Randy Blythe Offers Brief Recap of His Trip to the Standing Rock Protests
Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe has promised to deliver a full recap of his trip to Standing Rock, North Dakota, where he traveled last week to join the protestors fighting against the Dakota Access Pipeline. In a post on Instagram yesterday, he revealed that “a large media outlet” has asked him to write about the experience. Blythe is an insightful and articulate writer, and I look forward to reading that.
In the meantime, Blythe’s Instagram post offers a quick glance into what the protests were — and were not — like, and comes with a bit of personal reflection about his experience at Standing Rock. Here’s the text, with the full Instagram post embedded below:
I have made it back from Standing Rock, safe, sound, & without any injury or arrest- thank you to those who wished me well on my travels. Also thank you to the many people of all different colors I met who greeted me with open arms, & to the fans who treated me with such respect- you are all beautiful people, & it was an honor to stand with you there as one. I did not go to Standing Rock as a journalist, I went as a regular dude, but a large media outlet found out I was there & reached out to me to write a story about my experiences, so that is what I am doing now- more details later- I am just posting this to let y’all know I am ok. I will say this, because it is IMPORTANT- if you are planning on going to Standing Rock to raise hell, fight cops, & cause chaos, PLEASE DO NOT GO. Stay at home and do that in your own community if you must, so that you can see the repercussions of your actions at home & around your own people. The community in North Dakota, both native & non-native, both pro & anti-pipeline, do not need that. I heard nothing but constant instructions to stay non-violent & to remain in prayer while I was amongst the people, both on the frontline & back in the Oceti Sakowin camp. I did not see violence nor did I get wind of violent acts being planned. That is not what it is about, and it will merely cause more pain & confusion in an already very, very tense situation, so don’t go if you have hate in your heart- I had to constantly examine mine to make sure I was acting in a correct, helpful manner. Also, don’t go if you think it’s a leisurely camping holiday- this is not summer camp, it’s North Dakota, the weather there kills, & if you aren’t ready for that, you can die. Period. It’s not a joke. That’s all for now- I have writing to do. Peace & chicken grease- Randy
Thanks to Ghost Cult Mag for bringing it to our attention.
Also, in case you missed it: Blythe’s commitment to Standing Rock is a perfect example of why we named him one of The 25 Most Important People in Metal on our current countdown list.
