Also known as Chiβchil BiΕdagoteel, "the place where the Emory oak grows," Oak Flat is at the heart of a dispute over what should happen to the land. The struggle over a small plot of land in the mountains about 60 miles east of Phoenix is also emblematic of an ongoing debate about the conflict between First Amendment religious rights, public lands oversight and a 150-year-old mining law's relevance in the 21st century.
- AZ central
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Protect Apache holy site from Resolution Copper
We demand #Congress use their powers to intervene and stop the destruction of #OakFlat. We demand Congress return the full rights and religious protections to the #Apache of Oak Flat in recognition of their religious freedom.
Why is this important?
My name is #WendslerNosie Sr. I'm the former chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and a member of Apache-Stronghold.
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Five years ago, powerful politicians knelt at the altar of greed and arranged permits for Resolution Copper, a multinational corporation, to drill and extract copper beneath sacred holy lands of the Apache.
For thousands of years, Apaches have come to Oak Flats to pray. Today, we face the possibility that our holy ground will become a giant crater.
We condemn the immoral, racist, and unconstitutional seizure and sale of Oak Flat.
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Oak Flat is one of the most holy places in the Apache religious tradition, likened to how Christians and Jews regard Mt. Sinai. Resolution Copper's plan would create a crater below Oak Flat two miles wide and 1,000 feet deep.
The U.S. Forest Service has moved forward with an environmental impact statement and has refused to consider the Apaches' religious freedom claim, which would stop this destructive mining project. They have declared war on our religion.
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And a threat to the practice of any religious tradition in the United States is a threat to U.S. Constitution and the religious liberty of all people of faith.
The forces that seek to exploit Apache holy land for profit are the same forces that pass racist voter suppression laws, militarize our borders, deny health care to millions, poison our water, and pretend to promote a "pro-life" agenda. This is why we call for a moral revolution of values with the Poor People's Campaign:
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A National Call for Moral Revival.
We denounce this sinful and unconstitutional seizure and sale of Oak Flat.
- Wendsler Nosie
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anna_lillith πΊπ¦π±π
