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Collected Item: “Bodies Needed”

Give your story a title.

Bodies Needed

What sort of object is this: text story, photograph, video, audio interview, screenshot, drawing, meme, etc.?

Text Story

Tell us a story; share your experience. Describe what the object or story you've uploaded says about the pandemic, and/or why what you've submitted is important to you.

This is an image of a protest blockade in support of a jailed Indigenous elder, who was arrested for protesting at the Trans Mountain pipeline construction sites in Burnaby, BC. The elder, Stacy Gallagher was arrested while preforming a smudging ceremony. This blockade was organized by the Braided Warriors, calls on their social media platforms brought more bodies to help maintain the barracade against the agents of the Canadian state and the Crown.
The post's description stated,
"BODIES NEEDED AT CLARK AND HASTINGS: 6:22AM, MARCH 3RD.

Bodies needed ASAP to protect our Indigenous youth, elders, mothers, and children.

We saw what happens when youth put a call out for support and nobody showed up - Indigenous youth, mothers, and elders were violently attacked - left with concussions and lasting injuries we are still recovering from. Numbers are low and early morning is typically when police move in. People have been holding it down here all night, and need bodies down here immediately.

When our numbers dwindle, we are in danger.
The Crown will not hesitate to criminalize Indigenous peoples.
Your inaction is complacency, and complacency is violence.
Put your body on the line.

PROTECT OUR INDIGENOUS CHILDREN, YOUTH, MOTHERS, AND ELDERS. PROTECT THE SACRED FIRE."

The comments of this post have messages of solidarity, people organizing for food and water, and those stating they would be arriving on the scene to help.

Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your story. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?

pipeline, protest, Wet'suwet'en, Vancouver, East Hasting Street, elder, Secwepemc, colonialism, Canada

Enter a URL associated with this object, if relevant.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CL9bPr8h6Ej/

Who originally created this object? (If you created this object, such as photo, then put "self" here.)

Braided Warriors, @braidedwarriors, https://www.instagram.com/braidedwarriors/?hl=en

Give this story a date.

2021-03-03
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