As members of the Do No Harm Coalition (
donoharmcoalition.org) and in solidarity with water protectors at Standing Rock, we are asking health workers, including physicians, nurses, aides, assistants, pharmacists, herbalists, midwives, administrators, physician assistants, and all other healers, to take the pledge to defund DAPL.
Now more than ever, it is important that health workers raise their voices and take action in solidarity with water protectors at Standing Rock to fight the Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline represents a monstrous threat to public health given:
- The high risks it poses to drinking water contamination in the region
- The brutal police response to water protectors’ prayerful resistance
- The negative health consequences of continuing to foster a fossil fuel economy
- The perpetuation of discriminatory practices and policies that are at the root of multiple health inequities (including high rates of mental illness and chronic disease) that disproportionately affect Native American communities
The billion-dollar project is being carried out by Energy Transfer Partners and funded through investments from several big banks, including Wells Fargo, HSBC, Citibank, TD Bank, SunTrust, ING Bank, Bank of America, HSBC, UBS, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan Chase. Now that the Army Corps of Engineers has announced their intentions to grant the permits for DAPL to proceed, divesting from these banks, and forcing them to defund DAPL, is especially crucial to stop the pipeline.
By taking the pledge, you agree to move your money or work to convince others to move their money from any of the 17 banks funding DAPL, and then reinvest those funds in local banks and credit unions, in the name of public health. Will you take the pledge?