Hundreds of activists gathered in the parking lot of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hiram M. Chittenden Locks facility in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle last night for a vigil to show support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and their opposition to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline through North and South Dakota.

The demonstration was part of activist action in at least 300 cities around the globe against the pipeline, and many of the protests were held at Army Corps sites.

Organizers of the demonstration reported the protest was to “call on President Obama to instruct the Army Corps of Engineers to deny final permits for the Dakota Access Pipe Line (DAPL).”

“This event is part of a national call to action targeting decision makers and stakeholders at every level. By gathering at the Army Corps of Engineers offices across the country, we hope to call attention to the brave water and land protectors at Standing Rock and encourage President Obama to stop the pipeline."

Anticipating a crowd of over 700 people, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks park grounds at 4:00 p.m. The demonstration was planned to start at 5:30 p.m.

"Current projections are for a gathering of more than 700 people near the Locks, and the Corps doesn’t have the scheduled staff to ensure public safety and property protection for a gathering of the size anticipated this afternoon, " the Corps wrote in the announcement

Scores of people ornamented in feathers, neon lights, flags, facial paint and buttons met in the parking lot outside the locks. A tent housing a PA system gave activists shelter from the rain and hot beverages and cookies were served. Between speakers the crowd chanted “Mni Wiconi! Mni Wiconi!” which is Lakota for “Life is water.”

The demonstrators communicated an overarching message of peace, yet that message was riddled with frustration, dissent and promises of civil disobedience.

Ken Workman, a Duwamish Tribe Councilmember and a descendant of Chief Sealth (Seattle) spoke at the event and shared how he thought humanity is all one family.

“When I look around I see the trees and I see my ancestors in these trees and I say thank you ancestors...the ancient ones that they live in the trees, and so here in Seattle we have many of these trees and the ancient ones give us that oxygen and so by virtue of them sharing that oxygen with us we are all part of this one big family,” said Workmen.

Ken Workman speaking at the demonstration.

However, he also called for action to help the people at Standing Rock Reservation.

“So we extend that reach out to Standing Rock here today because the people back east…are working hard to protect their land, and when I talk about my land, or the Duwamish land out here and the ancient ones in the trees, I think of their (Standing Rock) land and how the bulldozers come right over the top of their people, and so I get angry, and I say we have to do something. We have to help these people and so that’s why we are reaching out here today.”

The DAPL is set to cost $3.8 billion for construction and would carry about 500,000 barrels of crude per day from North Dakota’s Bakken oilfield across three states to Illinois. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the DAPL project and granted final permits last July. However, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe took immediate action and sued the Corps. In their complaint they said that the project "threatens the Tribe's environmental and economic well-being, and would damage and destroy sites of great historic, religious, and cultural significance to the Tribe.” The tribe has been trying to prevent drilling under the Missouri River since 2014. The river is the main source of fresh water for the 10,000 Native Americans there and also to other communities downstream.

Since 2014 and most notably in the last few months there has been strong opposition at Standing Rock that has erupted into violence. 100 or more tribes from U.S. and Canada have shown support for Standing Rock, as well as other environmental and political groups. 350.org, an environmental activist group, is among them. One of their organizers – and author – Alec Connon, spoke at the Ballard Locks demonstration.

“I want to start just by respecting that we are on stolen Duwamish lands and that pretty much where ever we go in the United States we are almost certainly standing on lands that were stolen by white colonizers from indigenous people,” said Connon.

Alec Connon speaking at the demonstration.

Connon notably spoke to heterosexual white individuals in the audience, especially men and called for action. He identified with that demographic and said that the group is among the highest privileged in the current socio-economic-cultural system and therefore in a position most able to help.

“Faced with a racist, islamophobic, homophobic, transphobic, misogynist, science denying, and climate change denying president who has promised to deport 11 million people of color from this country -- how much are you willing to risk to stop that? But almost more importantly, how much are you willing to give? Are you willing to give your time? Your energy? Your skills? And make this a major part of your life? Because if you are in this position and you are not prepared to do that then you are complying with this system, and if you’re complying with this system you are complicit in this system, and if you are complicit, you are morally culpable.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has refused to grant Energy Transfer Partners the final permit to drill underneath the Missouri River; however, as of this week, Energy Transfer Partners, owner of the pipeline, are suing the Army Corps, demanding that they have the right to build without further permitting.

Meanwhile, at the White House yesterday, amid a group of protesters who were also against the DAPL, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders made a surprise speech.

"Today we are saying it is time for a new approach to the Native American people, not to run a pipeline through their land," said Sanders.

“So we say to President Obama, in any and every way you can, stop the pipeline. Tell the Army Corps of Engineers that we know—we don’t need any more studies to know—that in the midst of a great crisis, a global crisis with regard to climate change, every environmental study will tell you: Do not build this pipeline. And if there are other approaches, such as declaring Standing Rock a federal monument, let’s do that.”