Standing with Standing Rock: the water is life walk

Today, my friend Bekki and I went to downtown Buffalo to join the Water is Life walk. Approximately 200 persons participated in this walk, which started in Niagara Square. We walked toward the marina and passed the decommissioned airplanes and battleships and arrived in Canalside. It was a relatively short distance from Niagara Square to Canalside. A few people spoke about the necessity of water in our lives, the care that we need to take of our mother earth, and the dangers that pipelines, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Northern Access Pipeline, pose to our water supply. It was noted that one of the executive orders that the president signed, in a flurry of executive order signing, was to advance construction of such major pipelines as the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone Pipeline.

It was a cold winter day but it was a good day to walk for our earth, for the water, the land, for all people, and for ourselves. 

Below are some of the images of the Water is Life walk in downtown Buffalo.

City Hall in downtown Buffalo. It was dedicated in 1932 and it is considered to be a masterpiece in the art deco style. It features murals on the first floor and an observation deck, from which you can get a spectacular view of the city and of Lake Erie.

Drumming before the start of the walk.

One of the decommissioned battleships at the Marina. The USS Little Rock was commissioned in 1945 and it carried guided missiles. It was decommissioned in 1976 and is now on display and open for tours at the Naval Park in the downtown marina. 

All of the images below depict the passion and energy of the people in Buffalo today, who are walking, singing, and carrying signs that share their love of the earth and of the water that gives all living creatures life.

Honoring the earth with song.

If you are in Buffalo, New York, one of the things that you could do to support Standing Rock is to donate warm clothing or other supplies that may be needed. Supplies can be brought to Burning Books, 420 Connecticut Avenue. Check link to supply list
Needs change regularly. I see that, today, clothing is not needed but firewood and other supplies are very much needed. Please be careful as to the type of wood that you send on to Standing Rock. Although ash wood is requested, please do not send ash wood from any areas that are experiencing emerald ash borer infestations. That would include all of Western New York. If you choose not to send firewood, to avoid spreading the emerald ash borer infestation, there are still plenty of things that you can do. Make sure to take a look at the above link for requests.