NECESSITY traces the fight in Minnesota against the expansion of pipelines…
Necessity: Climate Justice and the Thin Green Line
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
In the course of screening Necessity: Oil, Water & Climate Resistance at schools, activist events, and festivals, the team began production on a second part, titled Necessity: Climate Justice and the Thin Green Line. Also feature-length, the film is set along the rivers of Oregon and follows activists as they enlist the necessity defense in a jury trial after being arrested for a direct action at Zenith Energy in Portland. This story of climate resistance in the Pacific Northwest brings into view a historical landscape of tribal leaders, Indigenous activists and white allies as they resist oil trains and trucks carrying these highly inflammable products through treaty lands. In following the path of oil-by-rail and oil resistance along the Columbia, we revisit lessons of the New Deal era of building massive dams and what climate activists take from that era in thinking about a Green New Deal.
Citation
Main credits
Haaken, Jan (film director)
Haaken, Jan (film producer)
Praus, Samantha (film director)
Other credits
Director of photography, Timothy Wildgoose; edited by Emily von W. Gilbert.
Distributor subjects
Climate Change,Clean Water,Indigenous Peoples,Citizenship,Social Movements,Activism,Environment,Environmental LawKeywords
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(gentle music playing)
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- In August of this last year,
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I went to visit the tar sands
for the first time in Alberta.
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It was a part of a first ever gathering
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of indigenous resistance to tar sands.
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So all of us that are along
this massive manmade destruction
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of the planet, coming
to the actual source.
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In the middle of it,
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Suncor has made a reclaimed area to show
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that they can make the land heal,
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after they've extracted
everything from it,
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where they have created this green field,
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and put buffalo, bison there.
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Those bison are sitting in this place
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where they're terrified.
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Bison hold a special place
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in the indigenous peoples of
North America's teachings,
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our stories, our culture.
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It's a deep, deep piece of who we are.
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And so to put that being in that place,
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it was horrifying to see that.
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After that we went and visited
Cold Lake First Nation,
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which is surrounded on three
sides by tar sands mine
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and the fourth side is
a military bombing site.
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So they are surrounded on all sides
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by chaos and destruction.
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The bison to me are reflective
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of the people
(bison screeching)
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that are at the source that
are surrounded on all sides.
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(door clatters)
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The tar sands is the
largest mine on the planet.
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It's visible from space,
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it's the size of the United Kingdom.
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It's a wound into the earth,
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and all the little
methods of trying to get
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that wound expanded and
pushed out into the world.
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(protestors shouting)
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- In the Pacific Northwest,
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we have this really strategic standpoint.
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We can hold what is called
the Thin Green Line.
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The Thin Green Line is us, is activists,
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and if we can block fossil fuel
exports from the West Coast,
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then we make it not
profitable to extract anymore.
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- [Protestors] No way,
not ever, not today.
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- We look upstream and we can see
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that the fossil fuel industry involves
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these huge companies
that produce tar sands,
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through highly polluting
operations in Alberta,
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or at Bakken crude oil through fracking.
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And then you get to the next step,
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which is sorta the midstream,
the pipeline operators,
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the people who run the
oil train operations.
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That's where we find ourselves
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sort of a poorly paid middleman,
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on a super highway for
fossil fuels to export.
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(tense music)
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- In the Northwest, we
are aware of black snakes.
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They come through our territory by rail.
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There is one that if
it falls off the track,
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it will blow up and burn.
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There's another that sheds its skin.
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It's called coal.
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That skin blows off those railways,
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those cars all through our lands,
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going into our water.
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Us as the native peoples of this land
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are listening to the ground.
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We are listening to the water.
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That concern is telling us,
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that if irresponsible decisions
are continued to be made.
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The fulfillment of prophecies
that come from native people,
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will come to be.
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(tense drumming music)
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(tense music)
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- [News Announcer 1] A climate
change protest is underway
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in Northwest Portland right now.
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- [News Announcer 2] The
protestors have blocked
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the train tracks at
the Zenith Energy Plant
00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:11.884
in Northwest Portland.
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The group Extinction Rebellion
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is demanding the area be rezoned,
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from an industrial corridor.
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- We wanted to go to trial.
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No matter what we're telling our stories
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of why we did what we did.
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There was nothing else to do,
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but to actually go to the
site and stop the oil trains.
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- We fully expected to be arrested.
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We truly felt it was part of our strategy.
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(tense music)
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(crickets chirping)
(water rippling)
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- [Narrator] This huge monster
came up from the ocean.
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He would open his huge
mouth and inhale anything
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that was in his path.
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He soon had all the salmon
and other fish like sturgeon
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and eels, all eaten.
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And because he was so huge,
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he began taking in the deer,
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and all food animals in the forest.
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Soon, there was nothing
left for the people,
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and they were getting hungry and babies
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and old people began to die.
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Finally, someone went
to Coyote and told him,
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he would have to kill the monster.
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He got a length of a vine
that is called coyotes rope.
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He tied one end around his waist,
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and coiled the other around his arm.
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He got some pitchy kindling
and flints for starting a fire.
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He stood on a far hill,
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and called the monster a shameful name.
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He teased him until the monster
began trying to eat him.
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Every time the mouth open,
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coyote would throw out some useful thing.
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The monster was near collapsing.
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The fire got so hot that the monster died,
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and went back into the sea.
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Some parts of him, clung to
the sides of the river bank.
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So it was rough like it was
before Bonneville Dam was built.
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(soft music)
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- When we think of tribes today,
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we are often thinking of the tribes
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as their political governments.
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For example, my traditional
name is Tecumseh,
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I'm a citizen of the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs.
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I am Warm Springs, Wasco,
Yakama, and Snoqualmie.
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When we start to look at the footprint
00:08:12.315 --> 00:08:15.369
that the Warm Springs and
Wasco people occupied,
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is quite a big region and
not thoroughly defined
00:08:18.758 --> 00:08:20.035
because we were moving.
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We were following the resources.
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- [Narrator] A century and a half ago,
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Thomas Jefferson envisioned
an empire of freedom,
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and opportunity in the far Northwest.
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- [Man] The vast migration
surging Westwood,
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Oregon was a land of fabled wonders.
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- Treaties were negotiated to end war.
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The desire to keep peace
with tribal people,
00:08:42.061 --> 00:08:45.231
was also an effort of nation
building by the United States,
00:08:45.231 --> 00:08:47.460
to move further west and in the process,
00:08:47.460 --> 00:08:50.204
to move native people out of the way.
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- [Man] To build a colonial empire,
00:08:52.962 --> 00:08:55.922
sending out its boundless resources,
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to the far corners of the earth.
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- The United States
Government had sent out agents
00:09:00.994 --> 00:09:04.038
to negotiate these treaties with tribes.
00:09:04.038 --> 00:09:06.920
We see a lot of treaties in the 1855,
00:09:06.920 --> 00:09:11.165
here on the Columbia River,
as well as at the Puget Sound.
00:09:11.165 --> 00:09:13.684
- The only way that our treaty was signed
00:09:13.684 --> 00:09:16.692
was because we allowed the
railroad to go directly
00:09:16.692 --> 00:09:19.359
through the heart of our treaty.
00:09:20.521 --> 00:09:22.917
- [Narrator] Extending some 1400 miles,
00:09:22.917 --> 00:09:25.343
the broad Columbia
provides a natural gateway,
00:09:25.343 --> 00:09:28.480
to this vitally important empire.
00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:32.042
Along the south bank, are old
Union Pacific freight trains,
00:09:32.042 --> 00:09:34.709
hauled by giant diesel locomotives.
00:09:35.842 --> 00:09:39.782
- My father was chief of
our Waluulapam people.
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They were told, if you
do not sign this treaty,
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your people will be knee deep in blood.
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They are ready to commit genocide,
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as they had across the continent.
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(soft music)
00:10:00.441 --> 00:10:02.471
- The initial relationship was through
00:10:02.471 --> 00:10:04.304
the Department of War,
00:10:04.304 --> 00:10:05.947
which now is Department of Defense.
