Emergency DACA Rally

Voices from the Emergency DACA Rally in San Francisco, organized by Bay Resistance on the day Trump ended the program. You’ll hear from a young woman with ASPIRE (Asian Students Promoting Immigrant Rights through Education), the first Pan-Asian, undocumented immigrant led organization in the country. You’ll also hear from Sharif from AROC, the Arab Resource and Organizing Center.

ASPIRE activist speaking at the Emergency DACA Rally at the SF Federal Building

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Allies to the Water Protectors #NODAPL

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The Dakota Access Pipeline is a 1,172-mile conduit which will carry crude oil from North Dakota to southern Illinois. The Standing Rock Sioux, a Native group whose source of drinking water will be crossed multiple times by the pipeline filed a lawsuit to block construction this summer. A spirit ride on the Standing Rock Reservation launched the protest against the pipeline in April. Since then, thousands of allies from other tribes and communities from across the country and internationally have arrived at Cannon Ball, North Dakota.

As the water protectors put their bodies on the line in direct action to pipeline construction, response from private security, Morton County Sheriffs, and other law enforcement agencies called in from other counties, escalated to use of dogs, tanks of pepper spray, and rubber bullets.

Before many people made it to the polls on Tuesday, allies of the water protectors blocked traffic at a major intersection in San Francisco. Banners read, “What they do to the water, they do to us,” which is just one of the messages allies brought back from Standing Rock.

Two women who journeyed to Standing Rock, joined me in studio: Pam Tau Lee, and Cece Carpio. Pam visited STanding Rock in late September, Cece in late October, and Barbara will be heading out there next week. Also joining us is Barbara Mumby who will be heading out to Standing Rock with her daughter next week.

There are many ways for you to engage with this struggle. As Pam mentioned, it’s getting cold out there and winter gear is needed. Also, word about an anonymous donor contributing funds to bail out the water protectors is simply not true and funds re still needed for the legal defense.

There’s also a phone calling, email letter writing campaign on November 14. Gather in community and hold letter-writing, emailing, and calling parties to urge the immediate END of DAPL.

For those who want to get involved more directly, there’s a national day of action on Tuesday, November 15. The Bay Area action starts at 6:30 a.m. at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza. This sunrise ceremony and mass nonviolent direct action is to stand together in the BAY AREA in solidarity with the peoples of Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota and against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The demands to the  US Army Corps of Engineers are to 1) Deny Permit to Bore Under the Missouri River, and 2) complete a Full Environmental Impact Statement.