Dear friend,
Native American leaders at Standing Rock, North Dakota have issued an urgent call for people to come help the effort to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline, which will jeopardize the country's water supply by running toxic oil conduits under the Missouri River. Radical Women and the Freedom Socialist Party are responding to this call by sending two organizers immediately.
I am asking for your financial assistance to send these two dedicated activists to Standing Rock on short notice.
Standing Rock spokespeople are particularly looking for volunteers who can publicize their message broadly and provide concrete help preparing encampments for winter. Our delegation fits the bill.
Gina Petry, the Organizer of Seattle Radical Women will record interviews with Native women warriors leading the fight, along with youth and other activists on the front lines. Patrick Burns, a union carpenter, has been asked to lead a construction crew on site. He also brings a message of solidarity from activists in organized labor. Both volunteers are from Seattle and will be in North Dakota for a full week, starting November 14.
Normally, we would do fundraising ahead of time for such a trip, but given the urgency of the situation, with mass arrests and frigid weather blowing in soon, we decided to get our organizers on a plane immediately. The trip will cost upwards of $2,000.
Please make your donation today! This is a concrete way to support a fightback following Trump's election. If donations exceed the cost of the trip, additional funds will be sent to the Water Protector Legal Collective, which is desperately in need of money to cover bail and legal costs for arrestees.
Stay tuned for reports from our contingent in Standing Rock over the coming week. If you know someone they should connect with while in North Dakota, please email RadicalWomenUS@gmail.com or call FSP National Secretary Doug Barnes at 206-985-4621.
Please also contact us if you would like to interview Gina or Patrick after their return or have them make a presentation to your union or community organization.
In Solidarity,
Ann Rogers, Chippewa elder
Comrades of Color Caucus of
Radical Women and the Freedom Socialist Party
Freedom Socialist Party
Keeping you up to date.
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Telephone: 206-985-4621