Rap-tivists

There are multiple ways to bring attention to issues. Some might use a legal approach and go through courts to have something change. Others might lobby outside senators’ offices to have them pay attention to the problems that they are facing. There are others that will go out on the streets and protests, and others use music, poems, videos, performances, and art to express their struggle with the problem. They use all these different forms of arts to help express the problems that some members of society face. All these forms of art help open conversations about what is happening, it allows others that are not directly affected by the issue to have those conversations. More importantly, in the case of my topic racial profiling, it add voice to the multitudes of people that experience it every day.

The point being that the outcomes of racial profiling often ends in the person of color or minority getting hurt. The fact that there are songs, videos, poems and the sort points to the obvious fact that the issue of racial profiling exists in our society. If it didn’t exist and affect so many people, other wouldn’t have the need to speak out about it. It is all about discourse and in this case there are plenty of past and recent incidents that have inspired many to speak out.

In my previous post I provided a list of African American people that have been victims of police brutality. Aside from fueling protests and legal fights it has resulted in many artist to speak out about the inequality and profiling. They speak out about the danger of being Black when for some that equals criminal and dangerous. These songs express feeling of oppression, police brutality and racism I want to provide a different form in which these issues are brought to light.

This video in particular pays tribute to many of the individual mentioned in the previous post. As well as films that have been made to talk about African American experiences throughout history.

Rapper T.I in his song, “New National Anthem” begins the song stating that the radio will probably not air this [song] which is possibly because he is using the phrase, “home of the brave and the free” from the National Anthem. Even though he uses that phrase form a very patriotic song, he changes it the fit the reality of being black in America. He shows that the ideals that are expressed in that song do not fit the practices of the country.  There is a clear understanding that the government does not care about the people of color that have grown up in poverty. He notes that they have limited chances and opportunities and it is not their fault they are “a product of the environment [they were placed in]”T.I acknowledges that the police will look at him and other Black people as the enemy and people that should be locked up and no justice will be brought to them. He highlights the reality that death and prison are always waiting for them. The following are the highlights of the song:

“Home of the brave and free (well damn officer what did I do?)

Free just to murder me (Naw hold up man don't shoot, I live over there) 

Land of the beautiful (a man what you doin) 

Cursed by the hate we throw (you trippin dawg) 

Is this the new national anthem (how many times has that ever happened to you, what the fuck do you know about being a black man in America?)

Is this the new national anthem (And you wonder why we walk around with straps)”

“For the stars and the stripes prison bars and the pipe

Young nigga rolling weed in a cigar he can light

Bang red either blue selling hard and the white

Live by the gun, never run from a fight"

"Trayvon in a hoodie, walking through the neighborhood he

Didn't do shit to buddy, he didn't have to die did he?

I guess it's because his dad was a judge in the city

They didn't want him in the pen with the thugs that could get him"

A jury of his peers said all was forgiven

But touch one of mine, right or wrong, I'm a kill them

Fill them with the lead like they put in Martin Luther King's head

Like they killed Malcolm X, Edgar Hoover did that

You can catch me in the hood where they shooting niggas at

They don't know if Neighborhood or the Hoovers did that

Whether Piru or VL's or GDs with me we

Down to uprise from the OG's to peewees

“Let me ask you something. If the kids are the future, tell me why you can get more for being C.E.O., than you can for being a teacher. Tell me why it means more to the government to pay the people who got to watch over the prisoners, more than the people who got to keep the children from becoming prisoners. That make sense? Tell me why 9 ounces of crack will get you more time than a rape right now. Tell me why them crazy white boys can tote a gun but I can't right now. Yea I had felonies, I done did dirt in the streets, but I ain't ever gave it to anybody that didn't deserve it. You know what I mean? I ain't ever ran in no public place with no pistol shooting no innocent people. I ain't never ran in no school, killing no kids. Man this is the result of you refusing to deal with the issues at hand. We are a product of the environment you placed us in... we ain't do it... we just lived through it”

Another powerful song is one that was a collaboration of multiple artists. The following song, “Don’t Shoot” was created by  Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Diddy, Fabolous, Wale, DJ Khaled, Swizz Beatz, Yo Gotti, Curren$y, Problem, King Pharaoh & TGT. In this song they bring up the issue with the media, “I heard he surrendered but we all saw how they did him Television broadcasts, a confused country” this calls out to the role that media plays when it comes to cases of racism and profiling African Americans. The media portrays one thing while the story states a different thing and people are left trying to figure out who is telling the truth. In a different verse they talk about the protests and it seems like they believe that is not getting anywhere. They state how they are being silenced and distracting the people with the “ASL” bucket challenge. People protested and were angered but only for a while, until the next big thing was broadcasted. They mention several individuals that have passed away including Emmitt Till that was lynched in Mississippi in 1945 for allegedly talking to a white girl. This highlights that this is not a new issue. It is an issue that has been occurring for years, and practiced by different people. I personally really liked how this song was composed it hits the bigger societal problem. Racial profiling goes beyond the fact of police brutality it is the racism that is so deeply entrenched in American society.

