STREETS CONSCIOUSNESS P. IX : THE CASE OF CONSCIENCE

"We're in an illusion about what our role is in world politics and foreign affairs, and our policies are killing and destroying and doing a lot of things that we are not aware of. " -



Talib Kweli

"Amadou Diallo (September 2, 1975 – February 4, 1999) was a 23-year-old Guinean immigrant in New York City who was shot and killed on February 4, 1999 by four New York City Police Department plain-clothed officers: Sean Carroll, Richard Murphy, Edward McMellon and Kenneth Boss. The four officers fired a total of 41 rounds. The shooting took place at 1157 Wheeler Avenue in the Soundview section of The Bronx. The four were part of the now-defunct Street Crimes Unit. All four officers were acquitted at trial in Albany, New York"

"The Sean Bell shooting incident took place in the New York City borough of Queens on November 25, 2006, in which one Latino and two African-American men were shot a total of fifty times by a team of both plainclothes and undercover NYPD officers, killing one of the men, Sean Bell, on the morning after his bachelor party, and severely wounding two of his friends.[1] The incident sparked fierce criticism of the police from some members of the public and drew comparisons to the 1999 killing of Amadou Diallo.[2] Three of the five detectives involved in the shooting went to trial[3] on charges ranging from manslaughter to reckless endangerment, and were found not guilty."

-WIKIPEDIA

"There is nothing new under the sun"- King solomon. The above cases in recent years, among many in the urban struggle sparked a stream of social awareness of the ills of inner city politics; specifically the relation of minorties and law enforcement. I personally advocate even the more social consciousness among the inner cities; due to the reflection of mass media stereotypes, and the hidden themes of racial profiling. Considerable time has passed in the wake of the above cases, and due to freedom of speech in the fabric of american democracy, these and many other cases of social injustices have been exposed. Nonetheless it is a constant struggle, on camara or off. Specifically in the inner city's, social consciousness is part of the element of survival; to understand the spirit and mindset of your environment; and the activity, apart
from the badge or behind it. A notable project that reflects social injustices is the 2000 throwback "hip hop for respect", created in the wake of the amadou diallo case:

"Hip Hop for Respect was a project which released one EP for Rawkus Records. It was organized & created by Mos Def & Talib Kweli to speak out against police brutality
Amadou Diallo had been murdered by policeman the previous year, so the subject of police brutality was prevalent.
Rappers featured on the EP include Kool G Rap, Rah Digga, Sporty Thievz, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Common, Pharoahe Monch, Posdnous, Dante & Main Flow of Mood, Nine, Tiye Phoenix, Breezly Brewin' of Juggaknots, Punchline, Imani Uzuri, EL-P & Mr. Len of Company Flow, Jah Born of Medina Green, What? What?, John Forté, Fre, J-Live, Rubix, Invincible, Wordsworth, A.L., Kofi Taha, Tame One, Jane Doe, Grafh, Shyheim, Channel Live, Wise Intelligent, Crunch Lo, Rock of Heltah Skeltah, Nonchalant, Ras Kass, Dead Prez, & Parrish Smith."-WIKIPEDIA

-We close with a recent documentry of an artist collective on this very subject. And the request of prayers toward my brother and G.G.O/t.h.u.g. angel wu-tang affiliate hell razah, who recently came out of icu into rehabilitaion after a brain anuerism. We feature a song off his upcoming project "the heaven razah lp". Continue to heal brother.






" STIR OF ECHOES" HELL RAZAH FT. ATARI BLITZKRIEG


THEE URBANPRIESTHOOD GROUP 2010