Hundreds showed up Tuesday night for a rally in Seattle’s Westlake Park. They were there to show frustration over President Donald Trump’s executive action giving a green light to the controversial Dakota Access pipeline. Many of the protesters were chanting "We can't drink oil; leave it in the soil."
Reana Anderson was among the hundreds who gathered. She's native Hawaiian and says it's important to her to protect tribal rights and the environment.
"Whether it's in Hawaii, or Standing Rock, or Bellingham, or Seattle, we all need to come together and make sure we protect our water and our environment. Everything is going to have to come from the ground up because of this administration," Anderson said.
Jessi Murray also was in the crowd. She says she wants to do everything she can to help stop the Dakota Access project.
"There's a huge double standard in terms of how the Dakota Access pipeline has been dealt with. The original plans were moved because the environmental impact was deemed too great for Bismark. But we're fine with that happening to Native Americans? That's just not okay," Murray said.
The Seattle rally was one of many across the country Tuesday. Activists are calling Trump’s decision “devastating,” and goes against efforts over the last year to protect the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s rights, water supply and sacred sites. Trump’s executive order also advances plans for the Keystone XL pipeline.
