On July 3rd, 20 protestors were attacked by police and then arrested for defending the Black Hills in Lakota homelands in South Dakota. These protestors, also known as “land defenders,” were demanding the closure of “Mt Rushmore” and protesting Trump’s pre-Independence Day visit -- an unwelcome intrusion on stolen land.

Even though protestors were peacefully exercising their First Amendment right to protest, police officers arrested and charged these land defenders with over 20 misdemeanors and 2 felonies in total.

One land defender, Nick Tilsen, faces nearly 15 years in prison. Tilsen, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe and the president of a local activist organization called NDN Collective, is believed to have been unjustly targeted by law enforcement and the state’s attorney office for his role at the protest.

We demand that State’s Attorney Mark Vargo drop all charges against all 20 land defenders including Nick Tilsen.

There is a long history of persecuting Indigenous leadership and trying to separate leadership away from the groups they work with. There is also a long history of attempting to make it illegal for Indigenous people to stand up for their lives, lands, or water.

In particular, Governor Kristi Noem has engaged in a multi-year racist assault against Indigenous people, and the police -- under the leadership of by Sheriff Kevin Thom -- have over-policed communities across the state with such brutality that Indigenous people account for a majority of all arrests in the state despite being only 10% of South Dakota's total residents.

NO MORE.

We all must use our collective voice to combat this type of racism

It’s time to stand with the protesters of the #LandBack movement, and give the Black Hills land back to the Lakota people.