Market & Van Ness, right now. That was my bus. Gonna be long day, I think. pic.twitter.com/ZQ8CSpbFnl
— Tom Gariffo (@TomGariffo) November 8, 2016
Those making their way to work downtown early today encountered more than the typical Tuesday-morning congestion. As Hoodline reports, a small group of protesters brought traffic to a halt at Market and Van Ness at roughly 9 a.m. to protest the ongoing construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
"What they do to the water they do to us," read one protester's sign.
This is at least the second San Francisco protest against the light sweet crude oil pipeline currently under construction in North Dakota. On October 31 police arrested 12 individuals on suspicion of trespassing after they refused to leave the downtown offices of Citibank. Citibank is funding the construction of the pipeline that both local protesters and those in Standing Rock, North Dakota say poses a threat to the water supply of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The pipeline is slated to run under the Missouri River on its way to Illinois.
This real-life action stands in contrast to the recent digital-only activism of people "checking in" at Standing Rock via Facebook. In response to that online movement the Standing Rock Tribe Facebook page asked people to take action in real life. "We would like to see these thousands of people take physical action to demand that their banks divest, their police forces withdraw, and the Army Corps and Obama administration halt the construction of this pipeline."
It appears that the roughly 20 to 30 people who blocked traffic this morning got the message.
Blocking Van Ness and Market. #nodapl #waterislife #StandWithStandingRock #sfstandwithsrandingrock pic.twitter.com/iMibY0xf5I
— cece carpio (@cececarpio) November 8, 2016
Frisco praying with Standing Rock.#NoDAPL #WaterIsLife #StandWithStandingRock #sfstandwithsrandingrock pic.twitter.com/0qhA7J3ekV
— cece carpio (@cececarpio) November 8, 2016
Previously: 12 Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters Arrested At FiDi Citibank