‘We have chosen resistance’

As the earth heats up in the face of climate change directly linked to the burning of fossil fuels, so does the “resistance” heat up to defend Mother Earth and all life on this planet. Pipeline fighters from diverse backgrounds are putting their bodies on the line to defend the soil, water and air that we all depend on to survive. Below are statements from a few of the resisters.  Please send us your story to publish! Send to info@peoplestribune.org or leave at our website at www.peoplestribune.org/

“As a health professional I see it clear and simple: climate change is a public health issue. We need health professionals out of our clinics, out of our hospitals and labs, out in the community raising our voices.” —Vishnu L. Surapaneni, an assistant professor of medicine at University of Minnesota, standing with physicians calling on Biden to revoke Enbridge’s permit at a rally in St. Paul.  https://grist.org/health/health-care-workers-line-3-rally-indigenous-water-protectors/?

“This is the head of the fuckin’ black snake. We need you all to come out and stand with us. We need bodies…strong hearts to the front.” —Julie Richards, Oglala Lakota, founder Mothers Against METH Alliance, among 28 arrested and charged with felony theft for stopping construction on Line 3 in July.   https://unicornriot.ninja/line-3-resistance-coverage

“I see it as my responsibility to take a stand. If they build Line 3, they might as well bury me beneath it… I will make sure that no oil flows through that pipe.”—Taysha Martineau, water protector from the Fond du Lac Reservation, speaking at the rally in St. Paul, MN  ‪#‎bipocsolidarity – Explore | Facebook

“This place is not my home but it is home to many people whose health and livelihoods will be impacted by Mountain Valley Pipeline’s construction and its operation. I’m taking this action today in solidarity with them. I’m also taking action in solidarity with people defending their homes across the globe-from the Zapatistas in Chiapas to Indigenous Water Protectors fighting Line 3 to the YPG and YPJ in Rojava. My action is small compared to many of theirs. The consequences I face are small compared to the consequences they will face if we fail. My heart goes out to them. I hope yours does, too.” —Maxwell, one of the nearly 100 pipeline fighters who stopped work on the MVP and was arrested for locking himself to equipment. ” From Appalachians Against Pipelines, Facebook   Appalachians Against Pipelines | Facebook

“As I write and as you read, 303 miles of Appalachian soil is being held captive by the Mountain Valley Pipeline. As pipeline construction intrudes upon the ground under the pads of our feet, we are reminded of the long history of rural communities, of Appalachian flora and fauna reduced to a mere commodity for the sake of bolstering a capitalistic agenda.

“Our story isn’t about an earth that’s burning —it’s long been burned. Rather, our story lies in the ashes that grace the topsoil, the dust that garnishes the trees. It’s the ways in which we walk through the rubble of what once was that defines our collective tale. Will we allow the very corporate intentions that led us into the flood, exploit our story once again, or will we choose to walk in community with the land and all of its people? The journey ahead is long, as a life in opposition to the systems we were socialized to accept is one of loss, of tribulations. But resistance results in abolition, and a future abolished is a future liberated, a future free from the industrial bonds holding us captive, the bonds of capitalistic enterprises that choose wealth over wellbeing. We have chosen resistance and we hope that you, whoever you may be, do too—there is truly no halting a people enraged.” — Statement from one of the 100 pipeline fighters that halted construction to the MVP pipeline for over 8 hours in Virginia. (1) Appalachians Against Pipelines | Facebook

Poem by Chase Iron Eyes

They’re drilling over here love sweet silence escapes
They’re crushing through our mother
Peace evades

Flesh pierces
Rivers bleed
How long can we go on
The whole world weeps
Our babies will cry for water
A Prophecy unfulfilled

For how long
can we go on
Sending rich people to space
Life flashes in the blink
At the brink
Find your place
This is home

Let my tears become one
With all those grieving
The ceremony of life
Calling us back
Defend the sacred mother

My heart is with all those fighting #Line3 right now.

https://www.facebook.com/MigiziWillFly/
Red Lake Treaty Camp
Giniw Collective
Chase Iron Eyes | Facebook