First-Hand Accounts of Standing Rock

Two young organizers from the International Indigenous Youth Council recounted their time at the Standing Rock camps opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline, one year after arriving. Thomas Tonatiuh Lopez, a Metro State University of Denver graduate who identifies as Chicano and of Apache and Lakota descent, described the camp's daily prayer, the IIYC's demand for a seat at decision-making, the October 27 raid of the north camp, the water-cannon action at Backwater Bridge, militarized policing and his own arrest. Eli Hornick, a descendant of the Ponca nation, spoke about youth leadership and the role of song. An audience Q&A followed.