Whether it was yet another police shooting, the war in Syria, or a pipeline protest, I felt powerless to make anything change. But Standing Rock seemed different, and events since then have confirmed that perception. It seems like the protest never died, just spread to other locations.
Millie always asks me to talk about our name for a minute, so excuse me if you’ve heard this before. Our group is called 350 because this is a number that’s essential to life on this planet. Throughout human history, we’ve had about 280 parts per million of carbon in our atmosphere. As we’ve used radically more fossil fuels in the last hundred years, that number has climbed and climbed. And scientists know that in order to have a stable climate, we have to be below 350 parts per million—maybe even lower.
In solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s global call to action against the Dakota Access Pipeline, indigenous grassroots leadership in Seattle is calling on local tribal nations and their allies to peacefully march and rally on FRIDAY. Coinciding with the Indigenous People’s March in Washington DC, speakers will include tribal chairpersons, indigenous NoDAPL leaders, and key allies.
We had a beautiful victory today. With a unanimous vote, the City of Seattle ended its business with Wells Fargo because of its funding of the Dakota Access Pipeline…so Wells Fargo has taken a $3 billion hit because of your work, your activism. Thank you.
Here in Seattle we’ve risen to the challenge too: dozens have closed their accounts, protesters have disrupted branches, and last week some five hundred people rallied at Wells Fargo’s Seattle HQ.
Three months ago, Standing Rock’s leadership requested that we “take bold action in our local communities to force investors to divest from the project.” In Seattle, we’ve done that: last week, dozens closed their accounts at Wells Fargo Center, as 500+ rallied outside (Wells Fargo is one of the largest investors in DAPL).
With over 550 people arrested at Standing Rock, the legal system is overwhelmed, and the pool of North Dakota attorneys willing to take Water Protector cases has been exhausted. Many out-of-state attorneys are eager to join the fray–but they can’t, because they’re not authorized to practice in ND.
0+ people from the climate action group 350 Seattle disrupted business at Wells Fargo in Seattle today to protest the company’s funding of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Singing as they entered, the activists unfurled banners that had been hidden in yoga mats, such as “Wells Fargo: Divest Now, Not in our Name, Not with our Money”, “Defund Dakota Access Pipeline, #NoDAPL”, and “Dump Wells Fargo: Use Credit Unions”.
