Why the Dakota pipeline protest still has traction

As the weather gets cold, the nearly 7,000 people camping out in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline are settling in for the winter.

Although the protest has gone on for a month and a half now, the movement has only gained momentum with new campers arriving every day and “weekend warriors” joining in whenever they can. In addition to drawing attention to the disproportionate consequences native people face from the proliferation of the energy industry, the protests have also served as a platform to address other systemic issues confronting tribes, including poverty, racism, substance abuse, and inferior school systems.

"For 48 years, I've lived under this system, and I'm not the only one," Unpa Nunpa, a Standing Rock Lakota, told NBC. "This is a chance for us to express our feelings about living underneath this system."

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2016/1015/Why-the-Dakota-pipeline-protest-still-has-traction