Sunday, November 27th, 2016 It was time to get over whatever the bug was that hit me. I had a major backup of mucus in my lungs. I had seen the small plane flying around over the camp every day I was there. It looked like it was spraying something. I had noticed people coughing a lot. Many complained of a sore throat first. I got very congested lungs. Maybe from the smoke from warming fires, maybe a combination. I stayed inside my room the whole day, washing clothes and packing.  The day got colder and drearier by the hour. It began to rain and by morning, this is what I saw out my hotel window. The white car is my rental.

I found out that Bismarck residents had made a big rally in support of their law enforcement on Saturday. I had witnessed no support in town for the water protectors. I had heard from people in camp that some residents had called the indigenous water protectors prairie niggers. I hate to write it, but I think that everyone needs to know the level of hate that has been ramped up here. This city has displayed bigotry, hate, and injustice to people trying to protect everyone’s water. The corporation (with help of Morton County Sheriff’s Department) has used racial hatred to turn the population of the city of Bismarck against any protest of this pipeline. What a clever distraction. The town did not want the pipeline to go north of them, upstream. How easily Energy Transfer Partners were able to re-route this pipeline. I do not think they ever really planned to put the pipeline north of Bismarck. I think the whole process was used to make one side feel superior than the other. Thus distracting from the real issues of safety, the environment, and clean water.

While I was sad to leave Standing Rock, I was very glad to leave Bismarck.