[Intro: DJ Khaled]

Our Lord, grant us good in this world

And good in the life, to come keep us safe from the torment of the fire

As we keep our hands up high and scream for justice

Ferguson, rest in peace Mike Brown and all the young soldiers out there

God help us

[Verse 1: Game]

Seen the pictures, feel the pain, scandalous how they murder son

Tired of them killing us, I'm on my way to Ferguson

Talked to TIP, I talked to Diddy, them my brothers walking with me

Mothers crying stop the riots, we ain't got to chalk the city

I seen Cole out there, thought I should go out there

They left that boy for hours in the cold out there

They killin' teens, they killin' dreams (It's murder)

[Verse 2: Diddy]

Yo, come on we gotta stick together, we all we got

Police taking shots and I ain't talkin' bout Ciroc

I'm talking bout Emmett Till, I'm talking bout Ezell Ford

I'm talking bout Sean Bell, they never go to jail for

Trayvon over Skittles, Mike Brown Cigarillos

History keeps repeating itself, like a Biggie instrumental

America's a glass house and my revenge is mental

Rather use my brain than throw a cocktail through a window

[Verse 3: Rick Ross]

I got the keys to the city still we left in the cold

Hands in the sky, still was left in the road

Ribbon in the sky, Michael Brown, another soul

Stole by the system, black men we pay the toll

The price is your life, Uncle Sam want a slice

Black dress code now we looting in the night

Now we throwing Molotovs in this holocaust

And I know they hate to hear me screaming, 'I'm a Boss!'

[Verse 4: 2 Chainz]

Tired of the okie-dokie, lying you Pinocchio

Driving while black, tell me, where am I supposed to go?

Gun shots hit the car, now I got the holy ghost

If excessive force was a drug, then they overdosed

Got us tryna protest, it's a slow process

Heard it's a lot of rotten eggs in the crow's nest

People praying on they feet, police holding on they heat

Turned on the news and seen a tank rolling down the street

[Verse 5: Fabolous]

Yeah, I seen a lot of ice water tossed, and I know it's for a cause

My only question is, what we doing for the loss

Of Mike Brown? Cause right now, I challenge you to use your talents to

Speak up, and don't you ever let them silence you

Cause action speaks louder than words, that's what I heard

Shot down with his hands up, that's what occurred

Man that sound absurd

Matter fact to me that sound like murder

We want justice

[Verse 6: Yo Gotti]

Ay yo Game, I had a crib out there, I used to live out there

So I know how niggas feel out there

People stressing, protesting, unity is a blessing

So it's time we come together, use our voice as a weapon

I am Michael Brown, cause I stand for what he stand for

News say we're looting, paint pictures like we some animals

On my NWA CMG

Holl'in' "Rest in peace Eazy and fuck the police"

[Verse 7: Wale]

Heard another brother slain up in St. Louis

Sure the mother feel the pain, but what you famous doing?

I’m sure the general population trying to be more active

But when the light finally catches you, you ice challenge

Okay, and I support the ALS just like the rest of them

But you have yet to pay your debt, so you just flexing then

Cause everybody care for a minute, then stop

People only there for a minute, then stop

And what's the point of giving if you ain't giving your all?

We never getting ahead, might as well give up your heart 

[Bridge: TGT, King Pharaoh (Swizz Beatz)] 

Where does it end?

I got my hands up, what else am I supposed to do?

(Rest in peace to Mike Brown)

Where does it end?

(And all the other warring soldiers)

Tell me, where's the love for everything we're going through?

(That will not be on the news or televised, ah)

Mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy me

Hope that God can save us

Mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy me 

(As we lead in peace) 

[Verse 8: Swizz Beatz] 

Martin Luther King had a dream!

