1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:09,400 Speaker 1: I'm Ellen Brown. On Drilled Season twelve, we brought you Slapped, 2 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: a series about the pipeline giant Energy Transfer's massive lawsuit 3 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: against Greenpeace. It's the story of an indigenous nation fighting 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 1: for its water, an environmental nonprofit facing extinction, and an 5 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: energy giant using the courts to punish protesters. And at 6 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: the heart of it all was the indigenous led movement 7 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: to stop the Dakota Access pipeline. But back in twenty eighteen, 8 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,840 Speaker 1: I covered a different story about Dapple for the intercept 9 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 1: about Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya, two women who attempted 10 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: to stop the pipeline through acts of sabotage and vandalism 11 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: and paid a heavy price for their actions. Today, we're 12 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: going to play you an episode of another podcast that 13 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: tells Ruby and Jessica's story. It's called Lawless Planet, and 14 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,320 Speaker 1: like Drilled, it's show about crime and the environment. On 15 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 1: each episode of Lawless Planet, host Zach Goldbaumb reveals the scams, murders, 16 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: and cover ups on the frontline of the climate crisis, 17 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,200 Speaker 1: and the choices people are making to either protect our 18 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: world or destroy it. The episode I'm going to play 19 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: for you today is called surveillance and sabotage on the 20 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: Dakota Access Pipeline. And it's about how far corporations will 21 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 1: go to criminalize protesting and protect their interests. While you're listening, 22 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: follow Lawless Planet wherever you get your podcasts. 23 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 2: Both candidates are on the board. With wins reproject Clinton, 24 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 2: we'll get Vermont's three electoral votes. 25 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 3: Trump breaks in eight in the bluegrass state of Kentucky. 26 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 2: It's Election Night, twenty sixteen. All across the country, Americans 27 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 2: are glued to their television watching the results come in. 28 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 2: But not Jessica Resna check in Ruby, Montoya. They're driving 29 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 2: down a dark rural road in northwest Iowa, heading to 30 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 2: a construction site for the Dakota Access Pipeline. The two 31 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 2: have been protesting the pipeline for the better part of 32 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 2: a year, doing everything possible to stop it from being built. 33 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 2: We're talking marches, boycotts, sit ins, hunger strikes, even chaining 34 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 2: themselves to machinery. But after a handful of arrests and 35 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 2: no real progress, they've decided they need to do something bigger, 36 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 2: something with a little more teeth. In the trunk, they've 37 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 2: got empty coffee canisters, motor oil, and rags. They've done 38 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 2: their research and built their own makeshift incendiary devices. They're crude, 39 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 2: but they should work, and at this point, Jessica and 40 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 2: Ruby are willing to do just about anything to stop 41 00:02:56,560 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 2: what they see as an environmental disaster. The Dakota Access 42 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 2: Pipeline or DAPPLE, is a multi billion dollar project designed 43 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 2: to transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois. Once 44 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 2: it's completed, it'll be over one thousand miles long and 45 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,919 Speaker 2: carry more than half a million barrels of oil a day. 46 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 2: Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind it, says it expects 47 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 2: to make more than a billion dollars every year, and 48 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,519 Speaker 2: they insist the pipeline is safe and efficient, but critics 49 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:32,839 Speaker 2: call it an accident waiting to happen. The pipeline's root 50 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 2: cuts across farms, sacred tribal territory, and under the Missouri 51 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 2: and Mississippi rivers. If it leaks, it could poison drinking 52 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 2: water for millions, and pipelines do leak. But despite those concerns, 53 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 2: construction began in early twenty sixteen, and for activists like 54 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 2: Ruby and Jessica, it feels like the rules don't apply 55 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 2: to energy transfer partners, so they've decided not to play 56 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 2: by the rules either. They park their car on the 57 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 2: edge of the construction site, and under the moon, they 58 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 2: start hauling the canisters of gasoline out of the trunk. 59 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:19,359 Speaker 2: Machinery looms in the dark, a bulldozer, two excavators, a crane. 60 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 2: Jessica and Ruby stuffed the oil soak drags into the 61 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 2: canisters and slide them onto the seats of the machines. Then, 62 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 2: with trembling hands, they strike matches and light them up. 63 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 2: The flames catch fast, not too shabby for first time arsonists, 64 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 2: but Jessica and Ruby don't stick around to admire their work. 65 00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 2: Around eleven PM, someone driving along the highway spots the 66 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 2: blaze and calls nine to one one. By the time 67 00:04:53,760 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 2: the firefighters arrive, the machines are engulfed. What's left in 68 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:05,159 Speaker 2: the morning are just charred hulks of metal and estimated 69 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,600 Speaker 2: two and a half million dollars worth of damages, but 70 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 2: no one at the scene of the crime has any 71 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 2: idea who is responsible. Jessica and Ruby are already long gone. 72 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 2: The women think they've pulled off the perfect hit, a 73 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 2: major blow to the pipeline's construction, but they'll soon realize 74 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 2: that what felt momentous to them was just a minor 75 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 2: inconvenience to Energy Transfer partners Jessica and Ruby keep up 76 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,839 Speaker 2: their campaign of sabotage, but Energy Transfer always seems to 77 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 2: be one step ahead of them. It's like someone knows 78 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 2: what's coming from wondery. I'm Zach Goldalm, and this is 79 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 2: lawless Plant. Each week we tell a new story about 80 00:05:56,680 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 2: the true crimes fueling the climate crisis, people fighting to 81 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 2: save the planet or destroy it. 82 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:21,479 Speaker 4: When you join Lesmil's Plus, you unlock access to over 83 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 4: two thousand science backed endorphin inducing workouts you'll actually enjoy. 