Protestors against the Dakota Access pipeline have been told to leave their camp by Dec. 5 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Although they said it’s to protect the protestors from confrontations and illness due to the harsh winter conditions, taking away their right to protest will actually do more to harm them. The people who are most affected by this are the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; they will have a lot more problems in the future if the pipeline is built without interference. The protestors must be allowed to voice their concerns until they are heard.
Mainstream news outlets often forget it’s not only how they present an issue that could indicate bias, but their choice of what to cover or spend time on can also reveal what they think is important. According to Slate, “Police reportedly responded with tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and, despite below freezing temperatures in the area, water cannons.” This kind of brutality against protesters is terrible and should be exposed. However, TV outlets will only give a brief mention of it. What had the potential to be a major issue in the 2016 election wasn’t, because if the media isn’t going to cover it, candidates have no reason to take a stand on it. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Cory Booker have been among the few who spoke out on the injustices happening at the protests.
The act of relocating the protestors to free-speech zones only serves to move them to a place that makes it more convenient for the people building the pipeline. The whole point of a protest is to make people stop and think — to inconvenience them. Moving to a free-speech zone allows the people who would benefit from the pipeline to tune them out.
This holiday season, many are failing to acknowledge the fact that the government, to this day, fails to protect Native Americans. While they may be content to wear a headdress at a music festival or encourage kids to draw “Indians” as decorations on Thanksgiving, they don’t otherwise concern themselves with anything about Native Americans. Their issues are largely ignored.
The pipeline should not be allowed to go through culturally significant territory. While critics would say rerouting the pipeline would be expensive, perhaps this is something that should have been considered in an earlier stage of planning the pipeline. It did not have to come to this. There also could be potential contamination of the water. According to CNN, the pipeline would go under the Missouri River, which worries opponents who are concerned about what will happen if the pipeline ruptures.
Those who have a financial interest in the pipeline being constructed might think it’s better to have a pipeline rather than transport by train or truck. However, the best option is to not tap into that natural resource at all. However, if they absolutely must get the oil, they have to consider the people living in the area.
On top of all of this, the pipeline would fuel dependence on nonrenewable resources that contribute to climate change. It’s a bandage that doesn’t solve the actual problem. The U.S. needs to invest more in renewable resources.
The lack of media coverage means independent outlets like Democracy Now!, which recently had a journalist arrested for covering the protests, have to pick up the slack. It’s embarrassing that a story that has had such a massive protest isn’t talked about more. Journalists need to hold the Dakota Access pipeline builders accountable. As a country that has historically neglected Native American populations, it’s time to take note and stop pushing them around. It’s their land, and it should be protected.
Nicole Dan is a UF journalism and political science junior. Her column appears on Mondays.
