Bail Fund for Michigan Water Protectors
We are a group of young people from Michigan who put our bodies and freedom on the line to stop construction of a dangerous and unnecessary tar sands oil pipeline. Now we are asking for your help to protect water protectors and keep the fight for clean water, a livable world, and indigenous sovereignty going on every level, from the grassroots up. Join us!
The twin crises of global climate chaos and white supremacy interlace in Enbridge’s disastrous plan to build a huge new tar sand oil pipeline. This pipeline will cross through four Native American reservations, before splitting and crossing beneath the straits of Mackinaw as Line 5. Enbridge is a private multinational company headquartered in Canada. This pipeline is about nothing other than private greed, not public good. As we are see more clearly each year the deadly effects of climate change, we all know that the future we are building for our children and grandchildren does not need any newer, bigger oil pipeline - especially not ones that cross delicate wetlands and the upper reaches of the Mississippi river. A team of folks here in Michigan decided to build connections with folks (especially indigenous people) on the ground at Camp Migizi and make a stand against Line 3.
From those connections grew the beautiful fruit of four simultaneous lock downs across two different construction sites, which resulted in construction at both sites being stopped for 5 ½ hours. View a video of two of the lockdowns here . This is an exciting success! However, our brave friends were taken to jail and charged with trespassing, and two people were charged with gross misdemeanor charges of trespassing on “critical public infrastructure”. In order to secure the water protectors’ freedom without conditions (keeping them free to stay in the fight), we begged and borrowed their bail, which was $5,000 - $2,000 each for two people and $500 each for two people. We are raising an additional $500 to cover supplies and possessions lost to police. We need these emergency funds to pay back borrowed money and keep our comrades in the fight! The money we borrowed came from peoples' food and rent funds. We need to raise this money as soon as possible, so that we can continue doing this work. Following the conclusion of legal proceedings and the return of any bail money, these funds will be used to help others protecting water.
Please donate what you can and share with your friends.
And if you do donate or share, thank you. We're beyond grateful to have you with us in this fight, in any way you can join us.