84 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 4: With exercises for every mood, every fitness level, and every goal. 85 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:35,679 Speaker 4: You can work out anytime, anywhere on any device. Plus. 86 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 4: Sign up today and get fourteen days free. Find the 87 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 4: workout that's right for you, Too's Happy and download the 88 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 4: les Mels Plus app today. Clicker tap the banner to 89 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:46,159 Speaker 4: learn more. 90 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 2: Protest is messy. Just look at American history. The Boston 91 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,479 Speaker 2: Tea Party was a carnival of property distraction. End it 92 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 2: helped spark the Revolutionary War. The Stonewall Riots, which mark 93 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:06,479 Speaker 2: the beginning of the modern day rights movement, were a 94 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 2: multi day street brawl with the NYPD. Even the Civil 95 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 2: Rights movement, the gold standard of nonviolent resistance, had outbreaks 96 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 2: of violence. These were not perfect protests, because there is 97 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 2: no such thing. And before these movements were sanitized to 98 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:26,440 Speaker 2: the point that they fit on a postage stamp, they 99 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:29,800 Speaker 2: all faced the same questions, how far should we go 100 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 2: in the pursuit of justice? Where is the line? And 101 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 2: when do we escalate? Today, environmental activists are grappling with 102 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 2: the same dilemma at a time when where careening passed 103 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 2: every threshold of warming designated to prevent climate chaos. The 104 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 2: debate for some members of the movement is no longer when, 105 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 2: but how What tactics are required to meet the moment. 106 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 2: This is the story of what led Jessica resna Check 107 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 2: and Ruby Montoya to take blow torches to a pipeline 108 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 2: and what happened after. It's about what people will do 109 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 2: when they feel like they're out of options and out 110 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 2: of time, but it's also about how far powerful institutions 111 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:27,119 Speaker 2: will go to stop them. After days of walking and hitchhiking, 112 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:33,959 Speaker 2: Jessica Resnacheks finally made it. She's reached the standing Rock 113 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 2: Sioux reservation in south central North Dakota. She's been on 114 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:39,640 Speaker 2: a mission to get here ever since she heard about 115 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:44,560 Speaker 2: Indigenous protesters starting a camp to resist the Dakota Access Pipeline. 116 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 2: It's summer twenty sixteen by the time she arrives, and 117 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 2: she is not alone. Thousands of people from across the 118 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 2: country have gathered to stand with the indigenous tribes protesting. 119 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 2: They're camping out, chaining themselves onto construction, and forming human 120 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 2: blockades to halt the pipeline's progress. The tension around Dapple 121 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 2: has been brewing for years. The pipeline's original route would 122 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:12,560 Speaker 2: have passed near Bismarck, North Dakota, but it was re 123 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 2: routed out of concern it might contaminate the city's drinking water. Instead, 124 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 2: the federal government redirected itself closer to the Standing Rock Reservation. 125 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 2: They could do that because they'd seize the land from 126 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 2: the tribe in nineteen fifty eight. Tribal leaders weren't consulted, 127 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 2: not about the route, not about the risk to their water, 128 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 2: not about the sacred sites and burial grounds that lie 129 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 2: in the pipeline's path. And it should come as no 130 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 2: surprise that this kind of thing has happened before, in 131 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:46,520 Speaker 2: the nineteen fifties and sixties, construction of dams along the 132 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:49,960 Speaker 2: Missouri River cut into the already shrinking Standing Rock reservation. 133 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 2: To many, the Dakota Access Pipeline feels like history repeating itself, 134 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 2: and once Jessica arrives, the damage is just getting underway. 135 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 2: Construction is pushing ahead at full speed. Sacred sites are bulldozed, 136 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 2: and the fear is once oil starts flowing, any spill 137 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 2: or leak could contaminate the water supply for millions downstream. 138 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 2: For Jessica, stopping the pipeline is an emergency. 139 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 5: I think that the oil being taken out of the ground, 140 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 5: and the machinery that does it, and the infrastructure which 141 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 5: supports it, this is violent by now. 142 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 2: Protest is a central part of Jessica's life. She got 143 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:35,080 Speaker 2: her start with the Occupy Wall Street movement back in 144 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,959 Speaker 2: twenty eleven. Ever since then she's been joining different groups 145 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 2: and has found a home with the Catholic Workers of Iowa. 146 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:46,479 Speaker 2: They're a movement committed to nonviolence, community service, and resistance, 147 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 2: and she identifies specifically as a Plowshares activist. A strain 148 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 2: of Catholic Workers who believe that property damage can be 149 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:55,599 Speaker 2: a legitimate form of protest. 150 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 5: We do understand the need to dismantle infrastructure when it 151 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 5: poses a threat to human life and liberty. 152 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 2: Before Standing Rock, she'd already been arrested several times. Most recently, 153 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 2: she was in jail for smashing the windows of a 154 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:16,320 Speaker 2: Northrop Grumman office protesting the military drones they made. But 155 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:19,240 Speaker 2: compared to every other protest she's joined, the fight over 156 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 2: the Dakota Access Pipeline feels more personal. Dapple runs through 157 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:26,600 Speaker 2: her home state of Iowa. She wants to do more 158 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:31,800 Speaker 2: than just march or break a couple of windows, so 159 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 2: she leaves Standing Rock and heads back home. She hitches 160 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:38,559 Speaker 2: a ride to a construction site two and a half 161 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:41,440 Speaker 2: hours outside of Des Moines, where crews are preparing to 162 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 2: bore beneath the Mississippi River. She doesn't have a plan exactly, 163 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:54,480 Speaker 2: but she knows her first move make a scene. Jessica's 164 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 2: ride drops her on a quiet stretch of road near 165 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 2: the Mississippi River, a few miles south of a Dapple 166 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:04,680 Speaker 2: construction site. She's alone, it's early fall, and the air 167 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 2: smells like dry leaves and diesel. She walks until she 168 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:11,640 Speaker 2: finds the road that leads to the construction zone, the 169 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:15,080 Speaker 2: one used by trucks hauling equipment in and out. There's 170 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:19,480 Speaker 2: debris scattered nearby, plywood and tires that the crews forgot about. 