Package of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline stories

 Standing Rock These stories on Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline have been supported in part by SJNN and the McCormick Foundation. They have been co-published by SJNN. When Cloee Cooper, June Leffler and Pat Nabong proposed in late Sept. 2016 to go from Chicago to North Dakota to report on the ongoing movement […]

NoDAPL supporters chant ‘Mni wiconi’ and it’s not just about water

Men overlooking Oceti Sakowin

By Pat Nabong and June Leffler [Package of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline stories here] Women in black burkas have marched around the Oceti Sakowin camp in North Dakota with a banner that reads, “Muslims stand with Standing Rock.” In a ceremonial dance, Aztec dancers from South America have skipped to the beat […]

Trump’s ascendancy intensifies #NoDAPL movement

By Pat Nabong [Package of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline stories here] Right by the Chicago River, hundreds of Native Americans and their supporters chanted, “Water is life!” Adorned with traditional headdresses, some of them lit tobacco and prayed for their water. And as the sun set, they danced under the shade of […]

Bitter consequences: Pipeline protesters batten down the hatches for North Dakota winter

By Pat Nabong and June Leffler [Package of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline stories here] CANNON BALL, NORTH DAKOTA — Opponents of a controversial oil pipeline being constructed near Standing Rock Sioux Reservation are about to face a bitter winter. Camping near tents near Cannonball River, current temperatures hover in the mid-30s and are […]

All-points call for more deputies to police Standing Rock protest draws critics

no-pipeline-guards

By June Leffler and Cloee Cooper [Package of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline stories here] The words “Sheriff Mahoney, No Pipeline Guards, Bring Them Home” were found chalked outside a sheriff’s office  in Madison, WI, last week in response to the deployment of deputies to North Dakota to police the protest of a […]

Siding with Standing Rock at the Naperville Powwow

By June Leffler [Package of Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline stories here] Every year, west suburban Naperville welcomes the Harvest Powwow, a rare occasion for non-natives to experience some representation of what Native American culture is. This year, the powwow took a strong stance on environmental justice issues facing Native Americans.