When Donald Trump was sworn in as president of the United States, Seattle erupted with anti-Trump protests.
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As Trump takes his first actions as commander-in-chief, the Seattle opposition continues — an emergency rally was organized Tuesday after Trump moved forward a plan for the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline.
Related: Washington veterans join Standing Rock opposition to pipeline
Trump signed orders that would renegotiate the pipeline deals, and order that the materials for the pipelines would be made in America. A memorandum in the order states that both pipelines will be "subject to terms and conditions to be negotiated by us."
A Facebook event was posted for an emergency rally at Seattle's Westlake Park Tuesday morning, shortly after Trump signed an order advancing the Dakota and Keystone pipelines — two controversial projects. The rally is organized by the Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites and Defund DAPL: Seattle Action Coalition.
<em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/KIRO7Seattle/videos/vb.112779115408517/1472181296134952/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">CLICK TO WATCH THE RALLY AT WESTLAKE PARK FROM FACEBOOK LIVE HERE, OR EMBEDDED BELOW.</a></em>
Covering this #DAPL protest in Seattle tonight... look for FB Live in 5:30 rangehttps://t.co/OabVUNEqcj
— Henry Rosoff (@HenryKIRO7) January 25, 2017
The Facebook event states:
Join us for an emergency rally 5:30pm TONIGHT in Westlake Park, downtown Seattle, to speak out – <a data-ft="{" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/nodapl">#NoDAPL</a>!!
First thing this morning, Trump signed an executive order to move the Dakota Access Pipeline forward. This is a devastating reversal and threatens all our efforts to protect clean water and the rights of the Standing Rock Sioux.
We must speak out against Trumps actions to help DAPL. We must come together and show that we will stand in the way of DAPL being built.
Within a few short hours of the event’s posting, more than 400 people signed on to join, and more than 2,000 indicated they were interested in attending. Another 4,100 have been invited to the rally.
LIVE: Protesters are gathering in what they call an "emergency rally" at Westlake Park, after President Donald J. Trump signed an executive action to advance the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Info: kiro.tv/EmergencyRally
Posted by KIRO 7 News on Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Dakota Access Pipeline
The pipelines have drawn heavy criticism, partially from environmental groups that argue the pipelines are a step in the wrong direction for addressing climate change. President Barack Obama halted construction of the Keystone pipeline in 2015, which aims to transport oil from Canada to Nebraska.
The Dakota Access Pipeline would ship oil from North Dakota to South Dakota and Iowa.
One issue with the Dakota Access Pipeline is that it would pass under Lake Oahe, threatening drinking water for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe should any accidents happen. Such spills are not uncommon.
Once such accident happened at a separate, nearby pipeline while the tribe was protesting Dakota Access Pipeline through its land. That spill dumped 176,000 gallons of oil into a creek. In fact, another such pipeline spill happened in Canada last weekend, spilling 52,834 gallons onto aboriginal land.
The Army Corps of Engineers previously denied the route under Lake Oahe in late 2016 and sought alternative routes.
The City of Seattle is currently moving toward severing any ties with Wells Fargo Bank for its investments in the Dakota Access Pipeline.
KIRO
