Boom! The crash of the firework rumbled
through the medic tent at Standing Rock, North Dakota. Martin jumped and his hands grasped the legs of his aluminum folding
chair, searching for stability. It was the evening of December 4th,
the day that President Obama had announced that the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers would not grant the permits needed to allow Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) to continue drilling of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) through sacred Lakota
lands and water sources. Throughout the camps, there was exultation and
celebration. Music, chants, and fireworks rang through the skies. However,
inside the medic tent, the tone was more somber.
“I just can’t get the memory out of my
head,” Martin explained a few minutes after the last bang, inching his chair closer to the propane stove, the orange glow reflecting off his eyes, “every time I hear that sound, it’s like I’m
right back on the protest lines.” Martin, a Native American from the Shoshone tribe, was one of the thousands of water protectors who participated in
the November 20th peaceful protest that ended in hundreds of casualties, after police deployed water cannons, concussion grenades, rubber bullets, teargas, and pepper spray. Unlike many of the other water protectors from that day, Martin
escaped any lasting physical injuries. However, the psychological impact of the
events stuck with him, and have left him worried about facing a lifetime of PTSD.
Rosebud camp medic tent (Photo credit: Melody Glenn)
Martin’s story is just one of many stories
that highlight the urgent public health implications of the injustice being
carried out in North Dakota through the construction of DAPL. In addition to the mental and physical health impacts of police brutality, the pipeline project poses high risks to drinking water contamination in the region, which has been linked to increased rates of birth defects, seizures, and cancer. Furthermore, the way DAPL has proceeded in direct opposition to tribal demands and sovereignty perpetuates centuries of discriminatory practices and historical trauma that are at the root of multiple health inequities (including high rates of mental illness and chronic disease) that disproportionately affect Native American communities.
Oceti Sakowin camp (photo credit: Melody Glenn)
As a physician, I feel moved to fight DAPL out of a keen awareness of its negative health consequences and out of a love for my Native brothers and sisters. I also recognize that, as a white person born in the U.S., I have a responsibility to combat the centuries of colonialism, genocide, and oppression of Native peoples that have served to privilege certain groups and disadvantage others, and is thus deeply linked to my own history and lived experience in this country.
Now, with Trump in office and the Army Corps of Engineers announcing its intention to give the green light for DAPL to proceed, I am deeply troubled by what this will mean for people like Martin and the dozens of other resilient, passionate people I met during my time at Standing Rock. How many more people will experience the sting of pepper spray, the blow of the police club, the immobility of PTSD, before this fight is over? How many oil spills, poisoned water sources, and environmental tragedies will it take before lawmakers and business leaders take a stand for health and human dignity? I hope beyond hope that justice will come sooner rather than later; but I also know this will only happen if we all rise up, mobilize our resources and skills, and take action to fight the pipeline.
Now, with Trump in office and the Army Corps of Engineers announcing its intention to give the green light for DAPL to proceed, I am deeply troubled by what this will mean for people like Martin and the dozens of other resilient, passionate people I met during my time at Standing Rock. How many more people will experience the sting of pepper spray, the blow of the police club, the immobility of PTSD, before this fight is over? How many oil spills, poisoned water sources, and environmental tragedies will it take before lawmakers and business leaders take a stand for health and human dignity? I hope beyond hope that justice will come sooner rather than later; but I also know this will only happen if we all rise up, mobilize our resources and skills, and take action to fight the pipeline.
Resources for divesting from DAPL:
Resources for clinical volunteering and donations:
http://medichealercouncil.com
Sunset leaving Standing Rock
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