Community

From Oakland to Standing Rock: Native American Activists Back Struggle to Protect the Sacred

Published

8 years ago

September 9, 2016

Dozens of community members gathered Wednesday evening at the Intertribal Friendship House in East Oakland for the opening of an art exhibit highlighting the ongoing struggle by Native American activists to halt the construction of an oil pipeline that could potentially threaten to contaminate the Missouri River.

Thousands of activists from dozens of different tribes across the country have gathered at the Standing Rock Spirit Camp in North Dakota to stop the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline, which would run just north of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation.

According to environmental activists, the pipeline could contaminate the drinking water for thousands of people living downstream of the Missouri River and would destroy sacred Sioux burial sites.

At Wednesday’s opening of the Oakland art exhibit, titled “Protect the Sacred,” indigenous artists came together to speak on Native American resiliency and the current struggles to protect water and land.

“For Native folks, water is its own deity, and there’s a way to respect it,” said Tomahawk GreyEyes, an artist who works at the Intertribal Friendship House and helped curate the exhibit.

“This exhibit is important because communities are beginning to understand the concept of protecting the sacred and this opens up conversations and builds solidarity,” he said.

Among the contributing artists present on Wednesday was Joey Montoya, founder of Urban Native Era, a media site and apparel store that seeks to spread awareness of native issues.

Montoya had recently returned from spending several weeks volunteering at Standing Rock and described what he experienced at the camp.

“Being there was really powerful because we saw all these nations standing together for water and for Mother Earth,”Montoyan told the Post.

“This is the first time we are all united, and standing together and seeing that unity was incredible,” he said.

On Monday, only hours after lawyers for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe went to court with evidence that the pipeline would indeed go through a sacred burial site, the company building the pipeline plowed through the site with bulldozers.

Hundreds of Native Americans rushed to the construction site to protect the burial site and were attacked by the company’s security forces, using guard dogs and pepper spray.

Oakland, which is home to the Ohlone people, has seen its own struggle to protect indigenous sacred sites.

Since 2001, native people and allies have protested the existence of the Bay Street Shopping Mall in Emeryville, which sits on an Ohlone Shellmound. The mall was approved by the Emeryville City Council to be built on the sacred site despite community opposition to the project.

A federal judge is expected to rule on Friday on the Standing Rock tribe’s request to stop construction on the pipeline. North Dakota’s governor has announced he will send the National Guard to the area ahead of the ruling.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

14 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.