner groups. Can't live with can't live without them.
Must be how commuters felt in Manhattan and other cities after we elected a president.
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