A woman holds a sign during a rally on Dec. 5, 2016 at the Capitol in Lansing. The rally was held to show solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, sharing their opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline.
A Monday rally held at the Michigan Capitol in solidarity with Standing Rock took on a different tone following the surprise Sunday night announcement that the Dakota Access pipeline, or DAPL, would not be granted an easement to drill under Lake Oahe, the water source at the crux of the protests.
Despite the last-minute victory, many attended the Michigan Stands with Standing Rock event, which was originally intended to show solidarity on the deadline the protesters were told to leave camp, according to the event's page. Ceremonial songs were sung, and organizers spoke out against the pipeline and similar water controversies local to Michigan.
Becky Roy, one of the event’s organizers who had recently traveled to Standing Rock, remained cautiously optimistic following the announcement.
“I think everyone’s cautiously optimistic — yesterday’s announcement was definitely a victory, but it’s not the end,” Roy said. “(The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) didn’t commit to stopping the pipeline, they’ve only said, ‘You don’t have the permit to drill under (Lake Oahe).’ This morning I did see an announcement from Energy Transfer Partners that that announcement is insignificant to them, they’re not going to stop. The people at the camp aren’t leaving.”
James Roberts, an environmental technology student at Lansing Community College, said he originally turned a blind eye to Standing Rock but became involved over environmental concerns and evidence of human rights violations.
“It is a victory, but I think the fact that people are still gathering here today and are aware of threats like this to the environment, it’s definitely still a progressive movement nonetheless,” Roberts said.
Enjoying a win at Standing Rock, attention at the rally turned toward Michigan issues, with speakers and audience members alike calling for the removal of the Line 5 pipeline and promoting awareness of similar issues.
“It’s good to celebrate the victories, but it’s also a point for us to recognize that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” associate professor in the MSU Residential College in the Arts and Humanities Estrella Torrez said.
Torrez, having also ventured to Standing Rock with Roy, spoke about Michigan water issues and her experiences at the protests during the rally.
“We have Line 5, we have the Kalamazoo River, we have Detroit, we have Flint, we have plenty of water issues that we need to be attentive to, and so (what) I’m hoping is that that we can continue those energy news discussions and find ways that we can resolve some of these things across all communities in an act of solidarity,” Torrez said.
Fenton, Mich. resident Christina Mathews said she’s been following Standing Rock for some time and that she has been saddened by the course of events.
“I felt really good (about the announcement), even though I’m pretty sure that our new president will try to back it up and do it anyway,” Mathews said. “I think the vets showing up out there put a little bit of fear in a lot of people, and with their support, maybe we can keep it from happening.”
Mathews said those who oppose the pipeline should keep an eye on Standing Rock, even after the apparent victory.
“The minute they think you’re not looking anymore, they’re right back up to (it),” Mathews said. “The oil companies, they think they can do whatever they want. I think we should be very vigilant. Water is life, and we’ve got to have clean water.”
