Standing Rock Water Protectors: Climate Justice Showdown Still Hanging Fire

In what defense attorneys are calling a major victory for their client and for the

water protectors of Standing Rock, prosecutors have dropped all serious

charges against former North Dakota congressional candidate Chase Iron Eyes in his case

resulting from protests of the Dakota Access pipeline. Chief Iron Eyes, an attorney who works

for the Lakota People’s Law Project, was facing a maximum of six years in state prison

after his arrest for alleged criminal trespass and incitement of a riot near the

Standing Rock Sioux reservation on February 1, 2017.

“The world should know that it’s legally impossible for me and other Native

people to trespass on treaty land," stated Chief Iron Eyes. Iron Eyes’ attorneys filed documents on Monday proving that his arrest occurred on

treaty land never ceded by the Sioux tribe. The state of North Dakota ruled

weeks ago that this land had never been

acquired nor legally owned by pipeline parent company Energy Transfer

Partners (ETP). "I and the water protectors are not terrorists. We and the US veterans

who stood with us to protect Mother Earth are the true patriots,” said Iron Eyes.

 

Daniel Sheehan, President and co-founder of Romero Institute and chief legal defense for Chase Iron Eyes.

 

Daniel Sheehan was chief attorney on Iron Eyes’ defense team for the Lakota People’s Law Project. Lakota People's Law is an ongoing campaign of the Romero Institute, an interfaith, nonprofit law and public policy center that grew out of the Christic Institute, and which has been at the center of profoundly significant landmark legal cases for social and environmental justice since the 1980's.

 

Radio Planet Watch is honored to host Daniel Sheehan's son, Lakota People's Law Project Program Director Danny Paul Nelson. Nelson, who holds a BA in Political Theory from Harvard and an MA in Social Science from the University of Chicago, speaks with Planet Watch hosts Jordan and Goodman about the recent legal victory from Standing Rock, and connections between indigenous rights and climate justice.

“Our work to prepare Chase’s defense unveiled solid evidence of a racially ­motivated criminal

conspiracy by oil companies and mercenary private security corporations

(colluding with local, state, and federal law enforcement) to deny Native Americans and their allies their civil and treaty rights,” said Danny Paul. “Standing Rock focused the attention of the world on the importance of Native sovereignty and the needs to protect water

and resist climate change. Chase’s willingness to pursue a "necessity" defense

has produced strong legal tools for future protesters.”

Prior to the interview with Danny Paul on today's show, Planet Watch shared

an audio clip from a just ­released video, We Are Not Terrorists. In the video,

Iron Eyes and his team position their anti­-pipeline protest in the context of what they ...