On the heels of returning from the protests at Standing Rock, more than 100 Fort Lewis College students, staffers and alumni are planning a rally in opposition to the controversial oil pipeline Sunday night in downtown Durango.
Fort Lewis College professor Anthony Nocella said the gathering will happen at 7 p.m. on the corner of Main Avenue and College Drive.
On Tuesday, a caravan of more than 50 people affiliated with Fort Lewis College embarked on the 16-hour drive to the protest camp at Standing Rock, North Dakota, where since this summer, thousands of “water protectors” representing hundreds of tribes have stood against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The 1,170-mile pipeline would transport 470,000 barrels of oil a day from North Dakota’s Bakken oil fields to other pipelines in Illinois. The Standing Rock Sioux say the pipeline threatens their drinking water and cultural lands and tribal burial grounds, while the developers, Energy Transfer Partners, say no sites will be distrubed and drinking water will be safe.
For the past week, students have been protesting the pipeline on the front lines, taking part in tribal ceremonies, and surviving the harsh North Dakota winter.
“Oh man, it was cold,” said FLC student John Moya.
Moya said a few things surprised him about the camps at Standing Rock: it was larger than he imagined, the community was welcoming and the protests brought people from not only all over the country, but all over the world.
“It was an amazing experience,” he said.
Damon Young, a junior at FLC, also said his personal experience at Standing Rock was “the opposite of everything that I’ve heard in the media, or at least what little coverage there is.”
“It was a real big sense of community and love, something I cant put into words,” he said. “I learned to embrace all of this in a loving manner. Sometimes people are not aware of their spirituality and connectedness to this world. But it becomes apparent as soon as you step into that camp. You’re awakened spiritually inside. I didn’t want to leave.”
Sidney Kibotie also criticzied media coverage of the protests. He said police were armed with riot gear, but rallies were peaceful and no one was armed.
“What we found is that it’s a very spiritual place,” he said. “It’s a really empowering atmosphere among the camps and people there, and the non-violent approach to this situation, that’s criticial to their lands and their water and people.”
Last Friday, federal authorities said they will close down the protest camps by Dec. 5.