An air of fear could be felt throughout San Diego as clean water for future generations and the environment are threatened by an Executive Order greenlighting the Keystone XL pipeline in Nebraska and the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.
The confirmation of these two projects, which would convey crude oil from places such as Alberta Canada to – in the case of the second pipeline – Illinois, has been met with objections from Americans in every corner of the U.S., who look unfavorably on the new President’s decisions, as well as the destruction of land so that, in their own words, a few can make obscene profits.
Most concerned are hundreds of Native American tribes, who have for days staged protests against the Dakota Access pipeline in an effort to halt the plan approved by President Trump. The Dakota Access Pipeline, which is projected to pass under Lake Oahe, a local source of drinking water, will pose a threat to the surrounding Sioux reservation.
In San Diego, local Native Americans painfully pointed out the damages once again ravaging their lands as they took to San Diego streets in protest together with students, NGOs, and other community members.
“This fight is not over, so we will continue fighting for our rights for water throughout the country,” said Chuck Cadotte, a member of the Standing Rock Tribe now living in San Diego. These executive orders are ridiculous, everything that comes out of his mouth is ridiculous! That’s why we have to protest against him, because we have to fight for our rights and protect future generations that will need clean water.”
Other San Diegans demanded an end to pipeline construction permits for the economic elite and financial group members, which they said are the key investors in projects such as the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines.
Marches against the pipelines continued from San Diego City College all the way to Downtown San Diego, including stops at bank branches, where protesters asked residents to withdraw their investments from these companies.
“These are national banks, so we are suggesting to our community that they invest in other banks which do not invest in these projects, then we will have power as a community,” shared San Diego student Olympia Andrade.
The San Diego community said that although these projects that intend to convey over 1.3 million barrels of oil are located far from Southern California, future impacts of a potential spill threaten all Americans, and that is the reason they are standing strong by Native American tribes.
“It is a huge atrocity. It not only harms our community, but also tribal lands. There will be people [affected] down the road, so we are doing this for the future generations, because we want them to be healthy and because it is everyone’s right,” said San Diego protester Ixchel Osmara.