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Within me, there is both good and bad. I can see the bad in you and all around me because I can see the bad in myself. I can also see the good in you and all around me because I can see the good in myself. Today was a historic day. A day where tribal nations came to stand together with strong hearts in the face of tyranny and collectively say, "Enough is enough. We're not going to allow you to put our children's future at risk because of corporate greed." But, like any other day, today was both good and bad. Some of you chose today to speak out against Standing Rock, our Chairman and our council. Some of you seem to have forgotten that none of this would have been possible if Standing Rock hadn't resisted.

When the camp first started I personally witnessed the American Indian Movement (AIM) come to once again defend the people. I heard Dennis Banks and Clyde Bellecourt tell the people, "Respect the people of Standing Rock. We are guests in their land. We must follow their protocols." But, people didn't want to listen. I was there when the council lodge went up. I heard our traditional leaders ask us, "What are you going to do for the next seven generations to protect the water for our grandchildren?" I also witnessed the council lodge being taken down because people were drinking, doing drugs and being disrespectful. I was there when the horn was put into place and the Oceti Sakonwin was lit. It was a beautiful and powerful day. I was also there when the decision was made to let the fire go out to protect the prayer because people weren't listening.

I always thought that hippies were all about peace, love, and happiness, but they're not. The ones who came were anarchists who spoke out against the establishment to include tribal laws and protocols. In the end, the camps were about 90% white. The wasicu tried to colonize us. They tried to tell us what to say, what to think and what to believe in without realizing who we were. We're Lakota. We have been resisting the encroachment of the wasicu since the point of contact. We have a genetic memory, still connected to our ancestors.

We have a way of life that survived genocide. America can talk about the 2 million Jews who died as a result of the holocaust but they still can't speak to or acknowledge the over 200 million Native Americans who died in this countries holocaust. They tried to rub us out but we're still here. They can do whatever they want to us but we will survive. We will even survive this legalized genocide that is being perpetrated against the indigenous people of this continent. As long as we continue to share our way of life with our children we can never be defeated.

So some of you have a choice. Either you can continue to feel sorry for yourselves because Standing Rock wouldn't put up with your nonsense, or you can humble yourselves and learn how to be a good relative. You can either stand with us or get the hell out of the way if you're not strong enough. The choice is yours.