Protests against the Dakota Access pipeline continue to grow nationwide. In Denver, hundreds marched Thursday evening in a protest in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The rally was led by Native American activists who converged onto the steps of the State Capitol building from four directions. This is Shawnee and White Mountain Apache activist Sky Roosevelt-Morris.
Sky Roosevelt-Morris: “There were a lot of people in the last week, week and a half, that wanted to do something in support of Standing Rock, because tomorrow there’s going to be court decisions, and depending how those go, we could see a continuation of what we’ve already seen going on up in Standing Rock—with private security, the use of dogs, pepper spray—or, hopefully, their permits will be revoked, and we will win this battle.”
In San Francisco, meanwhile, scores of demonstrators marched on the offices of Citibank to protest the bank’s role in financing the Dakota Access pipeline. At least two activists were arrested after they used PVC pipe to lock their arms together to block an intersection. Large demonstrations were also held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Omaha, Nebraska. And more celebrities are calling for a halt to the pipeline, including actor and comedian Chris Rock, who posted an Instagram message in support of the Standing Rock protests with the message, “This is no joke.”