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North Carolina Cherokee Support Standing Rock

WUNC | By Laura Pellicer,
Frank Stasio
Published December 2, 2016 at 12:42 PM EST
A Dakota Access pipeline protester defies law enforcement officers who are trying to force them from a camp on private land in the path of pipeline construction.
James MacPherson
/
AP Photo
A Dakota Access pipeline protester defies law enforcement officers who are trying to force them from a camp on private land in the path of pipeline construction.

Eastern Band of Cherokee Vice-Chief Richard Sneed and Gilliam Jackson, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians talk about why the band passed a resolution lending financial support to the Standing Rock Sioux.

Thousands of protesters have spent months at the site of the proposed $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline under a lake near Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota. The protesters say it threatens the safety of the water and undermines a sacred native site. 

U.S. military veterans started arriving Thursday at the site to support the protests. Some veterans are offering to form human shields to protect water activists. North Dakota officials are threatening heavy fines for people delivering supplies to the main camp. The North Dakota governor has ordered the camp’s evacuation.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Gilliam Jackson, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who is gathering supplies and funding to support the activists. Eastern Band Vice-Chief Richard Sneed talks about why the band passed a resolution lending financial support to the Standing Rock Sioux. 

Copyright 2016 North Carolina Public Radio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio