A film we should all go see this weekend – “Free Angela”

Finally!

Someone makes a movie about the revolutionary icon, Angela Davis.

I can admit that I am one who is not super-well-versed on her entire story, and this would be a great cinematic opportunity to be educated and entertained simultaneously. 

Though I wish the title was more movie and less send-a-blatant-message-to-push-an-explicit-agenda (A very amateur move), knowing the way movies of this scope and nature are distributed in theatres, I suggest we all go check this movie out while we can.

 

“Minority Communities & Our Relationship With The Law” – Musings From The Media Sweetheart

Minority Communities and our Relationship with the Law

 

In the wake of the tragic death of Kimani Gray and the federal court hearing of New York City’s ‘Stop and Frisk’ policy there has been an uproaring amongst Black and Latino city residents that call foul against New York City’s finest. Racial tensions as well as profilings have always laid the groundwork for the tumultuous relationship between police forces of this nation and the minority communities they’re sworn to protect and serve.

 

Being a Brooklyn resident, the Kimani Gray story is all I hear about while watching local news. For those of you who don’t know, Gray was a 16-year old boy shot and killed by NYPD in E. Flatbush, supposedly for drawing a loaded weapon and aiming it at officers. (Link to the full story posted below.) To make the matter even more prominent, the class action lawsuit of Floyd v. City of New York, the case in which several individuals who were illegally stopped under Stop and Frisk challenge the constitutionality of the policy and fight for changes that would make it less prejudice and discriminatory, is headlining local news as well. These coupled with the hot topic of gun violence and reform have all created an atmosphere that is heavy with the feeling that if something is not done to rectify the situation soon, there will be major unrest.

 

Now, what brought me to write today is the fact that racial profiling and discrimination have been about since our ancestors first stepped foot on this continent. This is something that is, for whatever reason, extremely difficult for us as a nation to snap out of. Seeing that this is the case, how do we change the powers that be and keep our families and loved ones safe and avoid ourselves from becoming victims of prejudice and profiling?

 

Many will jump to say that there needs to be justice and reform throughout the police force and although this is true, I was taught a long time ago that one can only be held responsible for one’s own actions. Opposed to rushing to point the finger, major introspection must first be done to see what we can do to alleviate the pressure of these circumstances. Although, as mentioned earlier, the discrimination minorities face dates back generations, there is also a lot that we have done, as a people to perpetuate these stereotypes and prove their statistics true. Gang violence, drugs, and social influences (which I’ll get into in depth at a later date) have bred mindsets and behaviors in the Black and Hispanic communities that have allowed us to be targeted as criminal nuisances; nuisances that need to be dealt with in order to provide overall safety for the city that these officers are paid and sworn to protect.

 

Now, I’m not saying that this makes prejudice or discrimination excusable but what I am saying is that when senseless violence and loss of life occur at the hand of the police, when we march to protest their actions, we should be marching just as hard to protest the actions of the incendiaries within our own communities that have made us all look bad. Stereotypes don’t simply manifest themselves. They come from observation of actual events and past experiences.

 

It is our job to shatter these stereotypes and change the face of these negative statistics. If you think about it, ‘Stop and Frisk’ is effective because when they stop “the right” individuals they find what it is they’re looking for, therefore validating and strengthening the case that the policy is good policing and is getting dangerous individuals off the street. Those amongst our people who are actually out and committing the crimes ‘Stop and Frisk’ are claiming to prevent are simply fueling and giving life to a policy that is menacing our people and causing further racial divisions and tumultuous relationships between us and the police. The police force has the argument that the majority of the people who commit certain crimes are Black and Latino and therefore have a solid case upholding their actions. We need to make it so when one of our people are racially profiled, when they go to court the police force cannot say “well, according to the statistics…” and therefore not have a leg to stand on, leading to justice for someone who was wrongfully targeted.

 

Politicians who march and protest and music artists who proudly proclaim “f*ck the police” need to show the same fervor towards our own people, menacing our cities, that we do towards the police force who, at the end of the day, are simply doing a job despite whatever their racial views are. It is time that we finally start to do better. We are only as strong as our weakest link and we need do what is necessary to strengthen those of us who are unintentionally destroying us. We must make it so they have no reason, whatsoever, to single us out. We must no longer be the statistic.

As always, we’d love to hear all of your thoughts! Feel free to comment and share!

 

Take care,

Media Sweetheart

 

http://www.thenation.com/article/173454/kimani-gray-guilty-until-proven-innocent#

 

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/03/24/1196149/-Stop-and-frisk-on-trial

*New Music* Mr. Hawkins releases “The Goodfight”

This is just a music-filled week.

The big homie and my partner in our new “Plates & Crates” event endeavor, Mr. Hawkins just released his latest and dare I say greatest project to date! The Goodfight. 

The title should let you know the level you’re about to get on when you turn to the first track “SuperBlack BarBeQue” and get taken in with a brilliant sample of one of my favorite songs of all time, “Summer Madness”.

Fred does this all through the project, catering to his mature listeners by blending soul with hard drums and speaking in language that pushes the less mature to  nod their heads and catch the most profound bars. It’s a great marriage of street smart and conscious. The best example here being when he flips Kanye’s banger from last year “Thera-Flu” into what has become his show staple “Righteous Anymore”. Here he poses the ultimate question with the delivery you hear from trap rappers.

My favorite track this week is “Pushaman Pushaman”, where he flips the classic Curtis Mayfield sample the best I’ve heard making clever analogies and metaphors. This is Hip-Hop! Support The Goodfight!

Click the pic above to download the mixtape.

New Redhead video “Bow Down”

We gonna keep the video trailblazing for the unofficial releases from the S.F.E. fam today! We’re going into this second quarter hard with a new joint by Redhead that he told you fools he was going to drop on well…The day for fools!

“Bow Down” is the rapidly recorded and edited interpretation of Queen Bey’s oh-so controversial week-worthy teaser, with a Maryland/Steady Building twist. Red does what he does best, giving you color, character and creative ass bars while repping PG County like none other. The homie Flex Matthews plays hypeman while I sit here shaking my head saying to myself, ‘this is my fault for having that fish-eye lens that day that we shot Talk White‘. Video just has never been quite the same for Red since then.

My favorite part? Him making that old school talkboy from 1994 look gangsta throughout the whole video.

Anyway, enjoy kiddies. We’re coming to shake this game up. Separately. Just imagine when we actually rock the same crowd together??!! Howard Homecoming 2013 you say? Do I hear requests?