Lakota Youths Locked Down to Drilling Equipment at Pe'Sla

Lakota Youths Locked Down to Drilling Equipment at Pe'Sla. The Occupation Continues on Friday with Drilling Shut Down at Two Sites.

Drilling is Shut Down Now: Two Drilling Sites are Shut Down and All Workers Were Sent Home on Thursday. Lakota Youths Protecting Their Water Demand that all Drilling be Halted Until this is Heard in Court on Monday.

By NDN Collective, April 30, Updated May 1, 2026

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Photos by Angel White Eyes

Lakota youth have locked down onto the drilling equipment at Pe’ Sla. An alter has been set up and community members have offered prayers. The drilling company said that law enforcement is on the way.

At this time, we are calling on Tribes, Nations, Organizations, Collectives, and Coalitions to show support and sign the “Stop the Drilling at Pe’ Sla” sign-on letter: https://ndnco.cc/signtosavepesla

If you are nearby, we encourage you to visit the Mystic Ranger station and tell them to Rescind the permit and stop the drilling at Pe' Sla.

Mining activity is currently taking place at Pe' Sla despite community opposition. The Rochford Mineral Exploratory Drilling Project (RMEDP) which seeks to drill for graphite, proposed by Pete Lien & Sons, must be stopped.

Update: On Thursday (4/30) evening 9 tribes filed a lawsuit contending that the permit the US Forest Service granted to Pete Lien & Sons Inc. violated both the National Historic Preservation Act and National Environmental Policy Act.

The Tribes who filed the suit include the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Santee Sioux Tribe, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and Yankton Sioux Tribe.

This is the second lawsuit filed against this drilling project with the first being filed on April 2, 2026, by NDN Collective, Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, and Earthworks.
Here are a few ways you can help Protect Pe’ Sla:
Sign our petition: https://ndnco.cc/protectpesla.
Add your organization, coalition, or Tribe name (no individuals at this time) to this sign on letter: https://ndnco.cc/signtosavepesla
Donate: https://donate.ndncollective.org/campaign/795725/donate
Stay tuned, we will be going LIVE and providing updates in the coming days.
The hearing will be held on Monday *May 4th at 3 pm MT at the Pennington County Courthouse for the temporary restraining order that was filed on 4/29. Show your support and attend the courthouse.

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The 2026 MMIR March is a collaborative effort between the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition (MIWSAC), the Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC), the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center (MIWRC), the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis, the Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI), the Minnesota Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Office, Gatherings Cafe, Minneapolis Public Schools American Indian Education, the Indigenous Protectors Movement, the TRADISH Project (a MAIC program), the Culture Language Arts Network (a MAIC program), Indigenous Women’s Life Net (a MAIC Program), the Many Shields Society, Mending the Sacred Hoop, Make Voting a Tradition (a NACDI program), and the American Indian Movement (AIM).

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