On the 4th of July I attended a protest in Sacramento that (to my surprise but certainly not my displeasure) resulted in the toppling of the Junipero Serra statue on the Capitol Grounds. I have always been a proponent of direct action, and It was a pleasure to see such well-organized and passionate direct action at work.

One of the striking things about this moment is how much figures that have long been (undeservingly) venerated as moral or spiritual leaders are finally receiving the critical attention that is long overdue. Junipero Serra (the leading pioneer of the California Mission system which, contradictory to the whitewashed history taught in California schools, systematically abused native peoples--abuse Serra presided over), Mohandas Ghandi (largely responsible for the split between India and Pakistan, deeply racist and classist, and whose legacy has been whitewashed and used in recent years to further propagandistic narratives by the totalitarian Indian government) are finally getting their due.

Tuesday November 15th was a national day of action for the Dakota Access Pipeline resistance movement. A rally was organized in Davis, CA outside the Army Corps of Engineers office, who are responsible for permitting the pipeline, at 609 2nd Street in downtown, in solidarity with other actions nationwide. Organizers spoke to the group about the pipeline and its dangers, and others shared their thoughts and feelings about the pipeline, the movement, and related issues. At peak participation, the action likely drew 100-150 people, based on personal observation.

A Choctaw man and longtime indigenous rights activist shared his experience and observations of the two months he spent at the Standing Rock camp in North Dakota, as well as expressed his happiness and gratitude at the solidarity shown by his community.

After words were exchanged in front of the Army Corps of Engineers office on 2nd street, the group marched down E street to Wells Fargo, then looping around to Bank of America (both financiers of the pipeline).

After the NoDAPL march finished their loop around Bank of America and Wells Fargo, both financiers of the pipeline, the group held the intersection of E and 2nd streets, writing messages and drawing images in chalk upon the roadway. Snapshots below.

If you are a news agency or media outlet and would be interested in using any of these photos, please contact me.