00:10:05.947 --> 00:10:09.565
And then later became the
Department of Interior.
00:10:09.565 --> 00:10:11.794
You've got the reservation
lands, ceded lands,
00:10:11.794 --> 00:10:12.627
and then in our treaties, we also have
00:10:12.627 --> 00:10:13.460
specifically mentioned
usual and accustomed lands.
00:10:16.317 --> 00:10:18.670
And that's where we would
go and fish and hunt,
00:10:18.670 --> 00:10:22.259
and gather our first
foods and first materials.
00:10:22.259 --> 00:10:25.311
So, our ability to access
the Columbia River,
00:10:25.311 --> 00:10:28.894
is in our usual and accustomed lands.
00:10:28.894 --> 00:10:30.345
- [Narrator] And it can truly be called
00:10:30.345 --> 00:10:32.695
an empire built on water.
00:10:32.695 --> 00:10:35.504
The mighty Columbia drains
and area almost a third,
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as large as Europe,
00:10:39.179 --> 00:10:41.158
But an even greater conquest,
00:10:41.158 --> 00:10:44.724
one surely never dreamed of by
the intrepid Lewis and Clark
00:10:44.724 --> 00:10:48.113
when in 1805, their
exploring eyes first beheld,
00:10:48.113 --> 00:10:51.468
the mighty Columbia
River, is Bonneville Dam,
00:10:51.468 --> 00:10:54.396
built by the government to
provide power production
00:10:54.396 --> 00:10:57.527
and navigation in Columbia Gorge.
00:10:57.527 --> 00:11:00.367
- In looking at United States
in terms of nation building
00:11:00.367 --> 00:11:03.378
that was taking place in
the 1800s, we had rail.
00:11:03.378 --> 00:11:06.881
and then we move into the
early part of the 1900s,
00:11:06.881 --> 00:11:08.397
and that's when you have the invention
00:11:08.397 --> 00:11:11.566
and advent of electricity,
the ability to serve,
00:11:11.566 --> 00:11:13.213
not just industry,
00:11:13.213 --> 00:11:17.546
but also to put lights on
for cities and residences.
00:11:18.443 --> 00:11:22.322
It had tremendous impact
because tribes were utilizing
00:11:22.322 --> 00:11:24.503
that river one for transport themselves,
00:11:24.503 --> 00:11:28.370
but also for fish that are
coming out from the Pacific.
00:11:28.370 --> 00:11:30.433
- [Narrator] Looking
more like a placid lake,
00:11:30.433 --> 00:11:32.309
the waters of the Columbia river backed up
00:11:32.309 --> 00:11:33.681
by the Dalles Dam,
00:11:33.681 --> 00:11:35.556
now float peacefully over an area,
00:11:35.556 --> 00:11:37.622
which once looked like this.
00:11:37.622 --> 00:11:40.039
(dramatic music)
00:11:43.762 --> 00:11:46.176
- When my father was young,
00:11:46.176 --> 00:11:48.928
they would go to Celilo and fish.
00:11:48.928 --> 00:11:52.323
And we knew of it as a
great gathering place,
00:11:52.323 --> 00:11:55.887
not only for food, but for trade.
00:11:55.887 --> 00:11:59.206
It was also a place where people bartered,
00:11:59.206 --> 00:12:02.873
and arranged marriages
and kinship happened.
00:12:03.905 --> 00:12:07.854
And that's why She Who
Watches is still looking down
00:12:07.854 --> 00:12:10.330
that river and our people.
00:12:10.330 --> 00:12:11.634
When I go and visit there,
00:12:11.634 --> 00:12:15.524
and leave a sacred offering and prayer,
00:12:15.524 --> 00:12:16.953
she's still there with us,
00:12:16.953 --> 00:12:19.996
and ever so powerful when
I bring my children there.
00:12:19.996 --> 00:12:24.211
We know, as we see the
black snake go by us,
00:12:24.211 --> 00:12:26.128
we know she's watching.
00:12:31.019 --> 00:12:35.837
- The real question will be,
what does the future hold?
00:12:35.837 --> 00:12:37.087
Dams or salmon?
00:12:40.038 --> 00:12:42.720
Because we understand
the truth of the history
00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:47.053
that has materialized this
lake behind us all today.
00:12:49.278 --> 00:12:52.242
- Building the dams that
flooded the sacred sites
00:12:52.242 --> 00:12:55.863
along the Columbia River was
an incredibly destructive act.
00:12:55.863 --> 00:12:59.052
Celilo, one of the most
significant cultural places
00:12:59.052 --> 00:13:00.510
in the world,
00:13:00.510 --> 00:13:03.707
they flooded it with Dalles Dam.
00:13:03.707 --> 00:13:07.538
Really critically it was the
voice of the Native American
00:13:07.538 --> 00:13:09.151
fishing communities and the tribal leaders
00:13:09.151 --> 00:13:11.431
who stood up and spoke about
00:13:11.431 --> 00:13:13.247
why this was so destructive.
00:13:13.247 --> 00:13:16.186
And that was a dynamic
we've seen replicated also
00:13:16.186 --> 00:13:17.519
with oil trains.
00:13:19.277 --> 00:13:22.947
So again, in the Columbia
River where people live,
00:13:22.947 --> 00:13:25.707
and fish and make their way of life,
00:13:25.707 --> 00:13:27.986
in that wedge of land
between the rail line
00:13:27.986 --> 00:13:29.817
and the Columbia River.
00:13:29.817 --> 00:13:33.112
If you're a tribal fisher
person, where would they go?
00:13:33.112 --> 00:13:35.506
If there were to be a large oil train
00:13:35.506 --> 00:13:37.506
derailment and accident?
00:13:38.386 --> 00:13:41.274
One of the huge dynamics
that really was inspiring
00:13:41.274 --> 00:13:45.519
about the oil train fight,
was people who were objecting
00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:48.197
to what Zenith was doing in Portland.
00:13:48.197 --> 00:13:50.834
They're making a stand that
can actually benefit people
00:13:50.834 --> 00:13:53.411
that are hundreds of miles
away that may not know them.
00:13:53.411 --> 00:13:55.991
(soft music)
00:13:55.991 --> 00:13:59.684
- Oil trains through the
Gorge are a new phenomenon.
00:13:59.684 --> 00:14:03.505
Certainly we didn't see them a decade ago.
00:14:03.505 --> 00:14:06.860
It's a difficult issue for us
to deal with as a volunteer
00:14:06.860 --> 00:14:09.527
department with one paid person.
00:14:10.446 --> 00:14:13.296
I've been with the
district about 10 years,
00:14:13.296 --> 00:14:14.415
when we arrived in town,
00:14:14.415 --> 00:14:15.783
I started chatting with some people,
00:14:15.783 --> 00:14:19.135
and they told me that I
actually had to either
00:14:19.135 --> 00:14:21.537
join the fire district or join the church.
00:14:21.537 --> 00:14:23.359
And you're not gonna catch me in a church.
00:14:23.359 --> 00:14:26.290
So I joined the fire district.
00:14:26.290 --> 00:14:27.624
- The Gorge burns every year,
00:14:27.624 --> 00:14:32.262
so we'll roll on quite a few
fires during the summertime.
00:14:32.262 --> 00:14:36.869
There is some bark beetles,
that are killed by cold winters.
00:14:36.869 --> 00:14:40.333
And because we no longer get
the kind of cold winters,
00:14:40.333 --> 00:14:42.483
regularly enough to kill
off these pine beetles,
00:14:42.483 --> 00:14:43.964
their range has expanded.
00:14:43.964 --> 00:14:45.955
And so if you look out
over the Hills of Mosier,
00:14:45.955 --> 00:14:48.096
you see a lot of dead trees.
00:14:48.096 --> 00:14:50.186
And these have been killed
by these pine beetles,
00:14:50.186 --> 00:14:51.150
as they move.
