Vic Mensa Joins Standing Rock Protests

Vic Mensa is standing with Standing Rock.

The Roc Nation MC released a video on Facebook, explaining why he's been protesting in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the wake of controversy surrounding a potential dangerous pipeline on Native American soil.

“An oil company wants to build the Dakota Access Pipeline and put it through their water source to potentially and most likely contaminate water that services millions of people,” said Mensa.

“Originally,” he added. “The pipeline was supposed to be over by Bismarck, in a different area that's not Indian country and it's a white area. What they said was, 'That's too risky for their water source so we're gonna switch it to Indian country.' We're not having that. We can't have that.”

The ongoing protests have not been in vain. President Barack Obama recently commended Native tribes for uniting on this cause.

“I know many of you have come together, across tribes and across the country, to support the community at Standing Rock and together you're making your voices heard,” he said (via ABC News). “And in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect, we've made a lot of progress for Indian country over the past eight years, and this moment highlights why it's so important that we re-double our efforts to make sure that every federal agency truly consults and listens, and works with you, sovereign-to-sovereign.”

if you believe in the inalienable rights of people; the right to clean drinking water, the right to food & shelter and the right to freedom then you have to support standing rock. Get on a plane, drive, take a bus do whatever you have to do. December 5th the Army Corps has set an ultimatum for the people camped at standing rock, saying that they will forcibly remove the water protectors. When one of our freedom is on the line all of our freedom is on the line. Fight for freedom.

A photo posted by Vic Mensa (@vicmensa) on Nov 28, 2016 at 2:28pm PST

For Mensa, the Standing Rock issue falls in line with the Flint water crisis that he's also fought against. Now, he is encouraging fans to join him in that plight.

“If you believe in the inalienable rights of people,” he wrote. “The right to clean drinking water, the right to food & shelter and the right to freedom then you have to support standing rock. Get on a plane, drive, take a bus do whatever you have to do.

“December 5th the Army Corps has set an ultimatum for the people camped at standing rock, saying that they will forcibly remove the water protectors,” he added. “When one of our freedom is on the line all of our freedom is on the line. Fight for freedom.”

I've been at #StandingRock for the last 3 days, and the experience has been amazing. If you're not in tune with what's going on here, Standing Rock is an Indian reservation where a major oil company is trying to drill a pipeline underneath the river that supplies drinking water for millions of people on and off of the reservation. Drilling that oil pipeline could contaminate the livelihood of so many people, primarily indigenous people of this land that have been systematically destroyed since Europeans arrived in America. Thousands of people have come from all over the world to Standing Rock to stop that pipeline from being drilled and protect the water.

A photo posted by Vic Mensa (@vicmensa) on Nov 28, 2016 at 1:48pm PST