The Portland No DAPL Rally--A Report from The Front Lines

We are grateful for this first-person report from a Salem activist:

Yesterday our carpool left Salem and picked up three activist along the way to the Portland No DAPL rally at the Army Core of Engineers. It rained the whole way but upon our arrival in Portland the sun came out a bit. The crowd was a true mix of people, children with parents or grandparents, every racial and social category was present. This was not just a peaceful demonstration but a loving one. After the days of Trump protests in Portland the vibe here was religious. One could barely hear the speakers even with the mics yet the crowd remained unified. One Sioux speaker told us how a split in the land caused the river to enter from two directions. Washing the river stones from two sides and thus creating the sacred stones. The Army Core of Engineers had years ago done a project that ended this and sacred stones are no longer created. I arrived early and did not realize how much the crowd had grown until the chant began, "water is life". So loud and sudden, I could have been at a Ducks game! Looking around I realized the crowd had grown to over 3000. Then even louder, "water is sacred", sunflower umbrellas and signs bouncing in rhythm. The sun had set and as we quietly left a single large star hung low in the eastern sky. Pointing us to the sacred stones.

Our friend also later addedd this note:

I've been thinking about the no DAPL event in Portland yesterday.

Yesterday our carpool left Salem and picked up three activist along the way to the Portland No DAPL rally at the Army Corps of Engineers. It rained the whole way but upon our arrival in Portland the sun came out a bit. The crowd was a true mix of people, children with parents or grandparents, every racial and social category was present. This was not just a peaceful demonstration but a loving one. After the days of Trump protests in Portland the vibe here was religious. One could barely hear the speakers even with the mics yet the crowd remained unified. One Sioux speaker told us how a split in the land caused the river to enter from two directions. Washing the river stones from two sides and thus creating the sacred stones. The Army Corps of Engineers had years ago done a project that ended this and sacred stones are no longer created. I arrived early and did not realize how much the crowd had grown until the chant began, "water is life". So loud and sudden, I could have been at a Ducks game! Looking around I realized the crowd had grown to over 3000. Then even louder, "water is sacred", sunflower umbrellas and signs bouncing in rhythm. The sun had set and as we quietly left a single large star hung low in the eastern sky. Pointing us to the sacred stones.