171 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:25,560 Speaker 2: Jessica thinks to herself, perfect one by one. She starts 172 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:27,680 Speaker 2: to drag the tires into the middle of the road, 173 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 2: stacking them on top of each other. Then she leans 174 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:34,800 Speaker 2: a wide sheet of plywood against them. She grabs a 175 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 2: marker from her backpack and writes across the wood in 176 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:44,680 Speaker 2: big bold letters, water is Life. Then she starts playing 177 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:48,439 Speaker 2: her guitar. It doesn't take long for the first truck 178 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:51,600 Speaker 2: to arrive. It rumbles up the road and slows to 179 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:54,960 Speaker 2: a stop in front of her blockade. The driver waits 180 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,760 Speaker 2: for her to move, but Jessica just keeps strumming. The 181 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 2: truck driver does not get paid enough to deal with 182 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 2: this shit, so he reverses out of there. Ten minutes later, 183 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 2: a sheriff pulls up. He asks her to move. She 184 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 2: refuses in a huff. He starts moving the tires himself, 185 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 2: but Jessica tells him she's just going to move the 186 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 2: tires right back. As soon as he leaves. The sheriff's sighs. 187 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:23,320 Speaker 2: It's like Jessica is egging him on to arrest her, 188 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:25,240 Speaker 2: and she kind of is. 189 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:28,319 Speaker 6: And I stated to the officials that I came here 190 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:31,200 Speaker 6: in the spirit of love and compassion and respect, and 191 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 6: I would go to jail for this. And so I 192 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 6: went to jail and I was released about twenty four 193 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,240 Speaker 6: hours later. Then then I came right back out here 194 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 6: and I was arrested again. Then the third time I 195 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 6: was released, I came right back out here again and 196 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,080 Speaker 6: talked to the deputy and I said, look, where can 197 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:50,560 Speaker 6: I be on this premises. 198 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 2: Jessica sets up camp in a public parking space on 199 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,559 Speaker 2: the side of the road. Then reporters start coming by. 200 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 2: She speaks with one from Tri State's public radio about 201 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 2: her hopes for her one woman stand Mine Kampman. 202 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 6: Here, I visualize is just the beginning of a beautiful, 203 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 6: widespread mass movement like we've seen up in North Dakota. 204 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:16,679 Speaker 6: And it starts sometimes just with one person and a 205 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 6: supportive community to make these things grow and our voices 206 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 6: will be heard. 207 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 2: Word spreads, activists start showing up, or water protectors as 208 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 2: they like to be called. By the end of the week, 209 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 2: there are fifty of them together, they call the encampment 210 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 2: Mississippi Stand, but Jessica keeps calling for even more people 211 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 2: to join. 212 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:40,440 Speaker 6: Folks, the time is now to join us in this effort. 213 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 6: What we need to do is put our bodies in 214 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 6: front of this black snake. It's time to protect our 215 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 6: waters and to take our land and water back. Join 216 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:49,400 Speaker 6: us here at Mississippi Stand. 217 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:55,720 Speaker 2: One of the new arrivals is Ruby Montoya. She pulls 218 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 2: up in an suv with Arizona plates and a brand 219 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 2: new tent, still smell of plastic. She's got yoga gear, 220 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 2: military time on her watch, and cookwar that's clearly never 221 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 2: touched a flame. Jessica's and tennas go up. Is this 222 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 2: girl a cop? She's not? And in the weeks to come, 223 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 2: Jessica and Ruby will lock arms with hundreds of others, 224 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 2: chaining themselves to machinery and blocking trucks in a high 225 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 2: sakes game of chicken. But the pipeline is still advancing, 226 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 2: and soon both women will start asking an uncomfortable question, 227 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:37,280 Speaker 2: what if peaceful protest is not enough? Okay, let's rewind 228 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 2: for a second and talk about Ruby. Before Mississippi Stand. 229 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 2: She wasn't an activist. She was a preschool teacher. Her 230 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 2: days were spent in classrooms, reading picture books and helping 231 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:50,080 Speaker 2: toddlers tie their shoes. But then she saw a headline 232 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 2: about the Dakota Access Pipeline. 233 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:54,920 Speaker 7: I read about what they were intending to do to 234 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 7: put these dirty petroleum pipes underneath our major waterways here 235 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:03,960 Speaker 7: in the United States, and I was aghast by their intentions. 236 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:07,920 Speaker 7: So I quit my job and I went to Standing Rock. 237 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 2: In North Dakota. Ruby camped, protested, and listened, and while 238 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 2: she was there she heard about another protest site forming 239 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 2: hundreds of miles away, a single woman building a blockade 240 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 2: in the middle of a road in Iowa. Ruby was intrigued. 241 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 2: Her mom's family was from Iowa. It felt like a sign, 242 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 2: so she packed up her SUV and headed east. As 243 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 2: I mentioned, Ruby stood out at Mississippi Stand when she 244 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,520 Speaker 2: first showed up, and not necessarily in a good way. 245 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:39,440 Speaker 2: Her gear was too clean, her tent too knew, she 246 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:43,640 Speaker 2: did yoga and spoken idealistic soundbites. But she was earnest 247 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 2: and she was all in. 248 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:48,040 Speaker 7: Believing in this cause so much. I came here to 249 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 7: Mississippi Stand to support these people and to support what 250 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 7: we believe in this future for our children. Yesterday's action 251 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 7: was successful, and these small actions from these people here 252 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 7: there is what is going to stop the pipeline. 253 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 2: It doesn't matter whether they hold off the machines for 254 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:13,000 Speaker 2: days or hours, because every minute of disruption counts. But 255 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 2: then in early September news comes out of Standing Rock 256 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:18,400 Speaker 2: that horrifies both Ruby and Jessica. 257 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:22,920 Speaker 8: People have gone through the fence and men, women and children. 