minnesota Archives - Toward Freedom

Indigenous-Led Occupation in United States Demands City of Minneapolis Call Off Demolition

Niko Georgiades February 23, 2023 Niko Georgiades

Residents of the Minneapolis neighborhood of East Phillips and members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) started an occupation in the early morning hours of February 21 to resist the city’s plan to demolish a Superfund site, which sits atop decades of arsenic contamination. Niko Georgiades reports for Unicorn Riot.

Sunset on the Shell River in 1855 Treaty Territory, now within the U.S. state of Minnesota. The treaty created the Leech Lake and Mille Lacs reservations in northern Minnesota, while ceding territory to the U.S. government. The river is home to many plant, mollusk, fish, insect, bird and animal species, including the endangered Higgins' Eye Pearlymussel and many beds of wild rice. The historic drought of the summer of 2021 reduced the water flow to between 10 percent and 25 percent of its normal rate. As a consequence, it was possible to walk down many miles of the river bed. Enbridge Energy drilled under the river in five locations using Horizontal Directional Drilling methods. https://allaboutpipelines.com/HDD_Calculation/HDDArticle

Photo Essay: Indigenous Struggle Against Enbridge Lines 3 and 5

Toward Freedom Editor October 15, 2021 Toward Freedom Editor

Toward Freedom Board President Rebecca Kemble spent the summer in solidarity with and documenting the Indigenous struggle against oil pipelines and violations of Indignenous sovereignty.