Interview with Daniel Paul Nelson on Standing Rock, Broken Treaties and the Possibility of Healing our History

Rebel Hearts with Kristie Reeves

This week on "Rebel Hearts": Kristie speaks with Daniel Paul Nelson who works for the "Lakota People's Law Project" as well as "The Romero Institute", helping to fight climate change as well as injustices against native peoples. Daniel holds a BA in Political Theory from Harvard College and an MA in Social Science from the University of Chicago. The "Lakota People's Law Project" engages in ongoing efforts to reclaim ancestral lands, stop all threats to Lakota land and resources as well as work toward the revitalization of their people and culture. In this interview we talk about the repeating and continuos story of broken treaties with the Lakota (amongst many other First Nations), from the Fort Laramie treaties that were signed in the mid 1800s and shortly disregarded afterwards to the most recent events at Standing Rock. Daniel speaks on the current law suits against 300 water protectors and the work of the "Lakota People's Law Project" to have these charges dropped. He explains the legality around the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), and what we can do when corporations place money above the well-being of people and the environment. Daniel talks about the environmental issues that we are facing and the need for change. We talk about the significance of the events at Standing Rock, no matter whether they illuminated the injustice towards the Lakota Nation or the mistreatment of peaceful water protectors; at the same time, the people coming together during these events show us that healing is possible, the need to stand together and that we have the power to create change!