258 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 8: The bulldozers are still going and they're yelling at the 259 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 8: men in hard vets. 260 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:30,880 Speaker 5: One man in hard hut throwing protesters down. 261 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:37,160 Speaker 9: Some of the security have dogs, security has going to gas. 262 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:46,120 Speaker 2: People are being pepper sprayed those security guys. They're one 263 00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:49,879 Speaker 2: of many private contractors that Energy Transfer Partners had hired 264 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:54,920 Speaker 2: to protect the pipeline. Some are using militarized tactics like dogs, 265 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 2: tear gas, water cannons in freezing temperatures. Others, including an 266 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:03,960 Speaker 2: outfit called Tiger Swan, are focused on intelligence gathering and 267 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 2: they're all working hand in hand with law enforcement to 268 00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:11,600 Speaker 2: protect construction. Ruby and Jessica know that it's only a 269 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 2: matter of time before the same tactics come to Iowa, 270 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:17,399 Speaker 2: but they're not going to let that stop them. They 271 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:20,360 Speaker 2: keep on with their mission, even when it lands them 272 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 2: in jail. 273 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:25,560 Speaker 8: In southeastern Iowa, twelve activists who are arrested Saturday as 274 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:28,840 Speaker 8: they disrupted efforts by the Dacota Access Pipeline Company to 275 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 8: drill under the Mississippi River, fearing a possible oil spill 276 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:37,160 Speaker 8: could contaminate the water. Three of the protesters chain themselves 277 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,040 Speaker 8: to a backode just before the start of the workday, 278 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:43,240 Speaker 8: delaying construction at the site for several hours. 279 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 2: Ruby and Jessica are thrown in the same cell, and 280 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:51,240 Speaker 2: they get to talking, like really talking about what they're 281 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 2: up against and about what they're willing to do about it. 282 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:58,880 Speaker 2: Are they serious about actually stopping this thing? When they 283 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 2: get out of jail, a Mississippi stand are dire. Despite 284 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:08,679 Speaker 2: all their best efforts, construction has plowed ahead. The pipeline 285 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,479 Speaker 2: is now just days away from being fully connected beneath 286 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 2: the Mississippi River, and if that happens, the section running 287 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:18,920 Speaker 2: through Iowa becomes operational and is nearly impossible to stop. 288 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 2: Jessica and Ruby know the clock is ticking. They have 289 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:26,639 Speaker 2: less than a week to make something happen. Jessica offers 290 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:30,240 Speaker 2: a final plea on Facebook begging any protesters who have 291 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:32,639 Speaker 2: left because of arrests to come back. 292 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:36,760 Speaker 4: Only have a few days left to get this done. 293 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:38,760 Speaker 6: We know how you feel about it, we know your 294 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 6: dedication because you've risked your life. 295 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:42,360 Speaker 8: And your and your freedom. 296 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:46,240 Speaker 2: Already wants please come back. We need people, please be here. 297 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:49,920 Speaker 2: Even as they wait to see who answers the call, 298 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 2: Jessica and Ruby already know what they're going to do 299 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:56,720 Speaker 2: and what happens next will push them across the line. 300 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:03,760 Speaker 2: They can't come back from. 301 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:08,119 Speaker 10: Oh what democrapay look, this is looks mocracy. 302 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:13,200 Speaker 2: Let's look. Oh what democraphay looks like? This is what say? 303 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 2: Let's what. In October of twenty sixteen, Ruby and Jessica 304 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,639 Speaker 2: are protesting in Iowa. When they get some bad news 305 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:28,160 Speaker 2: construction is complete on the section of pipeline they've been 306 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:31,200 Speaker 2: trying to stop. It feels like the end of something, 307 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 2: but not the end. Ruby goes live on Facebook. 308 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 10: We gave it all we had, and we're giving more. 309 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:41,920 Speaker 7: The fight is not over. 310 00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:45,359 Speaker 11: There is plenty of pipeline to fight. There's plenty of 311 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:47,639 Speaker 11: Dakota access to confront and stop. 312 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:54,080 Speaker 2: From there, Ruby, Jessica, and other organizers take to Facebook, 313 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,840 Speaker 2: rallying supporters to keep the fight alive. If they can't 314 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:01,800 Speaker 2: stop the pipeline here, they'll stop it somewhere else. A 315 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:05,399 Speaker 2: few activists head north to Standing Rock. Others form a 316 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 2: convoy trailing the pipeline across Iowa, locking onto machinery wherever 317 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:15,919 Speaker 2: construction is underway. More protesters join the effort. There's Alex Cohen, 318 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,440 Speaker 2: a young guy who quickly became one of the vocal 319 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:22,520 Speaker 2: leaders of Mississippi Stand. There's Kima Sealine, who was studying 320 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:26,440 Speaker 2: aromatherapy in Ohio before joining the movement. And then there's 321 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 2: Joel Edwards, a former marine with a bushy beard and 322 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:34,159 Speaker 2: a friendly dog named Sully that everyone adores. At first, 323 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 2: it feels like momentum is building, but as the group 324 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:39,959 Speaker 2: gets bigger, it's harder to know who's really in it 325 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:44,760 Speaker 2: for the right reasons. And then strange things start to happen. 326 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:49,439 Speaker 2: Energy transfer partners always seems to be one step ahead. 327 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:54,000 Speaker 2: Protest actions are stopped before they even begin. Police show 328 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 2: up with alarming precision. It starts to feel like someone 329 00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:02,639 Speaker 2: somewhere is leaking their plans. No one says it out loud, 330 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:07,919 Speaker 2: not yet, but the suspicion is there lingering in the background. Still, 331 00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:12,119 Speaker 2: the activists try to stay focused. That kind of doubt 332 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:18,480 Speaker 2: is how the other side wins. While Jessica and Ruby 333 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:21,280 Speaker 2: plan their next moves, other members of the movement start 334 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 2: meeting in a hotel room. One of them, Joel Edwards, 335 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 2: works for the hotel chain and gets a free room 336 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:29,560 Speaker 2: once a week, a place for the activists to take 337 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:32,160 Speaker 2: a hot shower, warm up, sleep in a real bed. 338 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:38,399 Speaker 2: One night, they're all huddled in Joel's hotel room. Keema 339 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:40,919 Speaker 2: had picked up some alcohol from a local liquor store, 340 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:45,160 Speaker 2: and the conversation shifts to Standing Rock, specifically the Red 341 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 2: Warrior Camp, a controversial group within the larger protest movement. 342 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:54,360 Speaker 2: Some activists think they're being too aggressive. Others like Alex 343 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,359 Speaker 2: push back, arguing that Red Warrior is a necessary force 344 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 2: that's willing to take bold action. They talk about posting 345 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 2: in support of the group, making a public statement of solidarity. 