Standing Rock solidarity demonstration planned for Monday

Prepare for traffic to be slowed starting at noon at the junction of Highway 17B and the four-lane section of Highway 17

Demonstrators take part in a march on Great Northern Road last month. Among their concerns is the Dakota Access oil pipeline in the U.S., which is being opposed by the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Darren Taylor/SooToday

NEWS RELEASE

BAWATING WATER PROTECTORS

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On Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, local citizens from the Sault Ste. Marie area will be coming together for the Baawaating Highway 17B closure in solidarity with Standing Rock.

The demonstration will begin at 12 p.m. at the Junction of Highway 17B and the Four Lanes (at the end of Trunk Road entering Garden River). The peaceful demonstration will be supervised by police and has the consent of Chief Paul Syrette of Garden River First Nation.

We are supporting Autumn Peltier a 12 year old Anishinaabe girl from Wikwemikong First Nation. A video Call to Action, of Autumn, her sister, and mother has gone viral on Youtube. Below is Autumn’s message:

"I am a just a kid. Twelve years old. And I shouldn't be worrying about adult's problems. Kids all over the world have to pay for mistakes we didn't even make. This is our future. We are the next Elders. We are the next leaders. This is our future, I cry watching videos of Standing Rock and knowing that we shouldn't have to fight for our water, we should just be able to have clean drinking water.

We are only given one planet and we are destroying it. It’s not just in North America where we need the clean drinking water. It’s all over the world. I want to know that my great grandchildren and children are able to have clean drinking water and they won't have to worry about having clean water they should just have it. I want us to stand together and we are going to shut down all the highways in North America for a whole hour on December 5th. I am inviting everyone to join us. Bring your shaker, bring your drums, bring your vessels, bring your feathers. We'll pray together."

All are welcomed and encouraged to join the peaceful demonstration, slowing traffic coming to and from the City of Sault Ste. Marie, to spread information about the importance of water and the dangers of pipelines, on local and global scales. We are all Water Protectors and we hope to see you there!

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