But they ain't respecting Jesse up out here

And they don't really respect Obama out here

Lights out, go dark it's like a nightmare

How the fuck you play the game, but they ain't playing fair

It's going down, Armageddon right here

Right now, not on TV, but right here

Put your flags in the air if you don't really care (Wave it)

We need justice, yeah, we need justice here

[Verse 9: Curren$y]

I heard he surrendered but we all saw how they did him

Television broadcasts, a confused country

I'm a resident of a nation that don't want me

What's done is done, the town erupts in fury

And I'm already hearing bout this lopsided jury

Three faces like his, the rest another story

A lot of motherfuckers need to act more worried

[Verse 10: Problem]

The revolution has been televised

If I sit here and do don't do nothing, homie, that's genocide

Fuck that, we have arrived!

And who cares who ain't on our side cause we on our own

How do you preach peace to a family that just lost they own?

My brodie Game just banged my line like "We gotta do something"

All that marching and that peace ain't gonna fucking do nothing

Fuck it, my moms, sorry, I'm ready to rage

The police done let the animals out of the cage, oh lord it's

oh lord it's
[Hook: Game's daughter]
Time to take a stand and save our future
Like we all got shot, we all got shot
Throwing up our hands don't let them shoot us
Cause we all we got, we all we got
God ain't put us on the Earth to get murdered, it's murder
God ain't put us on the Earth to get murdered, it's murder
Don't point your weapons at me

 Reason behind the song: Rap-tivist

List of other songs and performances that speak to the issues of police brutality, oppression, racism and prison.

Mistah F.A.B “God Don’t Love Me”

Plies “We are Trayvon”

J.cole "be free"

Poweful Permances:

Beyonce " Formation "

Kendrick Lamar performance at the 2016 Grammys

Note: I have made bold specific words or phrases that directly point to the discrimination and police brutality.

How Many Dead?

For this post I want to bring to light the reality of racial profiling. I want to show how often people of color end up killed, injured and/or profiled simply because of what they look like on the outside. The following is a list of unarmed African American people that have been killed by the police in 2014-2015 alone. Some of the people that are mentioned are ones that have been publicized in news outlets, and social media such as, Eric Garner. Others are some that we have never heard about yet they have been victims of the system.  

April 30, 2014: Dontre Hamilton from Milwaukee was shot 14 times by a police officer. The police had been called to the scene because allegedly he was disturbing the peace. Hamilton had been previously diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The first officer that arrived on the scene decided that he wasn’t doing anything illegal. However, the second officer—Christopher Manney showed up, attempted to pat Hamilton down and engaged in a struggle that ultimately ended in the shooting. –officer was not charged

July 17, 2014: Eric Garner from New York was put in an illegal chokehold for 15 seconds by a white police officer, Eric repeated “I can’t breathe” 11 times as he was held down by several police officers. ---- Officer Daniel Pantaleo was not charged

August 5, 2014 John Crawford iii from Dayton, Ohio was shot and killed by police officer outside of a Walmart. –officers Sean Williams and David Darkow were not charged

August 9, 2014: Michael Brown Jr. from Ferguson, Missouri was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer. –Officer Wilson was not charged

August 11, 2014: Ezell Ford from Florence California was a mentally ill. He was shot three times, once in the back, by a white police officer. –so far no charges have been filled against officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas.

August 12, 2014: Dante Parker from Victorville, California died in police custody after being repeatedly stunned by a Taser in San Bernardino County –so far no charges filed

November 13, 2014: Tanisha Anderson from Cleveland died after officers allegedly slammed her had on the pavement while taking her into custody –so far no charges filed

November 20, 2014: Akai Gurley form Brooklyn, New York was shot and killed in a dimly lit New York City public housing –Officer Peter Liang was charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and two counts of official misconduct.

November 22, 2014: Tamir Rice form Cleveland was shot and killed by Cleveland police after his toy gun was mistaken for a real weapon—no charges filed

December 2, 2014: Rumain Brisbon from Phoenix, Arizona was shot and killed after officer mistook a pill bottle for a weapon –no charges filed

December 30, 2014: Jerame Reid form Bridgeton, New Jersey was shot and killed after his friend was pulled over. He stepped out of the car hands in the air yet police still opened fire –officers were placed on administrative leave with pay, no charges have been filed

March 6, 2015: Tony Robinson from Madison Wisconsin was shot three times and killed by officer

--so far no charges have been filed

March 31, 2015: Phillip White from Vineland, New Jersey died in police custody –charges have not been filed

April 2, 2015: Eric Harris form Tulsa Oklahoma was shot after the officer mistook his firearm for his Taser. – Officer Robert Bates was charged with Manslaughter

April 4, 2015: Walter Scott from North Charleston, South Carolina was shot by an officer after trying to run away form a traffic stop for a broken taillight. The officer claimed that Scott had taken his stun gun, video showed Scott running away with his back to the officer as Officer fired his gun. – Officer Slager was fired and charged with murder.

