It’s depressing how often the revolutionary figures of a generation turn on their younger counterparts once they get older. Go talk to just about any Boomer for evidence. But there’s at least one fogey out there who hasn’t lost his fighting spirit. Neil Young spent his 71st birthday joining in the protests at Standing Rock, performing for people opposing the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
“Got my birthday wish today,” Young wrote alongside a video of him playing guitar and harmonica throughout the encampments of the protesters. “My girl took me to #StandWithStandingRock… Those who damage Mother Earth damage us all. Forgive them, they don’t yet see.”
Protesters have been opposing the pipeline since April. Since that time, several celebrities have appeared at the protests and there have been more than a few frightening clashes between protesters and police. Young had previously thrown in with the protesters via his song “Indian Givers.” Facebook users around the world digitally checked into Standing Rock as a show of solidarity as a — since disproven — way to confuse law enforcement officers who might be using the platform to track protesters.
While President Barack Obama‘s administration has seemed open to the idea of re-routing the oil pipeline due to concerns of the Native American tribes and environmentalists who oppose it, that possibility is even less certain under the impending presidency of Donald Trump. Write your local aging rockstar.
