Rebel Diaz Make a Stand at Ted Cruz Event
When Ted Cruz visited the Bronx on Wednesday morning, he was greeted by protesters that called him out poetically. And no wonder. The protesters were RodStarz and G1, the hip hop duo Rebel Diaz.
You can watch the video of that specific confrontation here, and more of the Bronx cheer in general for the Republican in the following videos:
Must be those New York values.
[R]ebel Diaz are a socially active hip hop group from the Bronx. The duo have been involved in the hip hop and activist NYC scene for over a decade.
They interrupted the Cruz event to bring attention to the realities of the effects of climate change (which Cruz denies) on the immigrant community (who Cruz despises).
Rebel Diaz were also making a point by protesting Cruz’s meeting with Senator Ruben Diaz (no relation). The Diaz vs Diaz history is explained in this NY Daily News piece on the conflict between the group and the state senator on stop and frisk:
Members of the Rebel Diaz, meanwhile, blasted the senator for being out of touch with his constituents and equated the practice, in any form, with racial profiling.
“He supposedly represents the Bronx, but I don’t think a lot of people would agree with it,” Rodrigo Venegas, 33, better known as RodStarz, told The News. “Sadly, the elder Diaz has once again proven the same nonsense.”
In light of that fact:
[O]ne hopes that this won’t be the last time the mainstream media pays attention to Rebel Diaz. Because this message is the one we need to hear more of this election cycle as November draws nearer:
“Ted Cruz has no business being in the Bronx! This is an immigrant community. We deal with climate change every single day, and he wants to say that it doesn’t exist.”
“We live in one of the poorest congressional districts in the country. And to receive this right-wing bigot is an insult to the whole community.”
Which side are you on?
Full disclosure: I have profiled RodStarz’s production company and am professionally connected with his business partner, Sky Cohen.