The deployment of the veterans, led by Wesley Clark, Jr., and Michael A. Wood, Jr. has gained national and international attention, leading many people to believe the Dec. 5 eviction notice was timed to reduce the effectiveness of the December 4 effort by the Veterans for Standing Rock movement, reports the Independent.
According to the Veterans for Standing Rock GoFundMe page, the group says:
“We’ll be standing alongside peaceful water protectors, who’ve endured violent attacks from the private security funded by DAPL and more brutality and arrests at the hands of militarized police and DAPL security. We have the full support of the Sioux tribe elders and will be cooperating with them every step of the way.”
The GoFundMe campaign has brought in over $500,000 of their $750,000 goal. All the money raised will go toward food, transportation and supplies for the veterans who attend. As of today, over 2,000 veterans have responded to the call to deploy.
“It’s time to display that honor, courage and commitment we claim to represent,” the page reads. “It’s time for real patriots. Now more than ever, it’s time for anyone and everyone to lead.”
CNN is reporting that the protests against the $3.7 billion pipeline have been going on for months and have been peaceful. But last Sunday, violence erupted as law enforcement began shooting rubber bullets at the groins of water protectors, lobbing tear gas canisters and finally drenching them with water cannons in the freezing night air.
The Veterans for Standing Rock movement
Wesley Clark, Jr. doesn’t describe himself as a leader of men. He says he’s a veteran, screenwriter, and activist. Michael Wood Jr. is a retired Baltimore police officer and Marine Corps veteran. Clark says he’s going for religious reasons. He says that when he received a call from a Standing Rock elder, and she described what was going on, “it brought tears to my eyes.”
Wood says, “If we don’t stand up for the oppressed, that’s the snowball that starts that leads to everyone else’s oppression. It doesn’t matter if you are a libertarian, a conservative or a progressive, this is everyone’s fight.”
