Caravan brings winter gear to Standing Rock activists

Hours after Standing Rock activists were drenched with a water cannon, a Thanksgiving caravan left Port Townsend with supplies to help.

Dozens of people loaded an old school bus and a large moving truck with sleeping bags, coats, cooking gear, and even fresh local salmon.

“And we are going to do a great feed for the people at Standing Rock with this,” one man said.

It’s all heading to North Dakota where activists continue to unite against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

“It’s this perfect storm of indigenous wisdom, awareness of climate change realities, and big business and big money coming together and having a showdown,” Danny Milholland said.

Pictures are surfacing of protestors sprayed with water cannons in freezing winter weather late Sunday night. Reports estimate that between 200 and 300 people were treated for hypothermia.

“They’re making a stand there, and we want to be a part of it,” said Paul Magid, who’s driving the community bus.

The bus is decorated with cedar, often used for Native American blessings.

“They carve it in recognition of families. They carve it recognition of community,” Sonny Nytom Francis said.

It’s also symbolic for the weapon activists say they’re using in this battle.

“It’s a war being waged by prayer,” Magid said. “They’re not using guns. They’re not using cannon balls. They’re not using arrows. They’re using prayer.”

The trip will cover 1,300 miles and 20 hours. It’s time, they believe, that’s racing a climate clock.

“We are rising up because now is the time,” Milholland said. “We have a great opportunity to build bridges with native peoples and to rise up and unite.”