38th Notes Exclusive: Dead Prez Speaks on Oscar Grant, Lovelle Mixon, OPD and Survival

Last month I had the pleasure of chopping it up with Dead Prez about their new mixtape and forthcoming album, but I also took the opportunity to ask them about some remarks they made regarding the Lovelle Mixon shootings at this years SXSW concert. As much as I have thought about the Grant/Mixon/Bart/OPD fiasco, I think Stic.Man connects them all in a pretty solid and logical progression. Check it out below, and read my full interview with them HERE.

GIANT: There was a recording of Dead Prez performing at SXSW at which yall announced the shootings of four police officers in Oakland, CA. Your announcement seemed somewhat celebratory and there were cheers in the crowd. In the “conscious” hip-hop scene there is plenty of revolutionary rhetoric, but not much action. Did you see the shooting of the Oakland Police officers as a revolutionary act?

Stic.Man: Rebellion happens in different ways and in different stages. The revolution is the process of people becoming conscious that we need power and then demanding it through organization. In instances where an unarmed brother (Oscar Grant) can get blasted for no reason laying down in hand cuffs in front of everyone, I think its progressive that people say “Hey Man our lives are not guaranteed and it’s the system that’s taking them.”

These events put people in a state of emergency and fear. They don’t know what’s gonna happen when they get stopped by the police. They could comply, lay down on their face in hand-cuffs and still get blown away. When you force people to live in those kinds of conditions, people are gonna react to survive. So I think the things you’ve seen in Oakland in the past, and the recent stuff, is evidence of that. People might not be politically developed enough to call themselves revolutionaries, but they are socially smart enough to say “God damnit Im gonna live. I’m not just gonna let someone take my life.” And I see that as a revolutionary development.

Zumbi (of Zion I) & The Are: "Cops Hate Kidz"

Zumbi of Zion I and The Are of The Trackmasters have teamed up to form The Burnerz. I don't know how permanent this arrangement is, but they have gone in hard on their debut. "Cops Hate Kidz" is addressing the recent cop killings in Oakland, and while it would never be misconstrued as pro-police, its more accusatory of the overall system that creates such contentious relationships and combustible situations. Zumbi writes on his blog:

To the youth, I implore you to seek greater understanding in these difficult times. “Fuck the Police” is an easy reaction to what’s going on. I feel that way sometimes too. But, every police officer is not bad, just like every person from the hood is not good. People are people, some are just messed up in the head. The system is what needs to be held accountable. Do not allow yourselves to be manipulated into becoming another statistic about murder rates in Oakland. If you’re going to fight, lets fight with our minds as a collective to change this rotting system. With love and respect…R.I.P. Oscar Grant and the countless other lives lost to senseless killings.

This commentary aside, Zumbi speaks on a very real give-and-take dynamic between youth and police on "Cops Hate Kidz." If cops kill kids, then kids will kill cops right back. I'm not saying that Lovelle Mixon was channeling the memory of Oscar Grant or that he was justified in his actions, but we shouldn't be so surprised that this happened. OPD has been a volatile force in Oakland for years, and with young people of color being a regular target for them, it is fairly logical that at some point this situation would reach a retaliatory breaking point.

That point has come, and it's on us to address it before we sink into civil war, martial-like law or plain hopelessness. This is our city and I will no longer tolerate this genocide no matter who is killed. I feel bad for the officers who died, but worse for all the other faceless names that have passed through the Tribune's headlines over the years with zero fanfare. This one is for yall.

DL: "Cops Hate Kidz"- The Burnerz

Kudos to BayIsBack via Strivin

Civil War in Oakland: The People vs The Police

This is a broadcast by Oakland OG Davey D that focuses on the recent killings in East Oakland. The highlight of the show is an interview with Mistah FAB midway through. I have a lot to say and it will be forthcoming shortly, but this shall have to suffice for now. Bottom line: This is not a laughing or cheering matter. I am a community activist and believe our justice system is flawed, but am not naive enough to regard this a revolutionary act. This was a bad decision, and for us to sponsor it will only create further community repression.

I am by no means a fan of the police, but it's too easy to perpetuate this dichotomous legacy of distrust and hatred. We need to (wo)man up and solve this problem with sense and community involvement. Five more men have died in Oakland and I refuse to call this genocide progress. . .