The local rally is one of more than 100 being organized worldwide in a 'massive day of action'
Portlanders who checked into Standing Rock, N.D., on Facebook last week in a virtual show of solidarity will have another opportunity to turn their slacktivism into direct action on Tuesday.
Organizers are gearing up for what will be the third solidarity rally in Portland, this time at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District office at 333 SW First Ave. The rally begins at 4 p.m. and will include a march to a secondary location.
The Portland protest is one of more than 100 taking place around the globe on Nov. 15 in what organizers are calling a “massive day of action.”
Rallies will be held at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers district headquarters around the U.S., including in Phoenix, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Nashville and Omaha.
In many other major U.S. cities, activists will gather at locations such as capitol buildings and offices of Wells Fargo, one of the financial institutions bankrolling the $3.8 billion pipeline project.
Activists are targeting the Corps of Engineers to demand its Washington, D.C., branch not issue remaining permits necessary to complete the Dakota Access Pipeline project, said Christopher Kuttruff, local lead organizer and climate activist.
“In their arrogance, Energy Transfer Partners built the mass majority of the pipeline without having the permit to build beneath the Missouri River,” said Kuttruff.
He said protesters will also demand the corps conduct a full environmental impact review of the pipeline, which is expected to transport 470,000 barrels of volatile Bakken oil per day from North Dakota to Illinois.
The pipeline, which is nearing completion, plows through land members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe say belongs to them under an 1851 treaty. It’s land they say they never ceded, and it contains sites sacred to the tribe. Additionally, they say the pipeline poses a major threat to their single source of water, the Missouri River.
Since the protests at Standing Rock began last summer, hundreds of protesters have been arrested, tear gassed and pepper sprayed, and journalists attempting to cover the controversial project have been intimidated, charged with crimes and even shot at with rubber bullets by police.
Among dozens of groups acting in solidarity with Standing Rock is 350 PDX. Its president, Adriana Voss-Andreae, urges everyone in the Portland area to come join Tuesday’s solidarity protest.
“As a movement, we’ll continue to fight until native sovereignty is honored, indigenous rights are protected, and our communities, water and climate matter more than fossil fuel profits,” she said.
LEARN MORE: Other ways you can stand with Standing Rock
An Evening with the Tar Sands Valve Turners
On Oct. 11, five activists from the Pacific Northwest attempted to stop Alberta Tar Sands oil from entering the U.S. by shutting off pipelines at five entry points located in Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana and Washington. They were all arrested.
On Nov. 16, the “Valve Turners” will make Portland the second stop in their tour as they travel the country telling the story of their choice to turn the valves, despite serious legal consequences.
The program will begin at 7 p.m. at Sunnyside Community House, 3520 SE Yamhill St.
