On May 22 -23rd, the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas in partnership with the Gulf South for Green New Deal Initiative will host and broadcast the historical event: the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribunal for Human Rights. Due to COVID-19 concerns, this event will be held virtually in a webinar format on Zoom over the two days. You can register here.
The Carrizo Comecrudo Tribunal for Human Rights is a critical step in the active resistance of Indigenous Peoples in Texas against the corporate and government encroachment on sacred land, continued pollution of Native territory and violations of the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples. This tribunal seeks to bring national and global awareness to the violations happening at the U.S. southern border and act as a call to action to stop the petrochemical buildout in the Gulf South.
The Tribunal will archive official testimony documenting the on-going violations of Indigenous sovereignty, violence and environmental degradation, which include the three massive LNG export terminals proposed for the Port of Brownsville - Texas LNG, Annova LNG, and Rio Grande LNG - and all related fossil fuel infrastructure and construction of US border wall on sacred lands, the murder and kidnapping of Indigenous womxn and girls; the eradication of our Native language, and the colonial disruption of Indigenous lifeways, relationships, and responsibilities ot the land. These official findings will be used to develop litigation against the corporate and government entities that have caused this harm and continue to exclude the Esto’k Gna from any due diligence or equal representation.
“We are trying to maintain an identity that is thousands of years old. They, government and corporate interests, have gone to great lengths to erase the tribe and have been knowingly hiding and sequestering all of this information for decades. We are doing this tribunal so the public understands why we are standing and what this means to us. We want people to see us as more than just protesters and realize we are protectors of our ancestors' connections to these lands, this sacred river, these waters, and our life ways,” said Juan Mancias, Carrizo Comecrudo Tribal Chair.
The Carrizo Comecrudo Tribunal for Human Rights seeks to build regional and international solidarity to advance calls for Indigenous sovereignty, and the cessation of petrochemical build-outs on tribal lands across the nation and the continent as part of a broader strategy to address the climate crisis. All of humanity is in a critical moment in history. We can no longer afford a polluting economy. As people who know the true costs of an extractive and polluting economy, we know what is needed for the just transition to a sovereign, decolonized, sustainable future for the Esto’k Gna and for all Indigenous peoples on the frontlines of extractive industry.
“We stand with the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe as they build official findings of past, present, and future harm. As Gulf South communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis, we know that the call for a just transition must include the acknowledgement of Indigenous Sovereignty. We know that the kind of transformative changes we need in the Gulf South and the nation can only be achieved when we follow Indigenous and frontline leadership,” said Colette Pichon-Battle, Executive Director of Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy.
A recording of the event is available upon request and speakers who joined the call are available for interviews. Please contact speakers directly or Emma Collin (emma@gcclp.org) for a recording.
Co-sponsors: GCCLP, Earthworks, Sierra Club, Society of Native Nations, Friends of the Earth, Beyond Extreme Energy, Texas Organizing Project.