00:14:51.150 --> 00:14:53.047
All of a sudden, you've
got all these dead trees,
00:14:53.047 --> 00:14:55.397
about, and they burn much more rapidly,
00:14:55.397 --> 00:14:59.133
and more explosively
than a live tree does.
00:14:59.133 --> 00:15:01.270
And the more you get climate change,
00:15:01.270 --> 00:15:02.507
the more fires you get,
00:15:02.507 --> 00:15:04.337
the more carbon is released
00:15:04.337 --> 00:15:06.982
and the worst climate change gets.
00:15:06.982 --> 00:15:09.565
(gentle music)
00:16:40.603 --> 00:16:44.096
- [Cathy] 1855.
- [Protestors] 1855.
00:16:44.096 --> 00:16:46.082
- [Cathy] Our land.
- [Protestors] Our land.
00:16:46.082 --> 00:16:48.332
- [Cathy] Our treaty.
- [Protestors] Our treaty.
00:16:48.332 --> 00:16:51.989
- [Cathy] 1855.
- [Protestors] 1855.
00:16:51.989 --> 00:16:54.048
- [Cathy] Our land.
- [All] Our land.
00:16:54.048 --> 00:16:55.787
- [Cathy] Our treaty.
- [All] Our treaty.
00:16:55.787 --> 00:16:57.808
- There's a constant struggle
00:16:57.808 --> 00:17:00.245
between the corporate dominance
00:17:00.245 --> 00:17:03.914
that has come through the
reservation since the 1855 treaty.
00:17:03.914 --> 00:17:04.951
(indistinct chanting)
00:17:04.951 --> 00:17:07.604
- This river is Nch'i Wana Pum.
00:17:07.604 --> 00:17:11.095
This whole river clear
up to our homelands,
00:17:11.095 --> 00:17:13.812
this is where we used to live.
00:17:13.812 --> 00:17:17.609
Stones throw away was where
we were raised as children.
00:17:17.609 --> 00:17:20.011
This is our Homeland.
00:17:20.011 --> 00:17:22.324
- [Tecumseh] The transport of coal and oil
00:17:22.324 --> 00:17:24.355
through the Columbia River basin,
00:17:24.355 --> 00:17:27.690
Those fracking equipment and resources,
00:17:27.690 --> 00:17:32.666
passing through was an
offense to tribal principles.
00:17:32.666 --> 00:17:36.066
The tribes utilize that
opportunity to make their stand.
00:17:36.066 --> 00:17:38.785
We don't want this passing through.
00:17:38.785 --> 00:17:41.868
We don't approve, and we don't agree.
00:17:42.775 --> 00:17:46.475
- I was actually up in
Seattle at the time,
00:17:46.475 --> 00:17:49.893
and my niece got ahold of me, and said,
00:17:49.893 --> 00:17:51.971
"Auntie, you need to come down here.
00:17:51.971 --> 00:17:56.221
Folks are gonna come to
help us stop this big beast
00:17:57.069 --> 00:18:00.257
of a machine called a megaload."
00:18:00.257 --> 00:18:03.424
- [Crowd] No consultation, no passage.
00:18:06.314 --> 00:18:09.136
- We talked to our tribe about,
00:18:09.136 --> 00:18:11.651
have we been informed about
this? What's going on?
00:18:11.651 --> 00:18:15.760
They're coming right
through our ceded territory.
00:18:22.811 --> 00:18:27.039
- So we had our big map
of our Ceded territory,
00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:29.892
and the tribal boundaries.
00:18:29.892 --> 00:18:32.615
We put that map up in
front of that big truck,
00:18:32.615 --> 00:18:35.055
and we said, "No, you're not moving.
00:18:35.055 --> 00:18:36.985
You have to learn about our treaty rights
00:18:36.985 --> 00:18:38.515
that you're violating"
00:18:38.515 --> 00:18:40.173
- I'd like to pray for all
the brothers and sisters,
00:18:40.173 --> 00:18:43.176
along the riverways and
roadways, other places.
00:18:43.176 --> 00:18:44.425
They're gonna be affected.
00:18:44.425 --> 00:18:45.499
You know, it's gonna change lives,
00:18:45.499 --> 00:18:47.147
it's gonna hurt people.
00:18:47.147 --> 00:18:49.215
You know, people are going to suffer.
00:18:49.215 --> 00:18:50.376
- Bottom of my heart,
00:18:50.376 --> 00:18:54.702
I knew that I had to
do my best to stop it.
00:18:54.702 --> 00:18:58.952
So I laid down in front of
it on top of our treaty.
00:18:59.962 --> 00:19:02.545
(gentle music)
00:19:03.460 --> 00:19:06.634
They picked me up and
there's the photo of me
00:19:06.634 --> 00:19:09.273
in the Hermiston Herald.
00:19:09.273 --> 00:19:12.364
When I'm getting booked, you
know, one of the first things,
00:19:12.364 --> 00:19:14.468
one of the officers said to me was,
00:19:14.468 --> 00:19:17.740
"What, this is it, you're the only one?"
00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:21.240
It's kinda like just one old Indian woman?
00:19:22.468 --> 00:19:24.288
I stood up in front of the judge,
00:19:24.288 --> 00:19:27.248
and said that this needed to be done.
00:19:27.248 --> 00:19:30.665
And that I felt that, I was in the right.
00:19:32.032 --> 00:19:34.499
This has gone too far.
00:19:34.499 --> 00:19:37.084
Our children are going to die from this.
00:19:37.084 --> 00:19:42.084
If we don't stop it now, it's
gonna be on our shoulders.
00:19:42.117 --> 00:19:44.942
Cause they're gonna say, "Where were you?
00:19:44.942 --> 00:19:47.288
Where was our tribe?"
00:19:47.288 --> 00:19:49.348
I'm just one grandma,
00:19:49.348 --> 00:19:53.265
one small voice in it
that I was able to offer,
00:19:54.966 --> 00:19:57.966
at that moment, my body on the line.
00:19:59.261 --> 00:20:02.467
- Doing it for these little guys.
00:20:02.467 --> 00:20:07.467
- Since we last met inside
a courthouse, in hindsight,
00:20:07.525 --> 00:20:10.327
did you feel like that
arrest was worth it?
00:20:10.327 --> 00:20:11.604
- I do.
- Yeah.
00:20:11.604 --> 00:20:16.271
- I do, because to know that
I had chose to get arrested
00:20:17.462 --> 00:20:20.212
and that happen, I think
it made it a statement
00:20:20.212 --> 00:20:22.290
for the community.
00:20:22.290 --> 00:20:27.241
- People being willing
to go to jail for a cause
00:20:27.241 --> 00:20:30.741
makes other people realize
the seriousness of it.
00:20:30.741 --> 00:20:32.718
And that I think is part of the intention
00:20:32.718 --> 00:20:35.308
of a lot of the actions
in the climate movement.
00:20:35.308 --> 00:20:36.780
- Okay, there's three basic phrases
00:20:36.780 --> 00:20:38.270
that I want you all to remember today.
00:20:38.270 --> 00:20:40.879
Especially if you are risking arrest.
00:20:40.879 --> 00:20:43.924
- We strongly believe
that knowledge is power.
00:20:43.924 --> 00:20:47.340
We know that when someone
doesn't understand
00:20:47.340 --> 00:20:50.668
where the line is drawn
between what is legal
00:20:50.668 --> 00:20:52.352
and what is illegal,
00:20:52.352 --> 00:20:54.951
they tend to self-censor themselves,
00:20:54.951 --> 00:20:58.959
and back far away from
where that line actually is.
00:20:58.959 --> 00:21:00.498
- I'm not going to resist you officer,
00:21:00.498 --> 00:21:02.884
but I do not consent to any searches.
00:21:02.884 --> 00:21:03.717
If you are being detained
00:21:03.717 --> 00:21:05.298
or arrested the cops are
gonna do (indistinct)
00:21:05.298 --> 00:21:06.990
- It was really important for activists
00:21:06.990 --> 00:21:09.964
to get in more strategic about the choices
00:21:09.964 --> 00:21:12.329
that they were making with campaigns
00:21:12.329 --> 00:21:13.935
and with direct action.
