Message to Protect Standing Rock

  1. How are people using social media to fight for social justice in this particular situation?

People are using social media to to daily or weekly updates on what’s happening at standing rock. Such as different cultures protesting, or different countries deciding to side with Standing Rock.

  1. Research hashtags people have been using.

#dakotaaccesspipeline #IstandwithStandingRock  #NoDapl

  1. How effective are these methods of action?

I would say these methods are somewhat effective as I’m starting to see them pop up more in my Facebook timeline. As well as people are starting to organize peaceful protests more often.

  1. What is environmental justice and role does social media play in fight environmental justice?

Environmental justice is the act of trying to protect the environment for people who usually cannot protect their own. Such as minorities in Philadelphia who were living in homes with lead paint because of their landlords not telling them. A form of environmental justice would be the city of Philadelphia making the landlords fix get rid of the lead paint and stop taking advantage of the minorities or people who live there that could not afford better homes.


Now social media adds exposure to the injustice. As with Standing Rock people have uploaded videos to Facebook and Twitter. The videos vary from people protesting in the day from being doused by water cannons or running away from tear gas. Social media can show and stand up for what the tv stations won’t.

  1. What do you think can improve the strategy?

What could improve their strategy would be more unity. As people post randomly and sometime the agenda’s all don’t align. It would be better if people could post the hashtag and then talk to others in the group to collaborate on what they want to accomplish.   

Read: Norway's Largest Bank Sells Assets in Dakota Access Pipeline Company.  (Links to an external site.)

  1. Summarize and write your opinion to the article

The article states that DNB aka the largest bank in Norway has sold its assets in the companies that were helping the Pipeline. The assets were said to be worth 3 million dollars. Without that funding Energy Transfer Partners has the possibility to miss the January 1st deadline. There is a way for them to remain on schedule if they got a permit to drill under the Missouri River. Yet that’s still up for debate and with as much bad publicity Energy Transfer Partners are getting, the pipeline has a high possibility of missing their deadline, which may lead to the project being shut down.  


In my opinion this is great news. With Norway’s bank pulling money the North Dakota Pipeline project might finally end! Energy Transfer Partners needed that funding to finish on time, and with the possibility of them not finishing on time more investors might leave. It is too soon to tell how the events will play out, but all we can do now is wait and hope for the construction of the pipeline's failure.


  1. Seeing as that a big shot foreign company just divested from DAPL, what would you like to tell the American people to do? How can the American people and government create an environmentally just America? Be specific and explain why your suggestion is helpful in creating a just society.

I would like to tell Americans to wake up! At the moment we are severed as a country. Most people are still in turmoil over president elect Donald Trump, while others are getting caught up in holiday fever with Christmas coming. All the while Native Americans are still fighting for having their land not taken from them. As Americans we should come together to try to protect people’s basic rights. One basic right is having land and a home. What the DAPL is take a river that the people of Standing Rock use and pollute it. Ruining a basic natural resource for them. As who gives Energy Transfer Partners the right to come in and take something precious away from the people at Standing Rock. The American people and government need to protect the rights of all people because everyone should have the right to have a home or a place to stay. People should not take advantage of minorities and force them to live in lesser conditions just because they feel like they can! There should be laws in place stopping people from violating someone else’s environmental justice, or from abusing/bullying minorities into giving up a basic human right.

3. Old and New PSA

Original


A PSA previously written by me

Hi. My name is Cameron Lockett. I’m a seventeen year old senior who goes to Science leadership Academy@Beeber. Now there is an important issue going on in the nation, and I wanted to speak to you about it. I know what most people are probably thinking. Wouldn’t it be better to create a drawing or some other outlet to get people’s attention. Yes but to me I find it easier to just tell people how things are without trying to complicate things. By just speaking my mind through words.

Now onto the topic at hand. The state of Pennsylvania is funding a firm called Energy Transfers Partners. What they are trying to do is build a pipeline in North Dakota that would pump oil from North Dakota to Missouri by running it around the Mississippi River. Now this doesn’t seem so bad until you realize that the foundation is near a Native American Reservation. Actually it’s right near a river bank on that foundation. Now whether you want to believe to or not. We need to help preserve that land and try to stop the pipeline. Yes I have seen the information on how the pipeline can bring jobs, and help import oil from our own country so we wouldn’t have to export it as much.

Yet this isn’t just about oil. This is about a culture that wants to protect something sacred to them. Water might not seem like much to the average American, but water is what something essential to every life on this planet. Every living creature on this planet requires water from you, me, your cat, dog, fish, toad, even the trees in your neighborhood. It means even more to the Native Americans since one almost everything has been taken from them in this country, and two they believe in living with nature and not just abusing it as a tool. Yet when the Native Americans tried to stand up for themselves and protect their water they were attacked by dogs and sprayed by workers! Pennsylvanians wake up! Your tax dollars are being used to silence the voice of a culture that is already almost gone. Please don’t just ignore this and try to speak up in any way you can. Tell your neighbor, coworkers, family members, but please don’t just sit around and do nothing.  


Sincerely, Cameron Lockett



Revised


Fast Forward two months…

Same ol’ Thanksgiving  

Hi. I’m Cameron Lockett. The paragraphs you just read are from a PSA I wrote over two months ago when the Dakota Access Pipeline was just starting. Since then the situation has escalated! While most of us were at home enjoying Thanksgiving. The people of Standing Rock were fighting for their homes. Just about every day for the past two months there have been protests at Standing Rock trying to stop the process of the Dakota Access Pipeline being built. As the people of Standing Rock just want their homes to be safe.


Okay I know what some people may be thinking. Like why should I care? Or what does this have to do with me? Well let me remind you of something. Most of us have not had to struggle for basic rights like the Native Americans had. We have taken almost everything from that culture, and all we can do is barely say sorry. If some of our founding fathers had the option they would have eradicated them entirely. When we were kids we were all taught that at the first Thanksgiving we shared with the Native Americans because we didn't have much, but the Native Americans were there to help us and teach us to be thankful for what we have. Now look at us… People are getting hit with rubber bullets, doused with water cannons, and hit with tear gas. And no not because they did anything wrong, all they have been trying to do it protect the river that is essential to their home.  


Now I don’t know if my message will reach anyone, but I just want people to know what is going on in the world. As I can say I am very fortunate for the life I have been given, and I appreciate my home and life. Yet I know there are people in the world who struggle just for something I take for granted almost everyday. So I’m trying to do my part and get the message across that the people of Standing Rock need our help and support. Because all they our doing is just protecting their home… It’s that simple.


Sincerely, Cameron Lockett

Sources

Fontaine, Tim. "Social Media Captures Chaos at Standing Rock as Police, Anti-pipeline Demonstrators Face off - Indigenous - CBC." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 22 Nov. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

https://www.democracynow.org/2016/11/18/headlines/norways_largest_bank_sells_assets_in_dakota_access_pipeline_company.



"News About #Dakotaaccesspipeline On Twitter". Twitter.Com, 2016, https://twitter.com/hashtag/dakotaaccesspipeline?lang=en.


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