346 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:10,040 Speaker 2: It's the kind of honest, vulnerable debate you have when 347 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 2: you think you're among allies. But somehow everything the group 348 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:16,840 Speaker 2: is saying that night is making its way back to 349 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 2: Energy Transfer Partners. In November twenty sixteen, Energy Transfer Partners 350 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:29,000 Speaker 2: receives a message confirming that Mississippi stand leaders have endorsed 351 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,400 Speaker 2: the Red Warrior Camp faction. The two groups might even 352 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:36,120 Speaker 2: work together in the future. The message is from a private, 353 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 2: shadowy security firm called Tiger Swan, and they're on Energy 354 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:45,919 Speaker 2: Transfer's payroll. By this point, Tiger Swan has deployed operatives 355 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 2: across five states. There are the public facing employees who 356 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,600 Speaker 2: are making sure construction stays on track, and then there 357 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,159 Speaker 2: are the undercover agents who are embedded in protest camps 358 00:23:57,359 --> 00:24:03,680 Speaker 2: gathering intelligence. The operatives collect names, track social media posts, 359 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:08,800 Speaker 2: and compile dossiers on individual protesters. Their internal group chats 360 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:12,159 Speaker 2: are full of racist jokes, like one about drunk Indians, 361 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:17,880 Speaker 2: and their messages refer to protesters as jihadists. A lot 362 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,399 Speaker 2: of the employees of Tiger Swan are veterans of the 363 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:24,359 Speaker 2: wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they're treating the protesters 364 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 2: as the enemy. From Tiger Swan's perspective, this all feels necessary. 365 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 2: Equipment has been vandalized, construction sites sabotaged, and on the 366 00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:37,399 Speaker 2: night of November eighth, the night of the US presidential election, 367 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:43,880 Speaker 2: construction equipment in Northwest Iowa was torched. We know those 368 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:47,520 Speaker 2: arsonists were Jessica and Ruby, but their actions remain a 369 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:55,440 Speaker 2: secret even to their fellow protesters. For now. It's near 370 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:58,359 Speaker 2: the end of twenty sixteen and Jessica is trying a 371 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,280 Speaker 2: new strategy to protest the pype blind. She's on a 372 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:05,359 Speaker 2: hunger strike. On Thanksgiving Day, she sits outside of the 373 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:08,720 Speaker 2: Iowa Utilities Board building, hoping to get their attention. 374 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:13,560 Speaker 6: I've been up and seeing the atrocities at Standing Rock twice, 375 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:19,120 Speaker 6: now faced tear gas, and alliance with Indigenous peoples who 376 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:23,400 Speaker 6: are fighting just to protect their land and their water, 377 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 6: and our land and our water. They're doing it for 378 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:29,240 Speaker 6: us as well, and can only return the favor by 379 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:33,119 Speaker 6: fighting on a local level in my own city, in 380 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:36,639 Speaker 6: my own backyard, untelling the i Utilities were to do 381 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 6: their job. 382 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:44,440 Speaker 2: The Iowa Utilities Board doesn't budge, but then something unexpected happens. 383 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:48,920 Speaker 2: They're overruled by President Barack Obama, who makes a decision 384 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:50,600 Speaker 2: During his final weeks in office. 385 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 3: The Obama administration denied a permit Sunday that would have 386 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:58,840 Speaker 3: completed the last leg of the Dakota Pipeline project, prompting 387 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,920 Speaker 3: celebrations and can involve North Dakota camps, where the numbers 388 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:06,639 Speaker 3: of supporters of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe had swelled 389 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:08,280 Speaker 3: to over five thousand. 390 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,720 Speaker 2: Jessica can't believe the news. Her stomach twists, not from hunger, 391 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:17,080 Speaker 2: but from shock. Could this be real? Do they just win? 392 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 2: She ends her strike, breaking her fast with a spoonful 393 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:25,720 Speaker 2: of chicken soup. Her photo runs in local news and 394 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:30,560 Speaker 2: she is beaming. After months of tireless protesting, it finally 395 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:34,280 Speaker 2: seems like the pipeline is dead in the water, but 396 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:39,080 Speaker 2: the victory is short lived. Just weeks after he takes office, 397 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:45,040 Speaker 2: Donald Trump reverses Obama's decision. The permits are back, construction resumes, 398 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:48,800 Speaker 2: and activists like Jessica are right back where they started. 399 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 2: In February, Jessica links back up with Ruby and they 400 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:56,440 Speaker 2: discuss their next moves. They both feel like it's time 401 00:26:56,480 --> 00:27:02,240 Speaker 2: to escalate things. Big action when they fire bomb those 402 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 2: machines in November had made more of a difference than 403 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:09,320 Speaker 2: anything else they'd done. But they know that property damage 404 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:13,200 Speaker 2: isn't wholeheartedly accepted by the movement, because once you start 405 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:16,000 Speaker 2: down that road, you sacrifice the high ground and give 406 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 2: the other side ammunition. The corporations in the government can 407 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,480 Speaker 2: argue that the entire movement is engaged in acts of 408 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 2: eco terrorism, but Jessica and Ruby believe that as long 409 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:29,320 Speaker 2: as no people are getting hurt, then their actions are justified. 410 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:37,000 Speaker 6: We are removing destructive machinery from construction sites, and we 411 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:38,200 Speaker 6: are not the destroyers. 412 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 2: We're the property improvers. So in an effort to improve 413 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 2: on the property, they get to work. Their new goal 414 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:49,440 Speaker 2: is to disable the pipeline itself, not just the machines, 415 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 2: but they have to figure out how to pierce steel. 416 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:55,760 Speaker 2: They learn that their best bet is to use oxyacetylene 417 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,320 Speaker 2: cutting torches. They go out and buy supplies from welding 418 00:27:59,359 --> 00:28:03,680 Speaker 2: stores out the side of the city to avoid suspicion actually. 419 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 10: Settling towards it. 420 00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 7: Came with instructions on how to cut and how to weld, 421 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:10,280 Speaker 7: and we just focused on how to cut because we 422 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:13,440 Speaker 7: weren't welding it. 423 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:16,119 Speaker 6: It was a process of trial and error taking ourselves. 424 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:19,760 Speaker 2: Jessica and Ruby practice until they can slice through a 425 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:23,920 Speaker 2: valve in under seven minutes, and then they set off 426 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 2: on their mission. 427 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:33,960 Speaker 7: So after acquiring that knowledge, we began first in Mahaske County, Iowa, 428 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:39,800 Speaker 7: piercing through a valve there, and later we continued until 429 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:43,280 Speaker 7: we ran out of supplies, hitting multiple valve sites. 