from Davey D's mailing list...
HIP HOP ACTIVISTS STEP TO OAKLAND MAYOR JERRY BROWN
*Since were talking about Hip Hop activism, here's a couple of things to be aware of. I will provide more details next issue. First, props go out to Bay Area Hip Hoppers like 'Lets Get Free, Mindz Eye Collective, Freedom Fighter Records and EBC to name a few. The day after the election they descended upon Oakland's City Hall with close to 100 people to pay a surprise visit to Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown.
They were upset that Brown has been pushing to add 100 more police officers to the city's ranks. He wants to do it to the tune of 70 million dollars. He claims it will help turn around Oakland's
skyrocketing murder rate which now stands at 97. The Hip Hoppers want the money and resources directed to social programs.
Brown had put on the November ballot Measure FF which would serve as a recommendation for him to seek out the new police. Voters went to the ballot box and saw a measure that read as follows ' More money for crime prevention programs'. It was deceptively worded so needless to say despite intense campaigning and dozens of rallies, the measure passed.
Hence cats decided to pay the Mayor a visit. Apparently he wasn't too thrilled to see a 100 headz roll up to his office. Many of the Hip Hoppers wore blood stained shirts to symbolize police brutality victims. They announced to the Mayor that if he hires 100 more cops they will raise a 100 more Conscious Hip Hoppers who will hold the cops accountable for their actions. For those who don't know many of these organizations actually patrol their neighborhoods armed with video cameras and a sophisticated communication's network so they can monitor the police and their actions.
The attempted meeting never happened, Mayor Brown or one of his staff members summoned for the police even though the visitors came in orderly fashion. Once an alarm was sounded they responded by leaving the t-shirts in his office and bounced. More demonstrations and actions are expected.
While Hip Hop cats in Oakland were stepping to the Mayor, several of their Bay Area Hip Hop comrades have been made a dangerous trip overseas to Palestine to see first hand what exactly is going on in the middle east. Among the folks who made the trek are DJ Sake-1 of the Local 1200 DJ Crew and Samantha who is a spoken word/ rap artist for Freedom Fighter Records. For those who are here in the Bay Area, she was the young woman who rocked the crowd during the Anti-War rally
which drew 100 thousand people the other week. Thus far they've sent back several disturbing eye witness accounts of what's been going on over in the war torn zones. We will share those with you next issue.
Props to our Hip Hop brothers and sistas for taking the initiative and taking their activism to new heights.
Lastly props to the good folks who put on the Turning the Tables Hip Hop Health Conference in Washington DC last weekend. There's a lot to share about that and I will do so in an upcoming issue. It was an incredible conference. One of the highlights was all the Hip Hop youth hosts/moderators who held down the panel discussions have committed themselves to some intense training and are now gearing up to put together policy papers and suggested legislation for elected officials to consider when dealing with issues related to health and well being and how it impacts the Hip Hop generation. We'll keep you posted on that...
HIP HOP ACTIVISTS STEP TO OAKLAND MAYOR JERRY BROWN
*Since were talking about Hip Hop activism, here's a couple of things to be aware of. I will provide more details next issue. First, props go out to Bay Area Hip Hoppers like 'Lets Get Free, Mindz Eye Collective, Freedom Fighter Records and EBC to name a few. The day after the election they descended upon Oakland's City Hall with close to 100 people to pay a surprise visit to Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown.
They were upset that Brown has been pushing to add 100 more police officers to the city's ranks. He wants to do it to the tune of 70 million dollars. He claims it will help turn around Oakland's
skyrocketing murder rate which now stands at 97. The Hip Hoppers want the money and resources directed to social programs.
Brown had put on the November ballot Measure FF which would serve as a recommendation for him to seek out the new police. Voters went to the ballot box and saw a measure that read as follows ' More money for crime prevention programs'. It was deceptively worded so needless to say despite intense campaigning and dozens of rallies, the measure passed.
Hence cats decided to pay the Mayor a visit. Apparently he wasn't too thrilled to see a 100 headz roll up to his office. Many of the Hip Hoppers wore blood stained shirts to symbolize police brutality victims. They announced to the Mayor that if he hires 100 more cops they will raise a 100 more Conscious Hip Hoppers who will hold the cops accountable for their actions. For those who don't know many of these organizations actually patrol their neighborhoods armed with video cameras and a sophisticated communication's network so they can monitor the police and their actions.
The attempted meeting never happened, Mayor Brown or one of his staff members summoned for the police even though the visitors came in orderly fashion. Once an alarm was sounded they responded by leaving the t-shirts in his office and bounced. More demonstrations and actions are expected.
While Hip Hop cats in Oakland were stepping to the Mayor, several of their Bay Area Hip Hop comrades have been made a dangerous trip overseas to Palestine to see first hand what exactly is going on in the middle east. Among the folks who made the trek are DJ Sake-1 of the Local 1200 DJ Crew and Samantha who is a spoken word/ rap artist for Freedom Fighter Records. For those who are here in the Bay Area, she was the young woman who rocked the crowd during the Anti-War rally
which drew 100 thousand people the other week. Thus far they've sent back several disturbing eye witness accounts of what's been going on over in the war torn zones. We will share those with you next issue.
Props to our Hip Hop brothers and sistas for taking the initiative and taking their activism to new heights.
Lastly props to the good folks who put on the Turning the Tables Hip Hop Health Conference in Washington DC last weekend. There's a lot to share about that and I will do so in an upcoming issue. It was an incredible conference. One of the highlights was all the Hip Hop youth hosts/moderators who held down the panel discussions have committed themselves to some intense training and are now gearing up to put together policy papers and suggested legislation for elected officials to consider when dealing with issues related to health and well being and how it impacts the Hip Hop generation. We'll keep you posted on that...