00:21:13.935 --> 00:21:16.617
Especially if part of their intention,
00:21:16.617 --> 00:21:19.717
is taking that action to a courtroom.
00:21:19.717 --> 00:21:22.300
(gentle music)
00:21:38.053 --> 00:21:40.897
Symbolic actions, which are often tied
00:21:40.897 --> 00:21:42.632
to civil disobedience,
00:21:42.632 --> 00:21:45.402
would not meet most of the legal tests,
00:21:45.402 --> 00:21:47.675
for the necessity defense.
00:21:47.675 --> 00:21:49.444
Unlike direct action,
00:21:49.444 --> 00:21:52.079
where there has to be a causal connection,
00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:54.496
between the act and the goal.
00:21:56.102 --> 00:21:59.102
Another one is you cannot contribute
00:22:00.021 --> 00:22:02.502
to the emergency itself,
00:22:02.502 --> 00:22:04.648
or you can't make the emergency worse.
00:22:04.648 --> 00:22:06.231
- Alright, to life!
00:23:00.854 --> 00:23:03.011
The idea was to have a classroom be larger
00:23:03.011 --> 00:23:05.766
than just the four walls.
00:23:05.766 --> 00:23:08.085
We rotated through the
year of the mountain,
00:23:08.085 --> 00:23:11.446
the year of the forest,
and the year of the river.
00:23:11.446 --> 00:23:12.976
During the year of the river,
00:23:12.976 --> 00:23:15.245
students would come to Cathedral Park.
00:23:15.245 --> 00:23:17.556
We would sit in a beautiful place,
00:23:17.556 --> 00:23:19.576
and then I'd ask the students,
00:23:19.576 --> 00:23:21.564
"When you think of the word sanctuary,
00:23:21.564 --> 00:23:23.951
what do you think of?"
00:23:23.951 --> 00:23:27.737
They shared, "A holy
place that's protected,
00:23:27.737 --> 00:23:31.737
where they would go to
feel healthy and healed."
00:23:33.421 --> 00:23:36.299
And then I just said, "Now,
look out across the river,
00:23:36.299 --> 00:23:37.132
what do you see?"
00:23:37.132 --> 00:23:39.882
And they could see the LNG tanks,
00:23:40.876 --> 00:23:43.126
trains, all these oil tanks,
00:23:44.621 --> 00:23:48.288
and I said, this is an
industrial sanctuary.
00:23:49.925 --> 00:23:52.562
This was designated by
the City of Portland
00:23:52.562 --> 00:23:54.677
as a sanctuary for industry.
00:23:54.677 --> 00:23:56.493
And the youth, I mean, you can imagine,
00:23:56.493 --> 00:23:57.987
they're just dumbfounded.
00:23:57.987 --> 00:23:59.517
Like, that's an oxymoron.
00:23:59.517 --> 00:24:02.684
It can't be a sanctuary and industry.
00:24:04.961 --> 00:24:07.517
Teachers like to fix things.
00:24:07.517 --> 00:24:10.730
We try to give the tools
to make things better.
00:24:10.730 --> 00:24:14.765
And so I had a mini
class on climate change.
00:24:14.765 --> 00:24:17.557
A big thread through that was activism.
00:24:17.557 --> 00:24:19.244
You learn about this,
and then what can you do?
00:24:19.244 --> 00:24:21.308
And what are people doing?
00:24:21.308 --> 00:24:23.352
(gentle music)
00:24:23.352 --> 00:24:26.848
- [Student] Help us push this
city in the right direction.
00:24:26.848 --> 00:24:30.271
- Fire drill is an alert to
show that this is an emergency
00:24:30.271 --> 00:24:34.316
and we have to take action
now, instead of in a few years.
00:24:34.316 --> 00:24:35.776
It needs to happen now.
00:24:35.776 --> 00:24:40.355
- Instead of just sitting in
this little bubble of fear,
00:24:40.355 --> 00:24:45.355
and of just worry, I could
actually be doing something.
00:24:45.748 --> 00:24:47.524
- When other people start
joining, you feel like,
00:24:47.524 --> 00:24:49.319
"Oh wow, there's like a
whole bunch of other people
00:24:49.319 --> 00:24:51.538
that share my beliefs and
are doing the same thing.
00:24:51.538 --> 00:24:52.936
So maybe we can make a difference."
00:24:52.936 --> 00:24:54.789
- Hello, hi.
(laughs)
00:24:54.789 --> 00:24:56.255
How are you doing?
- Good.
00:24:56.255 --> 00:24:57.315
- Hi.
- Its good to see you.
00:24:57.315 --> 00:24:58.527
- Good to see you.
00:24:58.527 --> 00:25:01.610
(indistinct chatter)
00:25:13.524 --> 00:25:15.215
- My name is Violet O'Herron.
00:25:15.215 --> 00:25:17.355
I'm a member of the Portland
Youth Climate Council
00:25:17.355 --> 00:25:19.379
and a seventh grader at
Ockley Green Middle School
00:25:19.379 --> 00:25:21.070
in north Portland.
00:25:21.070 --> 00:25:23.206
I wanna start by saying thank you.
00:25:23.206 --> 00:25:25.565
It makes me feel hopeful to
know the City of Portland
00:25:25.565 --> 00:25:28.368
is actively working on climate solutions.
00:25:28.368 --> 00:25:32.045
There's no single simple
solution to the climate crisis.
00:25:32.045 --> 00:25:34.615
It is clear, however, that
there's no way we can solve
00:25:34.615 --> 00:25:39.406
(indistinct)
(water rippling)
00:25:39.406 --> 00:25:41.036
- [Man] Are we gonna stop this pipeline?
00:25:41.036 --> 00:25:44.374
- [All] Yeah.
(shouting)
00:25:44.374 --> 00:25:48.134
- It's time for us all to wake
up to what is also happening
00:25:48.134 --> 00:25:51.529
here in our beautiful Pacific Northwest.
00:25:51.529 --> 00:25:53.337
- [Graham] I'm Graham
from the Mosquito Fleet.
00:25:53.337 --> 00:25:55.203
We're a direct action organization
00:25:55.203 --> 00:25:57.135
that does fossil fuel resistance
00:25:57.135 --> 00:25:59.831
on all waterways in the Pacific Northwest.
00:25:59.831 --> 00:26:01.610
- A number of ships that have been coming
00:26:01.610 --> 00:26:03.633
up the Columbia River,
00:26:03.633 --> 00:26:05.899
to the port of Vancouver, Washington,
00:26:05.899 --> 00:26:08.690
which is just across the
river from Portland, Oregon,
00:26:08.690 --> 00:26:11.322
carrying pipe that's being used
00:26:11.322 --> 00:26:14.337
to build the trans mountain pipeline.
00:26:14.337 --> 00:26:17.031
We're doing everything we can to stop it.
00:26:17.031 --> 00:26:18.275
- When the protestors came
00:26:18.275 --> 00:26:20.302
to protest the trans mountain pipeline
00:26:20.302 --> 00:26:21.871
that was being delivered here,
00:26:21.871 --> 00:26:25.125
the kayaktivists were out
there. They stopped the ship.
00:26:25.125 --> 00:26:27.555
There was a lot of mixed
feelings amongst our members.
00:26:27.555 --> 00:26:29.811
A lot of them were like,
"Yeah, this is great."
00:26:29.811 --> 00:26:32.625
And the other ones were like,
"No, we wanna go to work.
00:26:32.625 --> 00:26:34.292
Get out of the way."
00:26:36.121 --> 00:26:38.461
The way it works is we
don't have the right to pick
00:26:38.461 --> 00:26:41.684
and choose what cargoes we handle, right?
00:26:41.684 --> 00:26:43.758
We've got a contract with our employers,
00:26:43.758 --> 00:26:48.425
and whatever they bring in
on a ship, we have to unload.
