At 3 p.m. on September 8, 2016, several people gathered at 3rd and Box Butte Avenue in downtown Alliance to stand up for a cause affecting people almost 400 miles away. For months, protesters from multiple tribes, along with others from different nationalities, have banded together at the North Dakota protest site: the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. They are taking a stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline Project, for future generations. BBC News claims that the protest has grown into “the largest gathering of Native Americans in more than 100 years.”

The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is a new 3.8 billion dollar, 1,170 mile pipe, 30 inches in diameter that will connect North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. The plan is that 470,000 to 570,000 barrels of sweet crude oil will be transported per day. The idea is to save money in a more environmentally safe way. However, there are several risks that come with the construction of the pipeline. Two of the main concerns is that the few cattle that are being raised on the reservation, and those living on it, will have no clean water to drink from and the fact that growing crops is already hard, as it is.

So, how did this movement reach our community?

After taking a trip to the Standing Rock Reservation in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, Alliance local, Mercedies Reza, knew she had to bring awareness to our community, not only for the people on the reservations, but her kids and their kids.  She was joined by Melody Gahona and Shawna Martin and put together the protest in just a matter of days. “A lot of people do not know the severity of the situation in Standing Rock.” said Reza “I want my kids and their kids to have clean water when they are older. I don’t want them having to worry about whether or not they are going to have any.”

Men, women and children of all races stood on the downtown corner, holding signs and gaining the attention of everyone passing by, raising awareness for what’s important to them. Between 30 and 40 people showed up for the hour long protest. The group attracted the attention of KNEB news. A KNEB reporter and cameraman were on the scene almost immediately thanks to Shawna Martin. KNEB’s broadcast raised awareness was spread all across the panhandle.

When asked how she felt about the turnout, Reza quoted, “Honestly, I didn’t expect that many people to show up and I could not have been happier. It felt amazing to see how many people actually care about what they are doing up at Standing Rock. It makes me excited to know that it’s not just the Native Americans fighting for us. It’s all nationalities.”

The final decision on whether or not the pipeline will be constructed is to be announced Friday, September 9, 2016. Whether the pipeline is built or not, this group of people took a stand for what they believed in, making themselves a part of history.

All pictures in this story were submitted by Mercedies Reza.