430 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:46,959 Speaker 2: Every time they do this they delay construction by days 431 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:49,800 Speaker 2: or even weeks at a time. Their goal is to 432 00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:54,560 Speaker 2: drain Energy Transfers resources, and by some estimates they'd inflicted 433 00:28:54,640 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 2: six million dollars in damages. Then one night in early May, 434 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:04,960 Speaker 2: they're in Wappolo County, Iowa, torch in hand, same as always, 435 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:09,200 Speaker 2: only this time they hear something inside the pipe, something 436 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:15,640 Speaker 2: coursing through it, a low gushing sound. They freeze. There 437 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 2: is already oil flowing through the pipe. It's a sobering moment. 438 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:25,280 Speaker 2: Despite everything they've done, the pipeline is still fully operational, 439 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 2: and these latest acts of sabotage they haven't even made 440 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 2: the news. It was crickets. But just because their vandalism 441 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,840 Speaker 2: isn't getting much attention, it doesn't mean that energy Transfer 442 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:43,959 Speaker 2: isn't taking notice. That's because Tiger swans surveillance net is 443 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 2: tightening and Jessica and Ruby have no idea. Tiger Swan 444 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:55,080 Speaker 2: has an operative that's been surveilling Jessica and Ruby's group, 445 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,840 Speaker 2: and their strategy is spelled out in a PowerPoint presentation 446 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:01,200 Speaker 2: that would later be leaked to reporter at the news 447 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:06,760 Speaker 2: outlet the intercept. But that PowerPoint it's so ridiculous they 448 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:11,000 Speaker 2: literally call it Operation Brathian, as in House Brathian from 449 00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 2: Game of Thrones. It is twenty sixteen, but still come 450 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 2: on either way. Operation Brathian is on. Tiger Swan headquarters 451 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 2: gets regular updates via coded messages sent over WhatsApp. If 452 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:30,800 Speaker 2: everything is good, they'll receive an innocuous note, but if 453 00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:33,440 Speaker 2: an imminent action is going to take place, the message 454 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:37,480 Speaker 2: will say Shit's about to get real, which like is 455 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 2: an actually coded language, but anyway, the Tiger Swan support 456 00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:46,320 Speaker 2: team responds in civilian speed. They're specifically ordered not to 457 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 2: use any military syntax. That's because the person leaking this 458 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:55,680 Speaker 2: information isn't observing the group from afar. They are deep inside, 459 00:30:56,320 --> 00:31:00,000 Speaker 2: pretending to be an activist day after day, sending code 460 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:05,280 Speaker 2: messages back to Tiger Swann for planning sessions, protests, even 461 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:10,480 Speaker 2: hotel rooms. And soon the Moles reports will start mentioning 462 00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:31,240 Speaker 2: two new names, Jessica Resnicek and Ruby Montoya. In March 463 00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 2: twenty seventeen, while Ruby and Jessica are out on the road, 464 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:40,280 Speaker 2: sabotaging the pipeline. They're fellow activists start getting weird Facebook messages. 465 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:45,240 Speaker 2: One of those dms lands in Heather Pearson's inbox. She's 466 00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:48,960 Speaker 2: an activist with Bold Iowa, a grassroots environmental group that's 467 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:53,000 Speaker 2: been fighting the pipeline since the beginning. The message comes 468 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:56,440 Speaker 2: from a user going by the name Bert Macklin, which, 469 00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:58,000 Speaker 2: if you don't know, is a shout out to the 470 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,840 Speaker 2: TV show Parks and Recreation. They had a running joke 471 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 2: about a fake FBI agent with that name. Bert's message 472 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:08,560 Speaker 2: is short and to the point, Heather, you don't know me, 473 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:11,880 Speaker 2: and this is a fake Facebook obviously, but I know 474 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:17,640 Speaker 2: who the Iowa mole was from the pipeline. Macklin then 475 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:21,080 Speaker 2: sends a link to a military news website. When Heather 476 00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:25,840 Speaker 2: opens it up, she recognizes the face right away. It's Joel, 477 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:29,240 Speaker 2: the former marine with the friendly dog who'd been providing 478 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 2: hotel accommodations for the protesters. But his last name isn't Edwards, 479 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:41,120 Speaker 2: it's actually McCullough. Heather is stunned. Joel must be the mole. 480 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,720 Speaker 2: There had been growing suspicions that someone in Iowa was 481 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:49,640 Speaker 2: feeding information to the other side, but this message confirms it. 482 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:55,680 Speaker 2: Heather starts quietly warning others they don't confront Joel directly. Instead, 483 00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:58,960 Speaker 2: they keep an eye on him. Meanwhile, Joel is bouncing 484 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,440 Speaker 2: between activist groups collecting intel. In April, he shows up 485 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:06,640 Speaker 2: in Chicago for a climate march. He takes pictures and 486 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 2: videos of the protest, and he subtly or maybe not 487 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:14,400 Speaker 2: so subtly, starts asking around about Jessica and Ruby. Their 488 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:18,320 Speaker 2: sabotage work has begun to circulate through activist networks, and 489 00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:21,720 Speaker 2: Joel wants to know if the two of them are responsible. 490 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:27,680 Speaker 2: After the march, a group of activists head out to 491 00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:31,600 Speaker 2: dinner and Joel tags along. He keeps pressing people about 492 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:33,959 Speaker 2: plans for the next day, but the group's not as 493 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 2: forthcoming as usual. Finally, one of the group's organizers pulls 494 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:41,360 Speaker 2: Joel aside. She tells him flat out that they know 495 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:45,120 Speaker 2: he's the mole and he's no longer welcome. Joel laughs 496 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 2: it off, denies it, but after that he quickly fades 497 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:51,960 Speaker 2: out of the Chicago activist scene, and soon everyone will 498 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:57,200 Speaker 2: understand just how deep the betrayal went, because the next month, 499 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:01,400 Speaker 2: the Intercepts starts publishing leak situation reports from Tiger Swan. 500 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:05,480 Speaker 2: The reports are filled with surveillance of activists and the 501 00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:08,839 Speaker 2: groups that Joel embedded himself in. They're all over the documents. 502 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:13,520 Speaker 2: The expose also reveals emails and records between Tiger Swan 503 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:18,160 Speaker 2: and government agencies, and what they show is chilling. Tiger 504 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:21,760 Speaker 2: Swan was regularly sharing intel with the FBI, the Department 505 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:25,840 Speaker 2: of Homeland Security, the US Justice Department, the Marshal Service, 506 00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:31,000 Speaker 2: and local law enforcement. In effect, a private oil company 507 00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:35,160 Speaker 2: had its own secret police, treating American citizens like enemy 508 00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:40,000 Speaker 2: combatants and coordinating with actual government agencies and using tactics 509 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:43,080 Speaker 2: developed in the War on Terror against climate activists on 510 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:47,360 Speaker 2: US soil. An invoice from that time shows that Tiger 511 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:51,760 Speaker 2: Swan had built a subsidiary of Energy Transfer seventeen million 512 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:55,319 Speaker 2: dollars for just fifteen months of work. That's a lot 513 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:58,000 Speaker 2: of money and a lot of incentive to keep chasing 514 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:05,359 Speaker 2: activists who are causing problems. Jessica and Ruby aren't named 515 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,120 Speaker 2: in the Intercept article, but they are in actual Tiger 516 00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:11,799 Speaker 2: Swan reports. In July twenty seventeen, a reporter from the 517 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:17,720 Speaker 2: Intercept reaches out to them. Jessica and Ruby agree to talk, 518 00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:21,960 Speaker 2: but they deny being involved in any pipeline vandalism or sabotage. 