Over the last several months, singer-guitarist Dave Matthews has been vocal in his support of the Standing Rock protests. Just last week, as demonstrators continued to stand their ground in opposition to the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL) on Standing Rock Indian Preservation, Matthews convened a group of talented musicians in Washington, D.C. for a benefit concert to raise funds for the resistance effort.
Yesterday, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that they would not issue a permit for the DAPL to pass underneath the dammed section of the Missouri River–a huge victory for the Standing Rock protestors. Not 24 hours later, Matthews has already announced plans to make sure the supplies they collected still make their way to people in need.
According to an interview with a local Michigan news outlet, in light of the victory in North Dakota, Matthews is working on getting trucks to transport the bottled water donations collected for the protesters at Standing Rock to those affected by the ongoing water crisis in Flint, MI. “You don’t hear about Flint anymore but they didn’t clean up those pipes,” says Matthews. “The problem is still here.”
“In my opinion it’s unforgivable,” said Matthews of both the Flint water crisis and the North Dakota pipeline fight. “It’s shameful to show in a county that has so much that there can be people disregarded because of their place or there situation because of their lack of access. It’s shameful. It’s terrible.”
[h/t – M Live]