Doylestown Friends Meeting strongly supports the voices and actions of the Standing Rock Sioux who, together with tribal peoples across the country and their allies, are protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
We particularly decry the use of violence against the protesters by private security forces, and we urge you to do everything in your power to ensure that local authorities protect the people from such violence, as they are sworn to do. We are horrified by the recent turn of events in which dogs, mace and pepper spray have been used against protesters, and the creation of confrontation on both sides in what was intended to be a peaceful protest.
Indigenous peoples of this continent have suffered greatly from the incursions of those bent on extracting resources, particularly fossil fuels, without regard for the lifeways and wellbeing of those peoples. In this case, we believe that the Standing Rock Sioux and those joining them are acting in the best interests of all of us. We feel that this 1100-mile pipeline would create the same dangers as other projects, such as the XL Keystone Pipeline, and should be rejected for the same reasons. The proposal should have been properly subjected to the same thorough review as the XL Pipeline, so that the Standing Rock Sioux could have their voices heard and their historic rights respected, including the right of access to clean water, and the protection of their burial sites and other sacred sites as the 1978 Native American Religious Freedom Act guarantees. This includes honoring and respecting the promises of the United States to the Great Sioux Nation in the 1851, 1859 and 1868 Treaties of Fort Laramie, which this project would violate.
As Friends, we bear witness to the equality and to the sacred nature of every person, since every person carries the same Spark of Divine Light. The principle of equality is also a fundamental principle of a democratic society. When we shut out voices and ignore the rights of tribal people within the U.S., we deny that principle. Thus we must insist that the legal and treaty rights of the Standing Rock Sioux be honored and must not be violated by the construction of this pipeline.
Friends also have had a particular concern for the relations between the European settlers on this continent and its First Nations, beginning with our founder George Fox’s encounters with Native inhabitants during his North American travels in the 1680s and the founding of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting has had a standing Indian Committee since 1795 and maintains warm relations with Native Nations and Peoples up to this day. Thus we stand beside our First Nation brothers and sisters in insisting that the legal and treaty rights of the Standing Rock Sioux must be honored and must not be violated by the construction of this pipeline. Too often, Native Nations have paid the price for projects intended to benefit American society by actions that violate treaties and Native rights, such as taking land and constructing dams.
All others affected by the project are also entitled to be heard. Anything less, particularly for a project of this scope, is a failure of the democratic process and is a lack of transparency. It is a deliberate avoidance of the environmental review process and undermines the laws intended to ensure that all environmental effects are considered and properly weighed before approving an undertaking of this magnitude.
As Friends, we hold sacred our responsibility to care for the Earth and to preserve it for future generations and for all of life. Our Indigenous neighbors have long led the way in showing the importance of taking into consideration not only our own desires, but also the needs of the future generations, before we act. Projects such as the Dakota Access Pipeline threaten waters not only vital to the Standing Rock Sioux but to all neighboring communities throughout a large geographic area. Continuing to pursue fossil fuels rather than finding renewable and sustainable alternatives imperils our climate—our very existence. We must move quickly to reverse our course and implement environmentally sound practices to preserve the Earth and all life on it.
We strongly urge your prompt attention to this critical and time-sensitive matter.
Thank you.
Doylestown Friends Meeting
Bill Thode, Assistant Clerk
Arla Patch, Peace and Social Concerns Committee
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