There’s been very little attention given to the protests opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline in the Dakotas and I’m as guilty as the rest of the nation’s news organizations (though I have drawn one cartoon on the issue a few weeks ago).
Earlier this week a 21-year-old girl from New York who had joined the protest was injured from an explosion and she may lose her left arm.
Many of the protesters are blaming the police and claim they used a concussion grenade. Despite the term “concussion” it’s not a bomb designed to merely give one a headache. It’s lethal and used in war. The police are blaming the protesters for the explosion and have accused them of making bombs out of propane tanks.
The young woman’s father says doctors pulled shrapnel out of her arm and it’s evidence it’s from a grenade. I’m hoping we can eventually get a confirmation on the cause of the explosion.
The police have been using tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets so it’s not like they haven’t been responding to the protesters with violence.
A “Go Fund Me” page has been set up for the young lady’s medical expenses and it’s raised over $300,000 at this point. I’d put up a link to it (which I did on social media) but I am having some issues with the GoFundMe folks for taking a commission from this woman’s injury.
Hopefully it won’t take any more explosions for this issue to get the media attention it deserves…or attention from President Obama who should put a stop to the pipeline and help Native Americans protect land that rightfully belongs to them. If he waits any longer President Donald Trump will green light the entire thing and slap a casino next to it.
Other than all that, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy a long weekend (if you’re getting a long weekend). I’ll probably keep drawing cartoons and blogging. I don’t know what to do with myself when I take a day off.
Did you like this cartoon? Want to help a cartoonist make a living? Look to the right of this page and make a donation through Paypal. I need to buy pens, paper, sandwiches, and dog food. The starving cartoonist and his Beagle appreciates it. If you’ve donated in the past, THANK YOU!!!
CLAYTOONZ 
My first encounter with racism against Native Americans was on Standing Rock Res, some 16yrs ago. Traveling through the Badlands by car, we headed south on hiway1806 through Cannonball N.D. We passed a historical marker Sitting Bull’s Gravesite. We had to stop, totally ignorant of real Indian issues we took pictures and took little notice of the poverty around us. As we continued down hiway1806 we stopped at the Prairie Knights Casino, after feeding the slot machines for a little while I asked a mid-aged white woman what was good to eat here. She twisted her face into what could only be described as DISGUST and said “I wouldn’t eat here” and walked away from me. That was the beginning of my awareness of the Native American plight. It leads me to an essay by a free-lance writer by the name of Stephanie Schwartz. She and her friend Audrey Link were the driving force behind the Link Foundation, Both my wife and I became friends of theirs and now both have “Walked on” Both Audrey and Stephanie spoke highly of another charity ONE SPIRIT to which we became involved in. Here is the link to the essay. http://silvrdrach.homestead.com/schwartz_2006_oct_15.html
LikeLiked by 3 people
Of all those ethnic’s, i.e., those having foreign origin or roots living in the USA, none has been betrayed more than the Native Indian population.
That paradigm continues shamelessly to this day.
LikeLike
Perfect cartoon. The newspapers are the same online. All Trump all the time. It wouldn’t be so bad if the articles were about the criminal and civil cases facing the repellent one.
I have been following the latest attack on the Sioux Nation by Corporate America on sites like Democracy Now and Media Matters. It is appalling how the MSM is spinning this current atrocity.
Thanks for your blog on this day that we are supposedly thanking the native people who kept the inept “white man” colonizers from starving to death.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s so crazy that this week, when we’re celebrating when the Native Americans (supposedly, the actually history implies it was a massacre) saved the Europeans’ butts, we’re still treating them like crap today.
I agree. GoFundMe taking something like 10 percent is ridiculous. Someone mentioned, in that campaign’s comments, to request they donate the proceeds to her bills. They’ll exceed whatever is raised, easily.
I want to say I can’t believe the police are denying what many witnesses have said, & have the pictures, live-streaming, & video to back up, but I can’t say that. Apparently, reports have already been made to the FBI to investigate the actions. Concussion grenades are meant to be non-lethal… unless you chuck one into a crowd of 400+ people (who claim they were flanked on both sides by police, & who couldn’t back up without trampling someone). The imagery from that injury is heart-breaking.
They must have known better. It sounds like they just don’t care anymore. 😥
LikeLiked by 1 person
People have posted articles that include graphic pictures of the incident on my FB posts and I haven’t had the stomach to click them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a very smart choice. I won’t describe it for you either. Rest assured, it was bad.
LikeLike