The real-life Avengers are stepping up in support of Standing Rock as protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline escalates.
Here is a brief overview of the situation:
On April 1, 2016, an elder member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and her grandchildren established the Sacred Stone Camp to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline, which directly threatens the only water supply for the Standing Rock Reservation. The Dakota Access Pipeline, if constructed, would carry highly toxic tar sands oil through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois, where it would then be transported by train to ports on the Gulf of Mexico. Protests at the pipeline site in North Dakota began in the spring of 2016 and drew indigenous people from throughout North America as well as many other supporters, creating the largest gathering of Native Tribes in the past 100 years of American History. The nonviolent civil disobedience has been met with mass arrests, police dogs, mace attacks, rubber bullets and beatings from batons.
Earlier this week, Mark Ruffalo delivered trailers full of solar panels to help the indigenous tribes generate electricity to provide the camp with life-sustaining heat and medical treatment so they can continue to protest through into the winter months.
When Ruffalo gets cut off by Jake Tapper, the actor stands his ground to get the word out about what is happening at Standing Rock.
As ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ wraps up filming Chris Hemsworth posted an apology and his support for Standing Rock, alongside director Taika Waititi.
No word on Black Widow, Iron Man, or Captain America.