April 19, 2015: Freddie Gray from Baltimore died of a spinal cord injury a week after he was arrested by Baltimore police. His injury occurred after he was placed in a police van. –officers involved were criminally charged in connection with Gray’s homicide.  

“Here’s a Timeline of Unarmed Black People Killed by Police over the Past Year”

List collected form Buzz Feed News (May 1, 2015)

Over the course of a year 15 people were killed by police and that is only the individuals that were collected by Buzz Feed News. This list only includes the individuals who have had some sort of investigation to their death.  Furthermore, this  only include a list of African American people and therefore, it excludes Latinos, Native American Indians, Asians, Muslims, and other groups that always seem to “fit the description” when it comes to crime in the U.S..  If a list were compiled in which it included all these people I have no doubt that it would be a very long list. Then you factor in periods of longer than a year and that list would probably go on and on!

 It is very upsetting to see that out of these 15 individuals only 3 got justice. For the rest the officers walked away with no charges.   I can only assume that this would hold true for other minority populations. He cause for these officers to shoot or attack these 15 people was because they were of color and seemed like a danger Out of the 15 only 4 are people that I have heard about. Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown Jr. and Eric Garner all fueled people to protest against the injustice. It is perhaps that I have only heard about the deaths of these four individuals because there were protests, and cases and people that were fed up with the lack of justice for their deaths.  These four people were not the only ones that fired up the Baltimore protest or Ferguson riots, in my opinion their deaths were the last drop that that overfilled the glass. Had these individuals been white or living in a society in which minority does not equal criminal, then there encounter with the police would have ended differently.

Native American Indians

When I think of racial profiling my first thought is regarding African American and Latino people. It is perhaps that I think of this first because of the deep history of discrimination, hate and oppression that has existed in regards with African Americas and Caucasians. It can also be because I am Latina and have witnessed it growing up. It can also be because of the recent increased attention of injustices against African Americans that has caused that to be in the forefront of my thoughts. The American Civil Liberties Union defines racial profiling as, ”[A] discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin” Therefore, it is important that throughout my project I include the stories of racial profiling of groups that are not often spoken about for example, Native Americans.

As it is with African Americans, the relationship of Native Americans with the history of the United States has not been a positive one. As Europeans came to the Americas they began to erase Native American identity and culture from the nation. Just to mention a few Native American Indians were forced to turn to Christianity, change their hair and clothing, they had to adapt to European gender and societal norms that stripped them of who they were. However, no matter how European they seemed, Native American Indians were still considered to be inferior. In the end the narrative of Native American Indians was written by Whites and they have practically been left with a couple of pages in a history book. 

"This lack of public interest in Native American issues is unjustifiable but not surprising. The groups’ history is rarely covered outside of the 19th century in school curriculum. This has made Americans to be unappreciative of Native American History” –Fountain 2016

Native American are the most economically impoverished ethnic group in the United States.  According to Tighe (2014) twenty-seven percent (27%) of Indian families live below the poverty level (compared to approximately eleven percent (11.6%) among whites nationwide. They are also more likely to experience more violent crimes than any other ethnic groups in the United States. Some of the crimes include, murder, assault, drug trafficking, human trafficking, gang violence, and illegal immigration through tribal lands. Firthermore, Native American Indians experience the highest rate of incarceration in the nation (Tighe 2014). Reading these statistics can be a little hard when you are not constantly exposed to the situation in which other underrepresented ethnic groups are under. It also serves as a reality check of how Native American Indians are made to be so removed from our society. Before digging into the topic I was not really aware that Native American peoples experienced the same amount of racial profiling from police as other ethnic groups that I am more aware of.  One of the most powerful statements that I came across while researching on Native American and racial profiling was,

“Native Americans are more likely to be killed by police than any other ethnic group in the U.S., but the national dialogue about racial bias and criminal justice reform continues to exclude them. The absence of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians from conversations about police brutality and social inequality exemplifies the United States’ complicity to the continued marginalization and neglect of Native communities…Native men and women, for instance, are over represented in the prison system and as victims of sexual violence. Yet black and Latino males have become the faces of mass incarceration” –Native Lives Matter goes beyond police brutality Fountain, Aaron G. Jr. (2016)

This stood out to me because it is speaking to the reasons why I am not aware of Native American over representation in prisons. I was not aware of the magnitude of violent crime acts towards Native Americans or that the Native Lives Matter movement exists. I found a link to the movement’s social media page, Native Lives Matter @NLMcoalition

Similar to the Black Lives Matter movement that I am familiar with, this movement also calls for justice for the many Native American Indian peoples that have been victims of police brutality. It calls to the bigger issues that are behind the profiling. 