00:26:49.796 --> 00:26:52.719
We absolutely, as a union, understand it.
00:26:52.719 --> 00:26:55.236
We see what's being done
in the First Nations,
00:26:55.236 --> 00:26:58.129
their land being taken away, and you know,
00:26:58.129 --> 00:27:01.550
basically they're just being pushed aside.
00:27:01.550 --> 00:27:03.737
We sent some folks to Standing Rock
00:27:03.737 --> 00:27:06.585
and some money and supplies,
00:27:06.585 --> 00:27:09.376
which is kinda why when
Tesoro tried to bring
00:27:09.376 --> 00:27:11.409
the oil export facility in here,
00:27:11.409 --> 00:27:13.271
that was an opportunity we had to say,
00:27:13.271 --> 00:27:15.810
"No, and we don't wanna
handle this cargo."
00:27:15.810 --> 00:27:19.552
Because it wasn't already here, right?
00:27:19.552 --> 00:27:22.445
If we were successful in
keeping Tesoro out of here,
00:27:22.445 --> 00:27:25.739
then we were successful and
not having to handle a cargo
00:27:25.739 --> 00:27:28.426
that we didn't want to.
00:27:28.426 --> 00:27:29.631
The second we heard about it,
00:27:29.631 --> 00:27:31.041
we took it to our membership meeting,
00:27:31.041 --> 00:27:33.541
and unanimously voted to oppose.
00:27:35.445 --> 00:27:38.865
- The ILWU really started
speaking up and raising questions
00:27:38.865 --> 00:27:43.772
about oil trains around the
time of Lac-Mégantic in 2013.
00:27:43.772 --> 00:27:48.270
They were early questioners
of this whole operation.
00:27:48.270 --> 00:27:51.039
One of the very first meetings
at the Port of Vancouver,
00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:53.478
and I was sitting next to
one of the longshoremen
00:27:53.478 --> 00:27:55.337
when they said this.
00:27:55.337 --> 00:27:57.848
Someone from Tesoro
Savage got up and said,
00:27:57.848 --> 00:27:58.681
"This oil, this light, sweet crude,
00:27:58.681 --> 00:27:59.514
it's like mother's milk."
00:28:02.422 --> 00:28:05.600
This was about two weeks
before the mother's milk,
00:28:05.600 --> 00:28:08.072
derailed exploded and killed 47 people
00:28:08.072 --> 00:28:09.642
in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec.
00:28:09.642 --> 00:28:14.642
So the mother's milk quote
didn't hold up very long.
00:28:14.753 --> 00:28:15.996
- I was scared.
00:28:15.996 --> 00:28:17.483
We know enough about Tesoro,
00:28:17.483 --> 00:28:19.512
and all these other oil companies,
00:28:19.512 --> 00:28:23.305
to know that they don't handle
the product responsibly.
00:28:23.305 --> 00:28:24.914
No matter how much they say they do
00:28:24.914 --> 00:28:27.923
handle it responsibly, they don't.
00:28:27.923 --> 00:28:29.163
- [Narrator] Throughout the country,
00:28:29.163 --> 00:28:31.685
crude oil is safely on the move.
00:28:31.685 --> 00:28:34.915
Taking full advantage of our
nation's vast rail system
00:28:34.915 --> 00:28:36.829
means we can maximize the benefits
00:28:36.829 --> 00:28:39.219
of our increased oil production.
00:28:39.219 --> 00:28:41.296
The railroads follow industry standards
00:28:41.296 --> 00:28:43.288
and government regulations to inspect
00:28:43.288 --> 00:28:44.981
and maintain their tracks.
00:28:44.981 --> 00:28:47.903
- [Man] Track safety is
job number one around here.
00:28:47.903 --> 00:28:49.890
I walk my tracks every day.
00:28:49.890 --> 00:28:52.894
- The people that surround
us in the communities,
00:28:52.894 --> 00:28:54.220
are an asset to us,
00:28:54.220 --> 00:28:58.390
letting us come through
their homes basically.
00:28:58.390 --> 00:28:59.762
- We've seen spills.
00:28:59.762 --> 00:29:03.384
We've seen communities have
to fight with these companies
00:29:03.384 --> 00:29:05.857
just to get the cleanup taken care of.
00:29:05.857 --> 00:29:07.397
It always has to go to court first.
00:29:07.397 --> 00:29:08.845
Who's gonna pay for it?
00:29:08.845 --> 00:29:11.076
If they had an oil spill
and a shut down the river?
00:29:11.076 --> 00:29:12.770
Well, if we can't get ships up here,
00:29:12.770 --> 00:29:14.262
we're not gonna be working.
00:29:14.262 --> 00:29:16.295
So how long are we gonna be without work?
00:29:16.295 --> 00:29:18.611
(upbeat music)
00:29:18.611 --> 00:29:20.343
We went to the port commission meeting.
00:29:20.343 --> 00:29:21.831
Now the port was unhappy.
00:29:21.831 --> 00:29:24.399
They were not happy about it at all.
00:29:24.399 --> 00:29:26.555
But, you know, that's
the beauty of our union,
00:29:26.555 --> 00:29:29.440
is there's really nothing
they can do about us.
00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:30.521
That's what it's all about,
00:29:30.521 --> 00:29:32.456
voice in the workplace.
00:29:32.456 --> 00:29:33.934
It felt good to come out and say,
00:29:33.934 --> 00:29:37.601
"Yeah, we'd benefit from this,
but we're not interested."
00:29:37.601 --> 00:29:41.019
The long-term effect would be horrible.
00:29:41.019 --> 00:29:41.852
And that's when
00:29:41.852 --> 00:29:44.825
the community grassroots
movement got started.
00:29:44.825 --> 00:29:46.766
A hundred people opposing
it for every person
00:29:46.766 --> 00:29:49.236
that was in favor of it.
00:29:49.236 --> 00:29:50.069
But they were saying,
00:29:50.069 --> 00:29:51.642
"Oh yeah, you're gonna
pay next to nothing,
00:29:51.642 --> 00:29:53.011
in taxes around here.
00:29:53.011 --> 00:29:54.769
The schools are gonna get such a shot
00:29:54.769 --> 00:29:56.356
in the arm from this."
00:29:56.356 --> 00:29:58.781
That kind of argument was
the only one they had.
00:29:58.781 --> 00:30:01.359
Bunch of suits with money.
00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:05.066
So as a community, we targeted
the port commission races.
00:30:05.066 --> 00:30:08.448
- [LaBrant] This is our
community, you can't buy us out,
00:30:08.448 --> 00:30:09.769
we're not for sale.
00:30:09.769 --> 00:30:11.505
Who's going back in with me?
00:30:11.505 --> 00:30:14.712
(crowd cheering)
00:30:14.712 --> 00:30:18.792
- We got Eric LaBrant elected,
and he won in a landslide.
00:30:18.792 --> 00:30:21.557
So then we had one no vote.
00:30:21.557 --> 00:30:24.366
Two yes votes for the
terminal, one no vote.
00:30:24.366 --> 00:30:25.982
So obviously not enough to kill it.
00:30:25.982 --> 00:30:28.565
(gentle music)
00:30:40.845 --> 00:30:42.418
- [News Announcer] A plume of black smoke,
00:30:42.418 --> 00:30:44.110
rising above the Gorge,
00:30:44.110 --> 00:30:48.283
crude oil burning after 11
tankers derail near Mosier.
00:30:48.283 --> 00:30:49.792
- [Firefighter] Interstate
84 is shut down,
00:30:49.792 --> 00:30:51.913
do not travel out that way.
00:30:51.913 --> 00:30:54.330
We have a massive oil
tanker fire in Mosier.
00:30:54.330 --> 00:30:56.395
- We were all cleaning out our desks,
00:30:56.395 --> 00:30:58.094
for the end of the year.
00:30:58.094 --> 00:31:02.096
And we heard a big boom
and all the kids rushed
00:31:02.096 --> 00:31:06.541
to the windows and we see
a massive plume of smoke.