519 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:26,560 Speaker 2: When the interview ends and they're alone again, the question 520 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:31,560 Speaker 2: lingers should they take credit? Ruby recounts what happened next. 521 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:35,040 Speaker 10: So, after we got off the phone, we talked together 522 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:36,880 Speaker 10: and I was like, fuck it, man, let's plain it. 523 00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:42,400 Speaker 10: Because we didn't stop the pipeline. We both feel personally 524 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:45,279 Speaker 10: responsible for that. And this is the last thing they 525 00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:47,319 Speaker 10: can do, and you know what, people need to talk 526 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:51,480 Speaker 10: about it. 527 00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:55,440 Speaker 2: It's the morning of July twenty fourth, twenty seventeen. Jessica 528 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:57,959 Speaker 2: and Ruby wake up knowing exactly what kind of day 529 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:01,840 Speaker 2: this is going to be. Jessica others are thoughts. Ruby 530 00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:05,200 Speaker 2: pulls on a stop the Pipeline t shirt. They step 531 00:36:05,239 --> 00:36:07,399 Speaker 2: out onto the porch of the Catholic workers home where 532 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:11,120 Speaker 2: they're living, and they set off for the Iowa Utilities 533 00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:15,120 Speaker 2: Board building. At ten am. They stand in the tall 534 00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:18,080 Speaker 2: grass just in front of the building's sign and they 535 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:23,120 Speaker 2: begin to read. It's not a protest speech, it's a confession. 536 00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:27,319 Speaker 2: They calmly deliver a full account of everything they've done 537 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:30,480 Speaker 2: and take responsibility for millions of dollars in damages. 538 00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:34,360 Speaker 11: Some may view these actions as violent, but be not mistaken, 539 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:37,839 Speaker 11: reacted from our hearts and never threatened human life nor 540 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:41,000 Speaker 11: personal property. What we did do is find a private 541 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:45,719 Speaker 11: corporation that has run rapidly across our country, seizing land 542 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:47,360 Speaker 11: and polluting our nation's water supply. 543 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:51,440 Speaker 2: When they finish reading their prepared statements, they unzip their 544 00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 2: backpack and pull out a hammer and crowbar. They begin 545 00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:58,239 Speaker 2: ripping letters off the utilities boards sign behind them. They 546 00:36:58,239 --> 00:37:01,040 Speaker 2: each get one letter off before the move in and 547 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:05,279 Speaker 2: arrest them. They're charged with fourth degree criminal mischief for 548 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:09,600 Speaker 2: defacing the sign. And that's it for now that there 549 00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:12,040 Speaker 2: is no way that Jessica and Ruby are going to 550 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:16,480 Speaker 2: get off scott free. They know it, the government knows it. 551 00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 2: It is just a matter of when. 552 00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:26,400 Speaker 9: During two des moin women accused of vandalizing the Dakota 553 00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:31,160 Speaker 9: Access Pipeline have been indicted on federal charges. Prosecutors say 554 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:35,040 Speaker 9: Ruby Montoya and Jessica Resnachk could each face decades in 555 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:36,400 Speaker 9: prison if convicted. 556 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:40,920 Speaker 2: Two years after their press conference, Ruby and Jessica are 557 00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:45,879 Speaker 2: officially hit with nine felony counts for intentionally damaging energy infrastructure. 558 00:37:46,600 --> 00:37:49,400 Speaker 2: They face up to one hundred and ten years in 559 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:54,880 Speaker 2: prison plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. At first, 560 00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:57,600 Speaker 2: Ruby's hopeful that the trial will go their way. 561 00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:01,120 Speaker 7: I was a preschool teacher last year. Now I'm pure 562 00:38:01,239 --> 00:38:04,080 Speaker 7: facing felonies or whatever, so. 563 00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:05,600 Speaker 10: We don't know what's going to happen. 564 00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:07,160 Speaker 7: I don't think it's going to be this open and 565 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:10,960 Speaker 7: shut throw us in usself. I think will be surprised 566 00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:11,960 Speaker 7: we get acquitted. 567 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:16,320 Speaker 2: But after about a year and a half of legal 568 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:18,920 Speaker 2: back and forth, they agree to plead guilty to one 569 00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:23,640 Speaker 2: of the charges, conspiracy to damage and energy facility. It 570 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:26,799 Speaker 2: seems like a strategic move to avoid the harshest penalties. 571 00:38:27,520 --> 00:38:32,640 Speaker 2: Prosecutors have other plans, because then, after they've already pled guilty, 572 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:37,080 Speaker 2: the government pushes for a terrorism enhancement. It's an additional 573 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:40,719 Speaker 2: penalty reserved for acts considered a threat to national security. 574 00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:46,200 Speaker 2: Because the pipeline was classified as critical infrastructure, their protest 575 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:51,279 Speaker 2: is rebranded as terrorism. It feels like a total bait 576 00:38:51,320 --> 00:38:53,800 Speaker 2: and switch. The government coakexed a guilty pleay out of 577 00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:56,759 Speaker 2: them in exchange for a lighter punishment, only to hit 578 00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:01,200 Speaker 2: them with an even harsher sentence after the fact. Ruby 579 00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:04,440 Speaker 2: is sentenced to six years in prison, and Jessica ends 580 00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:07,880 Speaker 2: up getting sentenced to eight. She plans on appealing the 581 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:10,680 Speaker 2: terrorism enhancement, hoping to get her sentence reduced. 582 00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:16,520 Speaker 12: I'm very well convinced that I am not a terrorist. Yeah, 583 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:20,799 Speaker 12: I'm a little confused as to how like this this 584 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:24,799 Speaker 12: came to be, particularly when the actions that I took 585 00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:28,960 Speaker 12: were against a private industry, not against any public office, 586 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:32,160 Speaker 12: any public official. And the judge was very clear that 587 00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:38,960 Speaker 12: she was sentencing me harshly so as to make it 588 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:42,000 Speaker 12: a deterrent from others to make similar stands. 589 00:39:42,760 --> 00:39:45,320 Speaker 2: The judge argued that Ruby and Jessica put the lives 590 00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:48,600 Speaker 2: of pipeline workers and firefighters at risk, and because their 591 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:52,000 Speaker 2: actions were intended to quote affect the conduct of government 592 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:58,320 Speaker 2: by intimidation or coercion, they met the federal definition of terrorism. 