In New York City, dozens of Native Americans and allies held protests at four separate bank branches Thursday to demand Wells Fargo, Citibank and TD Bank divest from the $3.8 Billion Dakota Access pipeline.
The actions were organized by a group of Native Americans who traveled from Standing Rock to New York City, bringing with them a sacred drum from Wounded Knee. The group blocked traffic during rush hour. This is Saige Pourier from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
Saige Pourier: “Our plan here is to shut down Wells Fargo and Citibank. They are the biggest corporations that support the Dakota Access pipeline. And we’re telling them no, to divest. It’s for our future. It’s for our future. Mni Wiconi. Water is sacred. This is life. Without it, nobody can survive. We’re here for our children.”
The actions Thursday in New York City were part of a months-long campaign to target the major Wall Street banks funding the Dakota Access pipeline. This is Standing Rock Sioux Nation member Chase Iron Eyes during one of the disruptions.
Chase Iron Eyes: “We were never the aggressors. All we wanted was peace and to raise our families and to know the power of peace. But we don’t know peace, because your money is funding genocide in North Dakota right now. So take a long, hard look, and you’ll know why we’re here and why we’re never going away.”
