By Maggie McNish | Intern
Our film A Different American Dream had its theatrical premiere at Cinema Village in New York City on January 6th. It was reviewed in The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter. The film is now available for educational screenings.
The unfortunate reality is that since the release, construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline will be completed under the pen of the current administration. The Army Corps of Engineers issued an evacuation deadline for February 22nd ordering protesters to withdraw from the Oceti Sakowin camp. Small numbers of journalists on the scene sent live streams across Facebook when militarized police did a sweep of the camp (as the mainstream media remained mostly silent), showing Americans that the Trail of Tears did not end with Andrew Jackson. Tribe members turned tepees and tents into scenes of flames, while officers destroyed sacred sites.
In light of these atrocities, we are inspired rather than discouraged, empowered instead of disillusioned. Entire cities from Seattle to Berlin have been pulling out of banks that invest in oil companies associated with the Dakota Access Pipeline. The stress has been so harsh that DNB, a Norwegian bank, has pulled its investments out of the pipeline. At the same time, displaced victims of Standing Rock are taking legal action to pursue justice.
With the recent approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline by the State Department, a new battle for land and water protection in the region begins. Pipeline giant, TransCanada, still faces legal and financial hurdles in their bid to complete construction. They need approval from the Nebraska Public Service Commission and local landowners and the massive financing needed for the pipeline is not yet secured. Surrounding indigenous communities, First Nations and environmentalists have been organizing resistance on a scale that is likely to meet or surpass the protests against DAPL.
3 Generations will pursue justice alongside them. We will film and archive these encroachments on human rights, Native American rights, sovereign rights, and environmental rights. We will give voices to those who are being ignored by the government and major news sources. We will always #resist to #StandWithStandingRock.
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