Merced group to stand with Dakota Access protesters

A group of community activists from Merced will spend Thanksgiving in North Dakota to join protest efforts against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

A group of about six people from various organizations, including the Merced Organizing Project, Building Healthy Communities and We’Ced Youth Media, will stay near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation through the holiday weekend.

The timing of the trip is no coincidence.

“These days are symbolic,” said Claudia J. Gonzalez, the editor of We’Ced Youth Media. “The U.S. celebrates ‘Thanksgiving’ without actually acknowledging the genocide of 100 million Native Americans. … Indigenous folks are fighting to protect water for 18 million people while the rest of America is oblivious and only cares about eating and shopping.”

About half of the group departed on their road trip Sunday, and the rest of the group left Wednesday. The group plans to join other affiliates of the PICO National Network in the “California Camp” in North Dakota.

Gonzalez said the Merced group will support the protest in whatever way it can – such as delivering supplies, cooking and standing on the front lines.

“We want to be good allies and will follow what the elders say and where they see the need for support,” Crissy Gallardo, a 26-year-old organizer with MOP, said in an email to the Sun-Star.

The $3.8 billion pipeline to carry North Dakota oil to a shipping point in Illinois is largely complete outside of a stretch under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The tribe and others have been opposing the construction for months, saying the pipeline threatens the tribe’s drinking water along with American Indian cultural sites.

During a clash this week, officers used tear gas, rubber bullets and water sprays against protesters who they say assaulted officers with rocks, asphalt, water bottles and burning logs. One officer was injured when struck in the head with a rock. At least 17 protesters were injured severely enough to be taken to hospitals, according to Dallas Goldtooth, a protest organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network.

Michelle Xiong, who works with United Way, noted that the information about the clash is conflicting, depending on whether it comes from law enforcement or protesters.

“I want to be careful and definitely be there to protect, but you have to be mindful of what’s happening,” she said.

Coming from an agriculture-dependent region, the Merced group understands the importance of protecting water.

“The message is that the Central Valley, an area often overlooked in California, is also making a stand,” Gonzalez said. “Water is a huge (issue) in our area, too. We must fight to protect our water in Standing Rock, in the Valley and anywhere.”

The Merced group will make the drive to North Dakota loaded down with camping supplies, including tents, sleeping bags, propane heaters and canned food.

“The idea is to go and be self-sufficient,” Xiong said. “We want to show we’re not a burden to others there. We’re going to support the indigenous folks. The goal is that nobody feels they have to be responsible for you.”

Gallardo posted live video to Facebook on Wednesday that showed protesters filling the streets carrying signs that read “Water is Life.”

“It’s beautiful to see different tribes coming together and standing united for the dignity of our people and protection of water and land,” she said.

PICO is raising money to support more than 300 clergy making their way to Standing Rock. The money will go toward food and supplies for the team.

This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Merced group to stand with Dakota Access protesters."