Invitation to Montpelier, Vermont

Passing along for Our Stop the pipeline group...

Saturday, November 5th.

9:30-10:30 am

Corner of Main and School St. in Montpelier

*Please wear blue or something blue if you can (to symbolize the water which is being jeopardized by the Dakota Access Pipeline which Standing Rock is resisting). We will be collecting money donations for Standing Rock from anyone who wishes to contribute.*

 

So many of us are moved and inspired by the action camps in North Dakota fighting the Dakota Access pipeline as well as outraged at the repression against largely indigenous water protectors there. One way we can offer concrete support is by targeting the direct sponsors of the pipeline in our own towns and cities.

The Dakota Access pipeline is funded directly by 17 banks, including TD Bank. Around Vermont and cross the country, people are putting pressure on these banks to stop funding the pipeline and to take a stand against the militarized response to the Standing Rock Sioux.

 

The resistance to this pipeline is about water and the environment, and at its core it’s a fight against forces that are trying to eradicate indigenous people in North America all together. The pipeline was redirected to sacred land precisely because its original route would have impacted the health and safety of white people. Kelly Hayes writes succinctly, "The resistance at Standing Rock is part of an ongoing struggle against colonial violence...everyone should be talking about climate change, but you should also be talking about the fact that Native communities deserve to survive, because our lives are worth defending in their own right — not simply because “this affects us all.”"

 

The Action:

We will be gathering at 9:30 am Saturday on the sidewalk in front of TD bank in Montpelier (Main and School St., the drive through TD) We will then march over to the other TD bank outlet which is nearby on the corner of State and Main St. in Montpelier to demonstrate our outrage over the repression of indigenous people at Standing Rock and the TD bank's investment in the Dakota Access Pipeline. The plan is disrupt TD business as usual and to close as many TD bank accounts together as possible. Then we will head back to the corner of Main and School St. for a closing.

 

Between now and Sat. please try and reach out to at least ten people to invite them to this action and also to see if they have a TD account that they would be willing to close on Sat. The goals of this action are to pressure TD bank to remove its support of DAPL, get the word out to more people about what is happening in North Dakota, and to demonstrate our outrage over the hideous repression against largely native people while taking a collective stand against white supremacy which we know is driving this colonial project.

There have been several Standing Rock solidarity actions in VT in the last few weeks and months and there are more on there on their way. Let's continue to show up together for this powerful cause. 

From Madeline and central VT SURJ leadership crew