Neil Young to Obama: It's Time to Step In at Standing Rock

In an open letter to the protesters at Standing Rock published in the Guardian, Neil Young and Daryl Hannah offer their support for the people trying "to protect water, to state the most basic human truth, to say water is life" and fighting "for the rightful preservation of Native American cultural ways and their sovereignty." And the entertainers call on President Obama to take action, as the camp grows and protesters are hit with water cannons, mace, tear gas, and rubber bullets. It's time for the president "to step in and end the violence against the peaceful water protectors at Standing Rock immediately," they write.

Without naming him, they also refer to Donald Trump. "Like water on the garden of activism, America’s surprise president brings a bounty of opportunity," they write, noting that issues including the situation at Standing Rock are now coming to the forefront of Americans' consciousness. They also point out that Trump didn't win the popular vote, and that he is not "the leader of the free world"—200 other world leaders do believe in climate science, for example. "Do not be intimidated by the surprise president’s cabinet appointees as they descend the golden escalator," they write. "Those who behave in racist ways are not your leaders." Click for their full column. (More Dakota Access Pipeline stories.)