I have reached out to someone that identifies as Native American and Hispanic. I asked them* to respond  to any of the following question in any way that they would choose to: What are instances in which you have(or have not) experienced racial profiling or discrimination? What has been your families experience with racial profiling? What about people in your community? How do you see Native American Indians portrayed in the media?

They responded with a short recall of an instance in which their identity as a Native American Indian became was said to be the determining factor of their chance of success.

 "First of all I identify as Native American and Hispanic... When you look at me you see my Hispanic features and unless I tell you about my tribe you would never know. But in high school I was open about who I was and what I am.  Racial discrimination is one factor in my life.  During my senior year of high school, I was applying for colleges and being the dreamer that I am, I applied for Ivy schools thinking I was good enough. However my guidance counselor, some faculty members, my tribe’s higher education director and a couple of my community members felt differently. In fact most of these people told me I was just that, a dreamer and I would be lucky enough to not get pregnant. “College is out of my league and I should be happy to get my high school diploma.” "I think you should apply to community college because you will have a better chance." My high school guidance counselor attempted to talk me out of applying to any post secondary institution other than community college. He told me that I would have a better chance at a community college. I was confused about what he was trying to say, so I asked him to clarify. He told me "that given my family's history...it was likely that I wouldn't graduate college or make it to the first day. Your mom, your grandma, aunts and cousins all got pregnant young." I was angry so I talked to my tribe's higher education director and he said that my guidance counselor was only telling me the realities of my predicament. My mom always laughs about this story because when I heard these things it only fueled my fire. She laughs because she believes they made me push myself harder to prove them all wrong."

*this responded has wished to remain anonymous. To avoid using any distinguishing factors I have decided to use pronouns: they, them, and their to refer to the respondent. I also want to thank them for sharing this story with me. 

Here are a little bit more statistics and information about Native Americans and their position in the criminal justice system:

The Huffington Post reports, “The incarceration rate of Native Americans is 38% higher than the national rate. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights attributes this higher rate to differential treatment by the criminal justice system, lack of access to adequate counsel and racial profiling…Law enforcement agents arrest American Indians and Alaskan Natives at twice the rate of the greater U.S. population for violent and property crimes. On average, American Indians receive longer sentences than non-Indians for crimes” –Bell, 2011

“The total U.S. Native American population is 5,220,579 or 1.7% (USCB, 2010).5 The U.S. Census Bureau reports the Native American population in Oregon at 53,203 or 1.3% of the State’s population, and Marion County, Oregon at 7,883 or 2.5% of the County’s total population (USCB, 2010). The most recent Federal data of national arrests indicated that 1.4% (186,120) of all arrests in 2010 were Native Americans (US DOJ, 2011)” –Tighe 2014.

“Even the FBI's 2005 statistics on hate crimes that were reported to police show that while American Indians and Alaska Natives comprise only 1% of the U.S. population, they represent 2% of victims of racially motivated hate crimes” (Buchanan, 2006)-Tighe 2014

"The oppression of Native people is not limited to the criminal justice system. Native American women are twice as likely to be victims of sexual assault as women in any other race. On reservations, women are ten times more likely to be murdered than other Americans.”—fountain, 2016

Note: I have learned from doing research on this topic, and talking to individual that identify as Native American Indian, that it is not suffient to refer to them as Native American because that term refers to any individual born in America, which is why we must be specific and refer to them as Native American Indian.

References:

Tighe, S. (2014). “Of course we are crazy”: Discrimination of Native American Indians through criminal justice. Justice Policy Journal, 11(1), 1-38. Attained at: http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/tighe_discrimination_final_formatted.pdf

Fountain, Aaron G. Jr. (2016). “Native Lives Matter Goes Beyond Police Brutality” Aljazeera America. Attained at: http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2016/2/native-lives-matter-goes-beyond-police-brutality.html

Bell, Jamaal. "Mass Incarceration: A Destroyer of People of Color and Their Communities." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 25 May 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. Attained at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamaal-bell/mass-incarceration-a-dest_b_578854.html