An group of Knox and Waldo county citizens who are encouraging TD Bank to divest of its investments in the Dakota Access Pipeline say they will be holding dual demonstrations in Camden and Rockland Dec. 22, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

The demonstrators, who refer to themselves as Citizens in Solidarity with Standing Rock (CSSR), are repeating what they did twice this fall, most recently in early December when they stood outside the door of the Camden TD Bank door while two representatives entered the bank to read aloud a letter.

Police were called to remove the demonstrators, who then went to stand along the public way of Route 1 to continue their demonstration.

The group is attempting to persuade the Canadian-based bank to divest its $350 million that it has invested in the Dakota Access Pipeline, according to CSSR members. They are standing with the group Water Protectors of the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota.

"We are asking you, TD Bank,  to join DNB and divest your interest in the pipeline company Energy Transfer Partners,” they wrote in their letter. “Such a move will be heralded all across this country.  It would transform you from corporate villains to social justice heroes. And divestiture would give many other banks permission to follow your lead.”

While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has ordered a halt to the completion of the pipeline whose route runs through the Lakota Sioux Standing Rock Reservation pending an environmental impact statement, there is a counter court challenge by Energy Transfer Partners, the parent corporation of the Dakota Access Pipeline, according to published reports.

The action by the Citizens in Solidarity with Standing Rock action is in conjunction with similar protests across the country as the deadline for the contract for the project nears expiration on January 1, the group said.

"Stay tuned," said Rob Shetterly, of Brooksville, and who wrote the letter. " We won't stop until the pipeline is stopped for good."

The letter to TD Bank reads:

Citizens in Solidarity with Standing Rock

Camden, Maine, December 1, 2016

Dear Branch Manager, TD Securities:

We know that TD Securities has a strong social ethic and supports community building and social justice activism.

For that reason it seems incongruous that your bank should be one of the largest investors in the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) which is being built to carry hydro fracked oil from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota across four states, under the Missouri River, to refineries in Chicago. Everything about this project makes a mockery of social, economic and environmental justice.

The pipeline traverses land deeded by treaty to the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota who are non-violently and courageously resisting it. The pipeline may irreparably contaminate not only the water on the tribe's reservation but for 18 million Americans downstream. Native People who are peacefully protesting are being brutalized by police and hired thugs with

dogs, rubber bullets, gas, pepper spray, concussion grenades and water cannons (when the temperature is below freezing). This project is a form of environmental racism and industrial terrorism. And it fits perfectly and horribly into a 400 year long pattern of genocide and betrayal of Native People. Norway's largest bank, DNB, withdrew its financial support for DAPL when it learned the extent of human rights abuse at Standing Rock.

Just as disturbing as the abuse and likely environmental cost is what we all know -- or certainly should know that, because of climate change, all of this oil should stay in the ground. In order to prevent climate chaos we need to phase out burning fossil fuels entirely. The Standing Rock Sioux Water Protectors are not trying to prevent corporate profit; they are trying to save us all from disaster. The unavoidable message this pipeline sends to our children is that TD Securities will happily risk the future of life on this planet in favor of short term profit.

We are asking you to join DNB and divest your interest in the pipeline company Energy Transfer Partners. Such a move will be heralded all across this country. It would transform you from corporate villains to social justice heroes. And divestiture would give many other banks permission to follow your lead.

A small delegation of our group would like to come into your offices soon to discuss this issue.

There are many other important factors than the ones covered in this letter. Please let us know at your earliest convenience when we might talk. We know that the Camden Branch of TD Securities does not make investment decisions for the bank. But we also know that you can voice your concerns with corporate officers. That's how justice begins -- with conscience. Let's have a conversation.

Sincerely,

For Citizens in Solidarity with Standing Rock

Robert Shetterly, Brooksville, Maine