The all-volunteer Guardians are helping out tribal citizens on the Pine Ridge Reservation and on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Photo: One Spirit
Guardians protect and serve everyone on the rez
By Liz Gauthier
Native Sun News Today
nativesunnews.today RAPID CITY –– At 3 a.m. this morning it was 14 degrees below zero in Porcupine on Pine Ridge Reservation. Darvis Weston sat outside in his truck warming the engine just in case someone’s car broke down or someone needed help, so that he could go immediately to assist them without waiting for his car to warm up. And someone did need help. A lone brown-gold figure trudging through the bitter cold had six more miles to walk before reaching home when Weston spotted him and gave him a lift in his warm truck. “He was froze,” Weston said. Weston is one of ten volunteer Guardians serving the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations. “We assist in any way we can,” he said. “We deliver gas to drivers who run out of gas. We change tires. We tow broken down cars when it’s 18 below zero and the wind chill is 30 below and it’s too cold out to wait for a tow truck, even if you could afford it.” The Guardians also provide traffic control at accident, assist ambulance and emergency management programs in case of fire or flooding and provide funeral escorts and security service. They make daily road checks all across Pine Ridge Reservation just to make sure no one is stranded or needs help, which also helps save time for law enforcement. For more information about the Guardians, contact Jeri Baker at jbaker@nativeprogress.org or call 570-460-6567.
Read the rest of the story on the Native Sun News Today website: Guardians protect and serve everyone on the rez Copyright permission Native Sun News
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