Feature

On the Red Lake sovereign nation land located in what is today known as northern Minnesota, an occupation has started at a location above the Enbridge-owned pipeline built without permission of the Red Lake Nation in 1949 (hashtag #RLblockade). A helicopter from Enbridge briefly landed next to the site (video), near the town of Leonard.

It is expected if the occupation proceeds for three days, the flow of oil - which may include controversial tar sands bitumen extracted from Alberta, Canada - will have to be shut down. The 72-hour countdown has started around roughly 3PM Thursday.

Supporters have been invited onto the site by tribal members to support the blockade, and currently volunteer media from the new UneditedMedia collective, TC Indymedia & [informally] OccupyMN are on site. Internet access appears stable enough for @uneditedcamera to periodically livestream as the camp takes shape for the long haul, also aided by mild weather. Also @samRichards10 and Robert DesJarlait (@r_desjarlait) are providing updates. Desjarlait tweeted "This isn't a blockade, as some have reported. There is nothing to block. It is a non-confrontational protest." However, it does have potential consequences akin to that created by a blockade.

Additionally it appears that Enbridge recently scrubbed some content pertaining to controversial "Line 67" from their website. With the dangerous Transcanada Keystone XL pipeline intend for tar sands bitumen mired in political controversy, the prospects for  extending the capacity of Line 67, are relevant to the situation. (There are several public hearings in the region scheduled on Line 67 in coming weeks.)

// UPDATE 3/1/13 11:30AM : Marty Cobenais of the Indigenous Environmental Network issues statement on behalf of blockade protesters http://www.ustream.tv/uneditedcamera

Below the fold: Press Release.

Let’s keep our friends free and fierce! Join us to raise funds to support Northwest comrades fighting repression. Saturday-8/18/12 6:30pm Seward Cafe-2129 East Franklin Ave. Minneapolis, Funds will go towards Grand Jury resistors <saynothing.info> as well as Pax <freepax.org>.

The night kicks off early with donation-fueled bike repair. Bike fixin’ starts at 6:30. Get tuned up, lubed up, and all your tires properly inflated.

Music at 8 with local darlings Sister Species and the infamous Doctor Muskrat and his Mississippi Mudsteppers.

Thursday, 8/2/12 - Noon - Federal Courthouse, 300 S 4th St, Minneapolis (facebook)

 Since Bobby Hull and family made the news in January,

homeowners have been speaking out against the all-too-common & unethical foreclosure & eviction process-- and getting strong, diverse support.

See: http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2011/12/occupy_mn_protesters_occupy_v...