593 00:39:58,440 --> 00:40:01,319 Speaker 2: It's a frightening precedent that, if if applied elsewhere, could 594 00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:04,440 Speaker 2: have a chilling effect on climate activism. And that's not 595 00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:08,520 Speaker 2: the only thing. In recent years, lawmakers in twenty one 596 00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:12,319 Speaker 2: states have passed so called critical infrastructure protection laws that 597 00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:14,759 Speaker 2: make it a felony to even trespass around oil and 598 00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:19,040 Speaker 2: gas pipelines, as well as ports, refineries, and waterways. In 599 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:22,400 Speaker 2: the past few years, dozens of activists have been arrested 600 00:40:22,440 --> 00:40:24,759 Speaker 2: and charged under these laws and face up to ten 601 00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:28,120 Speaker 2: years in prison, the kind of punishment once reserved for 602 00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:33,360 Speaker 2: violent offenders. And it's not just the punishment that's escalating, 603 00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:39,560 Speaker 2: but the machinery behind it, surveillance, infiltration, federal terrorism enhancements, 604 00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:43,200 Speaker 2: which the judge rationalized using the Patriot Act. Of all things. 605 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:47,919 Speaker 2: These are Posts nine to eleven tactics used on American activists, 606 00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:52,120 Speaker 2: all spurred by a private security firm deputized by a 607 00:40:52,160 --> 00:40:58,280 Speaker 2: fossil fuel company. In twenty eighteen, the CEO of that company, 608 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:02,000 Speaker 2: Energy Transfer, spoke at an industry conference and he was 609 00:41:02,080 --> 00:41:04,600 Speaker 2: asked about his views of environmental activists. 610 00:41:05,640 --> 00:41:08,560 Speaker 8: Well, for example, you're talking about somebody needs to be 611 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:09,800 Speaker 8: removed from the gene pool. 612 00:41:10,160 --> 00:41:11,680 Speaker 2: We had people. 613 00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:16,040 Speaker 1: Drilling holes in our pie drilling holes. 614 00:41:16,800 --> 00:41:19,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, you heard that right, somebody that needs to be 615 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:24,440 Speaker 2: removed from the gene pool for an extra dose of irony. 616 00:41:24,719 --> 00:41:28,319 Speaker 2: Jessica signed her plea deal on January sixth, twenty twenty one, 617 00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:32,080 Speaker 2: the same day as the Capital insurrection, but unlike many 618 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:35,360 Speaker 2: high profile J six defendants, Jessica and Ruby were the 619 00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:38,720 Speaker 2: ones who got the terrorism enhancements, and last I checked, 620 00:41:38,760 --> 00:41:43,040 Speaker 2: President Trump hasn't given them a pardon. Today, both women 621 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:46,960 Speaker 2: remain incarcerated. Ruby is expected to be released in October 622 00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:50,880 Speaker 2: twenty twenty six and Jessica in October twenty twenty seven. 623 00:41:52,440 --> 00:41:55,880 Speaker 2: So what does it mean when climate defenders are punished 624 00:41:55,920 --> 00:41:59,799 Speaker 2: more harshly than those who stormed the capitol? Why is 625 00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:03,759 Speaker 2: protecting a pipeline treated like a national security priority while 626 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:13,400 Speaker 2: protecting the water and land it threatens isn't. Jessica and 627 00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:17,520 Speaker 2: Ruby's story is messy. There are a lot of activists 628 00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:20,880 Speaker 2: that see their action as harmful to the broader environmental movement. 629 00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:23,920 Speaker 2: They believe that violence, if that's what you want to 630 00:42:23,960 --> 00:42:28,680 Speaker 2: call property damage, is the fastest way to alienate potential allies. 631 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:31,440 Speaker 2: But Jessica sees it differently. 632 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:34,359 Speaker 12: There are many who have come before me who have 633 00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:37,879 Speaker 12: spent time in prison for their convictions, and spent time 634 00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:40,719 Speaker 12: in prison and really affected change in this nation and 635 00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:41,360 Speaker 12: in the world. 636 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:45,200 Speaker 2: In twenty eighteen, a year after Jessica and Ruby stood 637 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:48,040 Speaker 2: in that grassy field in Iowa and took responsibility for 638 00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:50,760 Speaker 2: what they had done, the United States became the number 639 00:42:50,760 --> 00:42:53,880 Speaker 2: one producer of crude oil in the world, surpassing Russia 640 00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:58,000 Speaker 2: and Saudi Arabia. Joe Biden had promised no more drilling 641 00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:01,440 Speaker 2: on public lands, but approved as many new permits for 642 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:04,239 Speaker 2: oil and gas as Trump, who is now vowing to 643 00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:10,760 Speaker 2: drill baby drill. Today, the Dakota Access Pipeline is still running, 644 00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:14,239 Speaker 2: transporting roughly seven hundred and fifty thousand barrels of oil 645 00:43:14,280 --> 00:43:17,240 Speaker 2: a day. But even though she wasn't able to stop 646 00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:20,520 Speaker 2: the pipeline, Jessica says she has no regrets. 647 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:27,840 Speaker 12: I can't imagine having done it differently because I conducted 648 00:43:27,840 --> 00:43:32,520 Speaker 12: myself with integrity. I think there are times when I 649 00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:35,200 Speaker 12: was like, I shouldn't have claimed responsibility for these actions. 650 00:43:35,200 --> 00:43:39,120 Speaker 12: They didn't have any evidence to hold against me. But 651 00:43:39,960 --> 00:43:41,839 Speaker 12: those aren't the things that keep you up at night 652 00:43:42,239 --> 00:43:43,000 Speaker 12: being honest. 653 00:43:43,360 --> 00:43:45,040 Speaker 6: I can sleep still being. 654 00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:48,840 Speaker 2: Honest, whether or not you agree with their tactics. Jessica 655 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:51,719 Speaker 2: and Ruby didn't simply throw up their hands when it 656 00:43:51,719 --> 00:43:54,680 Speaker 2: comes to the threat of climate change, because for them, 657 00:43:55,239 --> 00:43:58,320 Speaker 2: the only thing scarier than the consequences of their actions 658 00:43:58,760 --> 00:44:00,920 Speaker 2: are the consequences of inaction. 659 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:04,480 Speaker 10: I was a preschool teacher, and I love kids, and 660 00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:17,560 Speaker 10: we're not leaving them anything, and it's it's scary. It's 661 00:44:17,560 --> 00:44:20,520 Speaker 10: scary what everyone is going through. And I think it's 662 00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:24,080 Speaker 10: feared that prevents people from acting. And I was afraid 663 00:44:24,120 --> 00:44:29,800 Speaker 10: as well, but it had to be done. 664 00:44:39,800 --> 00:44:42,600 Speaker 2: Coming up next week, the story of the largest green 665 00:44:42,680 --> 00:44:45,960 Speaker 2: energy scam in US history, carried out by a seriously 666 00:44:46,200 --> 00:44:49,839 Speaker 2: unlikely duo. Levaughn was a bel Air billionaire and gas 667 00:44:49,840 --> 00:44:52,880 Speaker 2: station tycoon when he joined forces with members of the 668 00:44:52,920 --> 00:44:59,239 Speaker 2: polygamous Kingston Clan. We use a lot of sources when 669 00:44:59,280 --> 00:45:02,279 Speaker 2: researching our and for this episode, we really recommend you 670 00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:04,600 Speaker 2: check out Allen Brown's reporting from her time at the 671 00:45:04,640 --> 00:45:07,960 Speaker 2: Intercept and Julius Shipley's piece from Grist and Rolling Stone 672 00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:10,880 Speaker 2: called You Strike a Match, and also Democracy Now for 673 00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:18,040 Speaker 2: the interviews of Ruby and Jessica. Lallas Planet is produced 674 00:45:18,040 --> 00:45:21,880 Speaker 2: and hosted by me Zach Goldaum. Alex Burns wrote this episode. 675 00:45:22,120 --> 00:45:25,600 Speaker 2: Our senior producer and story editor is Derek John. Senior 676 00:45:25,640 --> 00:45:28,920 Speaker 2: producers for Wondery are Peter Racooney and Andy Herman. Our 677 00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:32,200 Speaker 2: senior managing producer is Nick Ryan. Our managing producer is 678 00:45:32,239 --> 00:45:36,680 Speaker 2: Sarah Kenny Corrigan. Our associate producer is Lexi Pierre. Music 679 00:45:36,719 --> 00:45:40,080 Speaker 2: and sound design by Kenny Kusiak, dialogue edit by George 680 00:45:40,160 --> 00:45:43,520 Speaker 2: Draving Hicks. Our music supervisor is Scott Velaskin is for 681 00:45:43,560 --> 00:45:47,040 Speaker 2: freezon Sync fact checking by A Naomi bar Our. Legal 682 00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:51,279 Speaker 2: counsel is Deb Druze. Executive producers are Marshall Louis, ern 683 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:56,200 Speaker 2: Old Flaherty, Nigerie Eaton and Jenny Lauer Beckmann. For Wondering, Okay, 684 00:45:56,680 --> 00:45:59,000 Speaker 2: thanks for listening. To see you next week by Well 685 00:46:08,920 --> 00:46:09,360 Speaker 7: Wondering