What’s good? My name is Sean Bell, I’m a 23-year old NYC resident that was shot to death in Queens. Exiting the club from my bachelor’s party celebration I may have been reckless, but I didn’t deserve to die. One officer shot 30 times at me, my man Trent and the homie Joe. C-Cypher (the police) should only use reasonable force at times where there is immediate danger to life or limb. Word to life, none of us had heat, why would they clap at us 50 times? Poor Training? Probably. Negligence? You better believe it. Racism? Always a factor, but only time will tell. I was on the come up too yo, after all a brotha was getting married the next day, real rap.In 2006, Hip Hop has dwindled to a microscopic portion of the game that is derided or ignored by many popular artists (most of those artists are suspect anywho). Sean Bell’s death, although unfortunate presents an opportunity for the black as well as hip hop community to unify. So far both communities have stepped to the plate, proving that our hearts do not pump kool-aid. In an awe-inspiring showing, the New Black Panther Party gathered the black community for the “March of Outrage,” which addressed the unforgiveable and detestable conduct of the NYPD.Mayor Bloomberg even criticized the shooting as “inexplicable” and “unacceptable” in a meeting with prominent black leaders in the NYC area. This is certainly a better showing than Mayor Giuliani who during the Amadou Diallo tragedy was truent in his attempts to reconcile evident police brutality concerns with black leaders.Hip Hop moguls Nas, Papoose and Grafh have played their hands well enough to full house and backhand the NYPD. Nas felt that the officers involved in the fiasco should be “treated like gangsters” on trial. Pre-eminent Brooklyn lyricist Papoose released the aptly titled “50 Shots,” which points a poetic pistol at the NYPD, with no blanks and no misses. Similar sentiments were echoed by Queens artist Grafh on his version of the dilemma dubbed “Black Panther.”A tragedy of this magnitude invokes a question profoundly posed by the “Teacher,” KRS-ONE & BDP in 1989, “Who Protects us from you?,” referring to corrupt cops. KRS told us that:If I hit you I’ll be killedBut you hit me? I can sue (Order! Order!)Lookin’ through my history bookI’ve watched you as you grewKillin’ blacks and callin’ it the law(Bo! Bo! Bo!) And worshipping Jesus too.Is hip hop becoming more unified and more fortified? If it is not clear, this is a good indication in favor of progression.This showing demonstrates that our community will not stand for oppression, or injustice and that’s righteous by any God you pray.Thursday stresses: “Injustice is a coward in the face of diligence and vigilence, fight back, or fall back.”

One Response to “Hip Hop Expresses Outrage over Sean Bell Atrocity”

1. Bruce Dixon Says:
   January 20th, 2007 at 4:26 pm

   The murder of black youth by police is an old story, that is still unfinished. The degree of racial selectivity exercised by the law enforcement authorities in this country has gone way up in a generation. In 1970, when I was 20 years old, there were about 7,000 people in the Illinois state prison system. By 2000 there were almost seven times as many. Crime, however you define it, did not multiply six times, of course. There is certainly a lot to be done.

   As for the New Black Panther Party, I was a member of the Illinois Chapter of the BPP in 1969 and 1970, and am still in occasional touch with David Hilliard and other members of the party. We have no respect whatsoever for the so-called New BPP who seem to stand for everything quite the opposite of what we did. I will be doing an article later this year on that at www.blackagendareport.com.

   Right now you can find a recent interview with Bobby Seale at that location. Peace. Nice site.
   bd

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