On August 8, 2023, massive wildfires rage through Lahaina in West Maui, killing at least 100 people in the deadliest wildfire event in the United States in more than a century. The fires destroy thousands of homes and businesses in the historic town, reducing what was once a vibrant wetland …
Josh GreenWest Maui Land CompanyGlenn TrembleKaleo ManuelCommission on Water Resource Management (CWRM)+2 moreinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruptionindigenous-rightsenvironmental-destructiondisaster-capitalism+2 more
President Trump ordered an 85 percent reduction of Bears Ears National Monument from 1.35 million acres to 201,397 acres, the largest rollback of conservation protections in U.S. history. The proclamation split the monument into two noncontiguous units (Indian Creek and Shash Jáa), opening …
Donald TrumpRyan ZinkeBureau of Land ManagementNavajo NationHopi Tribe+3 moreinstitutional-captureextractive-industriesenvironmental-destructionindigenous-rightsregulatory-capture
The Nebraska Public Service Commission votes 3-2 to approve TransCanada Corporation’s application for route approval for the Keystone XL Pipeline, clearing a major obstacle for the controversial tar sands oil pipeline after nearly a decade of fierce opposition from Nebraska landowners, …
Nebraska Public Service CommissionTransCanada CorporationBold NebraskaJane KleebDomina Law Group+1 moreeminent-domainenvironmentalregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionproperty-rights+1 more
Just four days after taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive memorandum on January 24, 2017, directing the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite approval and review of the Dakota Access Pipeline, reversing the Obama administration’s December 2016 decision to halt construction …
Donald TrumpEnergy Transfer PartnersKelcy WarrenArmy Corps of EngineersStanding Rock Sioux Tribeenvironmentalregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionlobbyingenvironmental-justice+2 more
Morton County Sheriff’s Department and allied law enforcement agencies attack approximately 400 peaceful water protectors attempting to cross Backwater Bridge near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation with water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and concussion grenades in temperatures as low …
Morton County Sheriff's DepartmentStanding Rock Sioux TribeMandan Rural Fire DepartmentStanding Rock Medic and Healer CouncilEnergy Transfer Partners+3 morepolice-violenceindigenous-rightsenvironmental-justicecorporate-powerexcessive-force+2 more
A federal jury in Portland acquits Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, and five co-defendants of conspiracy to impede federal officers through force, threats, or intimidation, despite their 41-day armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters beginning January 2, 2016. The twelve-person …
Ammon BundyRyan BundyJeff BantaShawna CoxDavid Fry+4 moremilitia-movementsfederal-landsprosecutorial-failureindigenous-rightsanti-government-extremism+1 more
On September 3, 2016, Standing Rock Sioux tribal members and water protectors reported the destruction of sacred burial sites by Dakota Access Pipeline construction crews, leading to violent confrontations between private security contractors and demonstrators. Security workers deployed attack dogs …
Standing Rock Sioux TribeEnergy Transfer PartnersPrivate Security ContractorsMorton County Sheriff's DepartmentArmy Corps of Engineersenvironmentalenvironmental-justicecorporate-corruptionpolice-violenceindigenous-rights+1 more
Congress passes and President Jimmy Carter signs the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA), establishing that it is “the policy of the United States to protect and preserve for American Indians their inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise the traditional religions …
U.S. CongressPresident Jimmy CarterBureau of Indian AffairsNative American tribesindigenous-rightsreligious-freedomsacred-sitesineffective-legislationsymbolic-policy
On January 16, 1893, U.S. Minister to Hawaii John L. Stevens orders 162 U.S. sailors and marines from the USS Boston to land in Honolulu under the pretense of protecting American lives and property. The following day, January 17, a Committee of Safety consisting of thirteen men—seven foreign …
Queen LiliuokalaniJohn L. StevensCommittee of SafetySanford B. DoleLorrin Thurston+4 moreinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruptionindigenous-rightsmilitary-interventionsovereignty-theft+2 more
On July 6, 1887, the Hawaiian League—a secret organization of white American and European businessmen, lawyers, sugar planters, and missionary descendants—backed by the armed Honolulu Rifles militia, forces King Kalakaua at gunpoint to sign a new constitution that radically restructures the Hawaiian …
King KalakauaHawaiian LeagueSanford B. DoleLorrin ThurstonHonolulu Rifles+4 moreinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruptionindigenous-rightsvoter-suppressioncolonial-exploitation+1 more
The United States Government and the Sioux Nation sign the Fort Laramie Treaty, establishing the Great Sioux Reservation and guaranteeing the Sioux “absolute and undisturbed use and occupancy” of all present-day South Dakota west of the Missouri River, including the sacred Black Hills …