North Dakota Pipeline/Standing Rock
The North Dakota Pipeline/Standing rock has been talked about a lot in the news lately. What is going on is there is plans for a pipeline that would go through and contaminate Natives burial sites and drinking water. Many people have protested and been harmed in the protests, while there are occasionally violent protesters, there have been cases of violence against protesters even if they are not violent.
Pine Ridge Reservation/ The Lakota
Pine Ridge Reservation is a reservation in South Dakota populated by Oglala Lakota Native Americans located about 370 miles away from us. Pine Ridge Reservation is highly impoverished with the average income per year being $3,000 dollars. Many people in Pine Ridge are hooked on drugs or alcohol with the alcoholism rate at around 80% in a population of about 15,500. There is an extremely high death rate in infants and adults.
Terrifying facts about Pine Ridge
1. The rate of diabetes is 8 times that of the United States
2. The rate of heart disease is twice as much as the U.S.
3. The teen suicide rate is about 4 times that of the national average
4. The life expectancy rate is the second lowest in the northern hemisphere