00:31:06.541 --> 00:31:09.425
- I just couldn't really
believe it was really happening.
00:31:09.425 --> 00:31:14.092
So I went in the hallway to
look at the smoke and stuff.
00:31:16.241 --> 00:31:19.698
- Union Pacific had a unit
train of Bakken crude oil,
00:31:19.698 --> 00:31:22.421
and a unit train means every
single car on the train
00:31:22.421 --> 00:31:24.106
is the same commodity.
00:31:24.106 --> 00:31:26.754
And it was coming around
this corner up here,
00:31:26.754 --> 00:31:29.471
and it derailed off the tracks.
00:31:29.471 --> 00:31:32.054
And basically the tracks split,
00:31:32.980 --> 00:31:36.063
and then four of the cars caught fire.
00:31:37.399 --> 00:31:42.261
It was the only day we had in
actually about a 35 day period
00:31:42.261 --> 00:31:43.998
that there was no wind,
00:31:43.998 --> 00:31:47.786
and because of that is
why we have a town today.
00:31:47.786 --> 00:31:52.786
The school literally is right
there, and there were 220 kids
00:31:52.877 --> 00:31:54.523
in session in the school.
00:31:54.523 --> 00:31:57.743
- We were all asked to evacuate,
00:31:57.743 --> 00:32:00.626
and because my dad is a firefighter.
00:32:00.626 --> 00:32:03.959
He rushed off and my mom wasn't in town.
00:32:04.874 --> 00:32:07.382
- To get that call was terrifying.
00:32:07.382 --> 00:32:08.866
I was able to fly in that night,
00:32:08.866 --> 00:32:10.632
but I wasn't able to get into town,
00:32:10.632 --> 00:32:13.432
because the traffic was so blocked.
00:32:13.432 --> 00:32:14.968
So there was no way into town.
00:32:14.968 --> 00:32:17.690
- Guess who else couldn't
get here, the rescuers.
00:32:17.690 --> 00:32:20.003
Basically right where we are,
00:32:20.003 --> 00:32:22.886
is the only place for
people to be able to get in
00:32:22.886 --> 00:32:26.053
or out of town, was in the blast zone.
00:32:27.437 --> 00:32:30.650
- There were 30 to 50
foot flames coming off it.
00:32:30.650 --> 00:32:32.348
Decided very quickly
that there was nothing
00:32:32.348 --> 00:32:34.248
we could do about the fire itself.
00:32:34.248 --> 00:32:36.482
But what we could do is try to protect
00:32:36.482 --> 00:32:38.090
some of the structures from the wildfire
00:32:38.090 --> 00:32:41.143
that had been started by the rail cars.
00:32:41.143 --> 00:32:43.450
- Our little town can
deal with bush fires,
00:32:43.450 --> 00:32:46.590
can deal with somebody that's
burning their slash pile
00:32:46.590 --> 00:32:47.709
that gets out of control,
00:32:47.709 --> 00:32:49.612
but there's nothing in us,
00:32:49.612 --> 00:32:52.379
that is equipped to deal
with this kind of product.
00:32:52.379 --> 00:32:55.611
And it sort of woke us all up.
00:32:55.611 --> 00:32:57.840
- Oil trains are a heavier,
00:32:57.840 --> 00:33:00.169
more dense cargo for the rails to deal.
00:33:00.169 --> 00:33:03.083
There are different kinds of fire to fight
00:33:03.083 --> 00:33:04.487
if they're on fire.
00:33:04.487 --> 00:33:06.796
There are different kinds
of hazard to deal with
00:33:06.796 --> 00:33:09.116
if they derail and spill.
00:33:09.116 --> 00:33:11.699
(gentle music)
00:33:15.266 --> 00:33:17.366
- The thing that hit everyone so hard
00:33:17.366 --> 00:33:20.759
was in every helicopter shot of this fire,
00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:23.393
there's the school,
there's the playground,
00:33:23.393 --> 00:33:26.337
where there were a couple hundred kids.
00:33:26.337 --> 00:33:27.786
- Everyone just held their breath,
00:33:27.786 --> 00:33:29.645
I mean, everybody was
just scared to death.
00:33:29.645 --> 00:33:32.574
Especially when we found out
it was right near the school.
00:33:32.574 --> 00:33:35.252
- We need to immediately start phasing out
00:33:35.252 --> 00:33:38.635
oil trains, period. They're not safe.
00:33:38.635 --> 00:33:41.108
- We had the mayor, the fire chief,
00:33:41.108 --> 00:33:45.037
the families, our senators, activists,
00:33:45.037 --> 00:33:46.854
indigenous people from that area,
00:33:46.854 --> 00:33:49.329
everybody said, "We have to stop this."
00:33:49.329 --> 00:33:52.412
- They represent a rolling time bomb,
00:33:53.264 --> 00:33:57.097
and citizens are right
to have grave concerns.
00:33:57.935 --> 00:34:01.478
- My message to the
residencts is, I'm very sorry,
00:34:01.478 --> 00:34:05.214
and that we're not gonna
leave here until everything
00:34:05.214 --> 00:34:08.797
is in order.
(gentle music)
00:34:10.070 --> 00:34:12.092
- Today the city council found out
00:34:12.092 --> 00:34:14.306
that they were opening up the tracks
00:34:14.306 --> 00:34:16.806
next to a number of oil tanks
00:34:17.658 --> 00:34:19.472
that have not been emptied yet.
00:34:19.472 --> 00:34:21.906
They had the big community press meeting,
00:34:21.906 --> 00:34:24.307
big show, we're gonna do
all this wonderful stuff
00:34:24.307 --> 00:34:26.127
for your area.
00:34:26.127 --> 00:34:29.510
The moment they were done
with that community meeting,
00:34:29.510 --> 00:34:30.921
they started the trains.
(train honking)
00:34:30.921 --> 00:34:32.682
- So why risk it? When I look at the cars,
00:34:32.682 --> 00:34:36.841
they're just a few feet away
from the operating train.
00:34:36.841 --> 00:34:38.728
- They are a few feet away,
00:34:38.728 --> 00:34:43.478
however, they are not posing
an issue with the rail cars.
00:34:45.252 --> 00:34:50.085
There are a lot of companies
that are counting on us.
00:34:50.085 --> 00:34:53.534
- It boggles the mind
that that wasn't the event
00:34:53.534 --> 00:34:56.606
that led to a total stop of oil trains
00:34:56.606 --> 00:34:59.282
coming through the Columbia River Gorge.
00:34:59.282 --> 00:35:04.095
We found almost no traction
at either the state,
00:35:04.095 --> 00:35:07.102
or the federal level, at
least in Oregon, for years,
00:35:07.102 --> 00:35:08.431
even after Mosier.
00:35:08.431 --> 00:35:09.712
You could see the railroad industry
00:35:09.712 --> 00:35:11.979
and their lobbyists were very effective.
00:35:11.979 --> 00:35:15.070
- You know, talked with
our senators about it,
00:35:15.070 --> 00:35:17.519
our Congress people, I asked them,
00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:19.586
"What can you do to help us out?"
00:35:19.586 --> 00:35:21.123
And they're like,
00:35:21.123 --> 00:35:24.318
"There's nothing we can
really do to the railroad."
00:35:24.318 --> 00:35:25.799
That doesn't make sense here.
00:35:25.799 --> 00:35:28.605
You're an elected official,
you're in the Senate.
00:35:28.605 --> 00:35:30.217
You're telling me that you can't make laws
00:35:30.217 --> 00:35:32.134
to govern the railroad?
00:35:33.553 --> 00:35:36.255
- Realizing that it's
difficult to stop these trains
00:35:36.255 --> 00:35:37.636
along the tracks.
00:35:37.636 --> 00:35:41.721
People have found a real
opportunity to take some action
00:35:41.721 --> 00:35:44.078
at the actual terminal level.
00:35:44.078 --> 00:35:46.894
They are going to the place
00:35:46.894 --> 00:35:48.609
generating the oil train traffic itself.
