Where We Go From Where We Came From, Standing Where We Are

By Jesse D.

This story is bigger than this blog and will end up being two parts so this first one is just gonna go into our trip to DC and some experience that opens the gate for the second which will go into the nuclear fuel chain, climate change/movement and Native Resistance more. The struggle against colonial violence is older than the ideas of domination that still exist in the current “state of the state” via the status quo. Climate justice and resistance, the calling of warriors for the earth and warriors against uranium extraction and the issues that come along with the struggle also shape the narrative and for now the narrative is change.

The path to the People vs Fossil Fuels Week of Action in Washington D.C. came from many directions. Ours began in a committee meeting of the newly formed National Radioactive Waste Coalition (NRWC) where the event was first mentioned. We all agreed there was a need for representation from our movement to be present. I did not think much of it at the time besides thinking “Ya know, she’s right!” But as time drew near, I began hearing more commotion about it, like a day of action dedicated to “No False Solutions” and the presence of respected native leaders and warriors from all over, I knew we should be there.

Because when it comes to false solutions, we know Nukes are one: a false solution to manufactured climate change and a major contributor to the heat that adds to it!

And Native warriors and leaders, they are some of the world's last resistance and hopes in a fight to protect our peoples future here on earth, elohi and there ended up being groups and groups of people we know and respect that were a part of the organizing and they were able to get us stationed with the folks we wanted to support and close to the action. Shot out to the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) Organizers for the love and the other folks who helped keep us squared away and get money for our gas, travels, and guidance while we were there.

Only my oldest daughter Anawake and I, out of 5 originally, were able to make the drive from North Redford Michigan to Washington DC on Sunday the 10th of October.

Very few stops and 8 hrs. later we pulled up to the very fancy Eaton Hotel in downtown DC and an open spot right in front of the hotel. Right behind a van with Cheyenne River Sioux plates, we knew we were in the right place. The right place indeed, the front of the hotel was lined up with natives. A couple familiar faces and all as we unloaded and checked into our fancy ass hotel room. We were honored and excited to be there and knew what we came for, so we were at ease. We didn’t go for sight-seeing, though we did see my uncle who I have never met' name on the Vietnam memorial. The idea of being in the heart of the energy of the American flag did not sit well and we came to be a part of the movement, so we stayed close to it.

My time in Washington DC was pretty fun. The food scene was cool. The catered meals and the hole in the wall restaurants had some pretty damn good food! Oh and the Indigenous Peoples Day March was my favorite because it felt like the people at that one was the most serious about the problems that they were having in their communities. Of course at the other marches you could tell some people were serious, but not as many of them as serious about their movements as the natives and frontliners on that first day. The cops were pretty goofy looking. - Anawake

The week kicked off with the march and action for Indigenous Peoples Day. The march ended at the Whitehouse area by the Andrew Jackson statue. The officers putting up fences tried to mess with a jingle dress dancer mid song and that didn't go over so well with us natives. We closed in on the area to keep the goons off her, this caused some back and forth as the goons wanted to push us back. During that very tense amount of time another woman stepped between the crowd and police officers and held up an eagle feather to the faces of officers. In the direction of one who was being the most aggressive. The officer got bothered and grabbed her wrist and tried to grab the eagle feather. Now I do not know about you, but I'm quite sure that every tribe holds the eagle high, and the feathers represent their power and the respect we hold for them. The police officer going for her wrist and the eagle feather sent everybody into a fit and we all closed in on them. I made sure to verbally go in on the cop to let him know he was in the wrong both spiritually and legally. They must have known the police officer was in the wrong so after some more back and forth they pulled the troublemaker cops out and backed up and gave us that part of the street where the dancers and singers were. I threw tobacco down instantly, lol!

That is how the week went, some performative arrest at the white house and then NDNz throwing down afterwards at the Army Corp of Engineers, the Head of the Army Corps house, The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and then the youth action on Friday. There was a time when I heard natives were being tazed and beat at the BIA and I was like “Where the fuck is the BIA!!!?” and found an electric scooter and zoomed over there and found that folks had made their way in to occupy the inside and others had blocked off the front area, that got intense for a while too.

Raymond Kingfisher, Northern Cheyanne, American Indian community activist and our fearless leader for much of the time we were there.

Honored to be able to throw down as natives and as nuclear abolitionists next to our native family in the fight along with allies for justice, we also met with the Nuclear Information Resource Services (NIRS) family. They gave us a Don't Nuke the Climate flag which we cannot wait to fly when the weather warms up and folks begin to gather again. Beyond Nuclear was also present and it is always an honor to see them. We marched our CRAFT banner on Thursday, the No False Solutions day in the week of action. In the days leading up I began shifting my energy towards getting on the Thursday lineup and I managed to get in with folks who spoke about false solutions, thanks Indigenous Environmental Network and Center for Biological Diversity for that. So locally there's lots going on here where we are so it would be an injustice to not speak on line 5, DTE Energy, Marathon, as well as Fermi 2 and the troubles with DTE. I mentioned the complete footprint of the nuclear fuel chain and the false promises of small modular reactors being things that need to be more closely looked at by folks and climate advocates. I mentioned that nuclear energy is a false solution to climate change and the reasons why which I will def get into in part 2 of this blog. Frontliners and activists know about the nuclear injustices and know nuclear issues are environmental justice issues and those are also climate justice issues, lol which are usually class and racial justice issues as well. While the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) uses industry talking points and the industry positions itself to go with either the clean energy industry or the fossil fuel industry into the future, we must keep our eyes on the prize. We must have us and have respect for the lands and waters as well as the beings and elements we share it with, and all solutions must work for all impacted. We are doing that here in the Great Lakes and particularly Waawiyaantinong, aka Tha D, Detroit. I shared the community solutions we here at CRAFT and local folks are working on. The speech was well received by the crowd. Shout out to the folks EMEAC, MEJC, Anishinaabe Caucus, Soulardarity, Work for Me DTE Campaign, Detroit People's Platform, Washtenaw 350, Sierra Club (Michigan because we have some solid ass folks standing with us on these issues), I mentioned yall. Many folks thought the speech was impressive and it was awesome that I brought this issue up and got a chance to speak on it because they felt it was lacking. Beyond Energy Extreme caught some and posted it on Twitter check it out, lol, I think it's fairly good.

I got to follow up and networked a fair amount around it. Since it was a fossil fuel event or because white climate folks are on the fence about nuclear, the speech and the issues we were there to bring light on, like nukes as a false solution were completely scrubbed from the agenda and recap they released. We were disappointed, especially since we were there representing not just native communities but also frontline communities of a few different make-ups. Being a small, focused organization with limited capacity, who only really showed up to support and be just there, really do or say? Tune in to part 2, to find out more about the climate movement and the importance of keeping nukes out of it and some of the division it's already causing. The nuke industry is positioning itself to either go into the future paired with either the clean energy or fossil fuel sector and make both believe it supports them. Some wild shit happening here. And though I would take on the world for you, I feel I have taken up enough time for now and hope that this leaves you in a place to process and be prepared to take in part two of this…

Donadagohvi…until we meet again,

Jesse Deer In Water

CRAFT

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