00:35:48.609 --> 00:35:51.741
A place like Zenith or Tesoro Savage.
00:35:51.741 --> 00:35:53.055
- From Vancouver voters,
00:35:53.055 --> 00:35:56.563
they do not want the nation's
largest oil by rail facility
00:35:56.563 --> 00:35:58.089
built in their downtown.
00:35:58.089 --> 00:35:59.824
- Voters overwhelmingly supported
00:35:59.824 --> 00:36:01.444
port commissioner candidate,
00:36:01.444 --> 00:36:03.747
Don Orange over candidate Chris Green,
00:36:03.747 --> 00:36:07.099
who got hundreds of thousands
of dollars from oil interests.
00:36:07.099 --> 00:36:10.027
- The port has a signed lease
for the oil terminal project,
00:36:10.027 --> 00:36:12.500
but port commissioners regularly vote
00:36:12.500 --> 00:36:14.106
whether to keep that lease.
00:36:14.106 --> 00:36:16.253
Don Orange starts his term in January,
00:36:16.253 --> 00:36:19.337
with a campaign promise
to cancel that contract.
00:36:19.337 --> 00:36:20.170
Along with current
00:36:20.170 --> 00:36:21.918
commissioner Eric LaBrant.
00:36:21.918 --> 00:36:25.131
- At that point, we had two
no votes, enough to kill it.
00:36:25.131 --> 00:36:26.842
And that was it.
00:36:26.842 --> 00:36:31.407
And now we've got all this
area out here for windmills.
00:36:31.407 --> 00:36:35.353
So behind me, we're surrounded
right now by the blades.
00:36:35.353 --> 00:36:36.471
When you're going up the Gorge
00:36:36.471 --> 00:36:38.683
and you see the windmills up on the hill,
00:36:38.683 --> 00:36:40.722
there's a lot of pieces
that make that thing go,
00:36:40.722 --> 00:36:43.677
and we're lucky enough to
handle all those pieces here.
00:36:43.677 --> 00:36:48.585
(gentle music)
(footsteps)
00:36:48.585 --> 00:36:50.319
- I think for so long,
00:36:50.319 --> 00:36:53.380
there's been this kind of
argument between like jobs
00:36:53.380 --> 00:36:55.074
versus the environment.
00:36:55.074 --> 00:36:58.463
And the Green New Deal really
turns that on its head.
00:36:58.463 --> 00:37:01.506
It's not just a single bill or policy.
00:37:01.506 --> 00:37:04.589
It's about a complete paradigm shift.
00:37:06.404 --> 00:37:10.452
- The Green New Deal concept
is one that helps affirm
00:37:10.452 --> 00:37:15.412
and supports our stewardship
responsibility to resources.
00:37:15.412 --> 00:37:18.997
I come to the study of law with
this inherent understanding
00:37:18.997 --> 00:37:23.691
of what we call in our
tribes the unwritten laws,
00:37:23.691 --> 00:37:26.610
and those are the laws that
we're told by our elders
00:37:26.610 --> 00:37:28.960
we carry in our hearts.
00:37:28.960 --> 00:37:30.448
We're there to speak for resources
00:37:30.448 --> 00:37:32.766
that can't speak for themselves.
00:37:32.766 --> 00:37:36.050
What I would hope is that there
is consideration with regard
00:37:36.050 --> 00:37:38.361
to how tribes can participate and that
00:37:38.361 --> 00:37:41.122
how that can be effective and
supporting of our interests
00:37:41.122 --> 00:37:43.955
around, specifically, energy issues.
00:37:45.236 --> 00:37:48.518
Like our a'tway Uncle Billy Frank said,
00:37:48.518 --> 00:37:52.201
"Every time you pull that light bulb,
00:37:52.201 --> 00:37:54.461
a salmon jumps out,
00:37:54.461 --> 00:37:59.128
because he sacrificed his
life to give you that energy."
00:38:00.139 --> 00:38:01.720
- Looking at the hydro system,
00:38:01.720 --> 00:38:05.901
there is no question that it
is not a clean form of energy.
00:38:05.901 --> 00:38:10.555
It produces hot water,
and that's lethal to fish.
00:38:10.555 --> 00:38:14.485
That is different than
fossil fuel pollution.
00:38:14.485 --> 00:38:16.510
We have a responsibility
to take that head on
00:38:16.510 --> 00:38:17.387
and not to pretend
00:38:17.387 --> 00:38:20.471
that these systems have
no pollution impact,
00:38:20.471 --> 00:38:21.460
because they do.
00:38:21.460 --> 00:38:22.749
(indistinct chanting)
00:38:22.749 --> 00:38:26.696
- There is a point where
if you don't lay down
00:38:26.696 --> 00:38:28.798
for peaceful civil disobedience,
00:38:28.798 --> 00:38:32.382
they are simply not
going to listen to you.
00:38:32.382 --> 00:38:34.394
- We need to demand
00:38:34.394 --> 00:38:37.976
that our elected leaders
and public officials,
00:38:37.976 --> 00:38:41.180
start telling the truth,
and they need to act fast.
00:38:41.180 --> 00:38:43.001
And when we write them letters,
00:38:43.001 --> 00:38:45.876
when we show up to make public comment,
00:38:45.876 --> 00:38:46.959
and they don't listen,
00:38:46.959 --> 00:38:48.679
then we're going to take it up a notch
00:38:48.679 --> 00:38:52.879
until they do have to face
what they have been ignoring
00:38:52.879 --> 00:38:55.471
and lying about for decades.
00:38:55.471 --> 00:38:57.971
(tense music)
00:39:40.029 --> 00:39:40.862
(indistinct speaking)
00:39:40.862 --> 00:39:43.195
(machinery)
00:39:53.077 --> 00:39:56.455
The youth were part of
the fossil fuel ban.
00:39:56.455 --> 00:39:59.628
They testified, we wrote
letters to the editor,
00:39:59.628 --> 00:40:01.239
we had rallies,
00:40:01.239 --> 00:40:06.239
we had forums where we had
invited speakers to talk about
00:40:06.240 --> 00:40:09.163
Zenith Energy and the problems.
00:40:09.163 --> 00:40:12.248
The students met with city officials.
00:40:12.248 --> 00:40:15.342
The mayor told us many times
that his hands were tied,
00:40:15.342 --> 00:40:17.267
they were looking into every legal
00:40:17.267 --> 00:40:19.275
action that they could take,
00:40:19.275 --> 00:40:22.448
said, "We agree this is a
danger to our community,
00:40:22.448 --> 00:40:25.657
and we don't want them here,
but we don't know what to do."
00:40:52.156 --> 00:40:55.369
I'm tired of waiting for
the city and the county,
00:40:55.369 --> 00:40:59.046
and the government to do
something. We're out of time,
00:40:59.046 --> 00:41:01.852
and that's why I'm here.
00:41:01.852 --> 00:41:05.557
At some point, we knew that
nothing was going to happen,
00:41:05.557 --> 00:41:08.482
and so, there was nothing else to do
00:41:08.482 --> 00:41:13.051
but to actually go to the
site and stop the rail trains.
00:41:13.051 --> 00:41:17.539
♪ Gonna make this garden grow ♪
00:41:17.539 --> 00:41:21.524
♪ All you need is rake and hoe... ♪
00:41:21.524 --> 00:41:24.981
- We were able to utilize
the necessity defense.
00:41:24.981 --> 00:41:28.230
By setting up the blockade where they did,
00:41:28.230 --> 00:41:32.229
they were drawing attention
to the expansion area,
00:41:32.229 --> 00:41:35.486
as well as stopping bomb trains
00:41:35.486 --> 00:41:37.928
from entering into the facility,
00:41:37.928 --> 00:41:42.117
and then leaving again
for export purposes.
00:44:36.858 --> 00:44:39.533
The existential crisis of climate change,
00:44:39.533 --> 00:44:41.780
that goes on one set of scales.
00:44:41.780 --> 00:44:46.232
And then trespassing goes on
the other set of the scales.
00:44:46.232 --> 00:44:50.831
And the jury is basically meant
to balance those two harms.
00:44:50.831 --> 00:44:54.545
And that is often the most difficult part
00:44:54.545 --> 00:44:56.326
of a necessity defense.
00:44:56.326 --> 00:45:00.484
Because most people are
still in the mindset
00:45:00.484 --> 00:45:02.901
of a law and order mentality.
00:45:59.325 --> 00:46:01.908
(gentle music)
00:46:22.386 --> 00:46:24.803
(soft music)
00:46:27.870 --> 00:46:30.370
- Whenever I see an oil train,
00:46:31.511 --> 00:46:34.084
I always feel like a pit of my stomach,
00:46:34.084 --> 00:46:36.736
just like a little dread.
00:46:36.736 --> 00:46:39.153
(soft music)
00:46:42.924 --> 00:46:44.085
- We originally thought
00:46:44.085 --> 00:46:47.212
that we would ask for all
of the money to be given,
00:46:47.212 --> 00:46:49.121
to building a new school.
00:46:49.121 --> 00:46:49.959
They weren't interested,
00:46:49.959 --> 00:46:53.459
they wanted to support emergency services.
00:46:56.063 --> 00:46:59.075
- We replaced our 30 odd
year old engine leaf,
00:46:59.075 --> 00:47:01.009
this thing behind us.
00:47:01.009 --> 00:47:05.582
And they've also provided
some money for a new building,
00:47:05.582 --> 00:47:06.790
showers and things like that in it,
00:47:06.790 --> 00:47:09.020
which will be rather nice.
00:47:09.020 --> 00:47:11.239
Our fight chief resigned.
00:47:11.239 --> 00:47:14.307
He was deeply stressed by the incident.
00:47:14.307 --> 00:47:16.530
The fact that everybody
was dealing with things
00:47:16.530 --> 00:47:19.374
that were so far out of
our usual experience,
00:47:19.374 --> 00:47:22.879
that it was just a bit traumatic.
00:47:22.879 --> 00:47:25.762
Now that's not to say we
don't have community anymore,
00:47:25.762 --> 00:47:28.929
but I feel like we were closer before.
00:47:32.134 --> 00:47:35.312
- The term railroaded is
common on purpose, right?
00:47:35.312 --> 00:47:36.984
They have a lot of power.
00:47:36.984 --> 00:47:41.383
What surprised me was that
the tribes were able to help.
00:47:41.383 --> 00:47:44.403
- Will we be the generation
that forgot those
00:47:44.403 --> 00:47:47.283
who are coming behind
us, those yet unborn?
00:47:47.283 --> 00:47:49.879
Will we be the generation
that forgot to speak
00:47:49.879 --> 00:47:52.557
for the resources that
cannot speak in a manner
00:47:52.557 --> 00:47:54.474
that we can understand?
00:47:55.324 --> 00:47:58.749
- Turns out their treaties
preempt the railroad.
00:47:58.749 --> 00:48:01.720
So they have been able to work together,
00:48:01.720 --> 00:48:06.720
to save the Gorge from some
of these advancements (laughs)
00:48:07.152 --> 00:48:09.952
that were to the cutoff
the towns and the people
00:48:09.952 --> 00:48:11.202
from the river.
00:48:12.228 --> 00:48:14.828
Started to see more and more
tribes were being affected
00:48:14.828 --> 00:48:19.828
by these projects coming together
and supporting each other.
00:48:20.355 --> 00:48:23.438
- What kinda wake up call do we need?
00:48:26.578 --> 00:48:29.078
I can't even fathom to think,
00:48:32.181 --> 00:48:37.070
that those children who were
in school at that time...
00:48:37.070 --> 00:48:39.175
They're not my children.
00:48:39.175 --> 00:48:42.925
I'm not related to them,
but they were there.
00:49:09.061 --> 00:49:12.755
- They deliberated for a day
and a half and came back,
00:49:12.755 --> 00:49:16.070
and said, "Five of us want to aquit,
00:49:16.070 --> 00:49:18.570
and one of us won't be swayed.
00:49:19.578 --> 00:49:22.589
And the judge declared a mistrial."
00:49:22.589 --> 00:49:26.172
The state decided to
not re-prosecute them.
00:49:27.018 --> 00:49:29.851
And so the state dismissed all
of the charges against them,
00:49:29.851 --> 00:49:33.969
and they ended up engaging
in a direct action on camera
00:49:33.969 --> 00:49:35.830
without getting any convictions.
00:49:35.830 --> 00:49:37.890
- Today these three
Portlanders are celebrating
00:49:37.890 --> 00:49:40.489
what they call a major win.
00:49:40.489 --> 00:49:42.016
- It is for sure, a victory,
00:49:42.016 --> 00:49:43.216
- [Reporter] Five of the six jurors
00:49:43.216 --> 00:49:45.447
found the defendants not guilty,
00:49:45.447 --> 00:49:48.775
even though they never denied their guilt.
00:49:48.775 --> 00:49:50.478
- Never.
- Never.
00:49:50.478 --> 00:49:51.949
- We advertise it actually.
00:49:51.949 --> 00:49:53.773
- [Reporter] Portland Attorney
Greg Kafoury says the fact
00:49:53.773 --> 00:49:55.174
that the majority of the jury
00:49:55.174 --> 00:49:57.474
found the defendant not guilty.
00:49:57.474 --> 00:50:00.996
- It's an enormously
important legal victory.
00:50:00.996 --> 00:50:03.376
Going forward if other
judges have the courage
00:50:03.376 --> 00:50:05.317
to adopt this defense,
00:50:05.317 --> 00:50:08.482
you're going to see a great
deal, more direct action,
00:50:08.482 --> 00:50:12.482
against the most severe
environmental polluters.
00:50:13.793 --> 00:50:17.211
- The fact that five out
of the six jurors felt
00:50:17.211 --> 00:50:18.827
that we were not guilty,
00:50:18.827 --> 00:50:23.329
was a huge win and set the
precedent for future activists.
00:50:23.329 --> 00:50:28.180
And especially right now, when
the time is whittling away,
00:50:28.180 --> 00:50:30.529
it's an opportunity
for the kind of justice
00:50:30.529 --> 00:50:33.797
that we've been working towards.
00:50:33.797 --> 00:50:35.654
- It's gonna take more.
00:50:35.654 --> 00:50:37.600
It's gonna take more direct action,
00:50:37.600 --> 00:50:41.582
it's gonna take more rights
being put on the line.
00:50:41.582 --> 00:50:45.904
It's gonna be more younger
that have to understand,
00:50:45.904 --> 00:50:49.788
the corporate entities are
not gonna care about us.
00:50:49.788 --> 00:50:52.621
Because we are in sacrifice zones.
00:50:54.669 --> 00:50:58.419
(prays in Umatilla language)
00:51:05.568 --> 00:51:08.626
We're here this early morning for prayer,
00:51:08.626 --> 00:51:11.433
a prayer for the peoples of this land,
00:51:11.433 --> 00:51:13.183
this water, this air.
00:51:15.068 --> 00:51:17.816
(speaks in foreign language)
00:51:17.816 --> 00:51:19.899
We offer these blessings.
00:51:23.417 --> 00:51:25.569
It is such a sacred time.
00:51:25.569 --> 00:51:29.902
And we have to know that
within that sovereign right
00:51:30.836 --> 00:51:33.068
comes a huge responsibility.
00:51:33.068 --> 00:51:37.587
For us to continue teaching not
only within our own families
00:51:37.587 --> 00:51:39.488
and children's and tribes,
00:51:39.488 --> 00:51:41.706
but to non-native people as well.
00:51:41.706 --> 00:51:45.062
So they have an understanding
of why we are still here.
00:51:45.062 --> 00:51:46.733
(speaks in foreign language)
00:51:46.733 --> 00:51:50.066
We're not going anywhere. We're staying.
Distributor: Collective Eye Films
Length: 60 minutes
Date: 2022
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 10-12, College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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