Rapper B. Dolan Revisits ‘Film The Police’ video/ Song in the Wake of Recent Supreme Ct Ruling

B. Dolan

B. Dolan of Providence Rhode Island is one of those cats who you can always count on to not only speak truth to power but back up his words with impactful and thoughtful actions. Him and his partner Sage Francis in addition to putting out dope music, also founded a great website called Knowmore.org which helps raise consumer awareness and shine light on various movements that are pushing back on the increasing encroachment of corporations that undermine democracy, workers rights and human rights. It’s a great resource and folks are encouraged to check it HERE

About a year or so ago, B.Dolan decided to put out a video to a song that came out of his concern repressive actions of the police during the Oscar Grant Movement in Oakland. The cut was a remake of NWA‘s classic song ‘F– Tha Police’. This new one was called ‘Film Tha Police‘. Featured on the song are rappers Toki Wright of the Rhymesayers, Jasiri X out of Pittsburgh who is with One Hood and Sage Francis.

At the time Dolan thought it was incredibly important that more people do what was done around the tragic Oscar Grant shooting in terms of documenting police abuse with cameras. What he didn’t realize at the time was police all over the country were attacking and brutalizing citizens who they saw filming them. The night that Oscar Grant was murdered in front of hundreds on the Fruitvale BART station Jan 1 2009, cops stormed the trains and snatched as many cell phones as they could, claiming they needed them for evidence. To this day many have yet to get their phones or pictures back.

Dolan also wasn’t aware that when he did the video that the police had gone into overdrive and pushed to get laws passed that borrowed on antiquated wiretapping/eavesdropping  laws which made it illegal to film the police in certain states.. In places like Illinois, people caught filming the police could get up to 15 years in jail. That’s right you read that correctly 15 years in jail.  This had a chilling effect especially amongst those who were involving themselves in the Occupy Movements where incidents of police brutality was heightened and happening daily.

Earlier this week the United States Supreme Court decided not to weigh in on case that dealt with this issue. The justices decided to let stand a lesser ruling that took place in the 7th Circuit court that allows citizens in the state of Illinois to record police officers performing their official duties.

In the 7th circuit court the ruling read as follows; “The Illinois eavesdropping statue restricts a medium of expression commonly used for the preservation and communication of information and ideas, thus triggering First Amendment scrutiny” and that the “statute restricts far more speech than necessary to protect legitimate privacy interests,”

We talked with B.Dolan about this latest ruling and he expressed satisfaction. He noted that its a big victory for communities who are subjected to police abuse to have a powerful tool like their cameras. He also noted there are more steps we need to case to once and for all eradicate police brutality. Below is our interview B.Dolan expounds upon  his feelings around this ruling. He also talks about the making of the video and what it entailed.

Dolan also talks about the racial dynamics of police brutality and how what was experienced during Occupy Movement at the hands of the police sent a clear message that anyone opposing the system in any form or fashion will be opposed by the state. The police are lackeys for the state.

We ended our interview by talking about crucial next steps as well as the new project B. Dolan has been doing around the plight of CeCe McDonald a Transgender women who is currently serving jail time for defending herself against a hate crime and attack.. You can get more info on Free CeCe McDonald campaign by clicking HERE

You can peep our interview w/ B.Dolan by clicking the link below

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyT1buoyTnY

 

Which Side Are You On?  CeCe McDonald

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKHf1YVATfk

 

Legendary Singer Stevie Wonder Set to Pull Out of Fund-Raising Gig for Israeli Army

For the past week there was a lot of buzz about how disappointed folks were with legendary singer Stevie Wonder when it was announced that he would be doing a special fundraising show for the Israeli military IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) in Los Angeles on December 6th. Many had come to view Wonder as a champion of Human Rights and felt him performing to raise money for Israel’s military of all organizations, was the height of hypocrisy.

For starters there has been a cultural campaign encouraging  artists not to perform in Israel because of the ongoing conflict with Palestine. You can read about that boycott HERE.  Granted Wonder wasn’t performing in Israel, but considering the gist of the cultural boycott is around the use of Israel’s military to oppress Palestinians, many felt Wonder had crossed the line and being insensitive. Word of him performing for IDF really caused upset given the recent bombings that have gone on in Gaza under Operation Pillar where dozens of children were killed.

If that wasn’t enough, recently the social media director of the Israeli Army, Sacha Dratwa took a photograph of himself in blackface, mocking President Obama.. You can read about that HERE

On social media, many raised the questions if Wonder actually knew about the IDF organization and what they stood for or if he was under some sort of pressure to perform. Whatever the case, it didn’t look good as folks from all over the world started to raise a stink and send out petitions. Here’s what the Change.org Petition said:

We call on Stevie Wonder, as a conscientious American advocate for human rights and dignity not to support the Israeli Defense Force by performing at their gala fundraiser. In the face of over 60 years of Israeli colonization of Palestinian land and the disenfranchisement of the Palestinian people and in the wake of Israel’s latest violent aggression against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip– we ask you NOT to support the IDF. The IDF is an institution which promotes, enables, and protects Israel’s Apartheid regime. You were arrested in 1985 protesting South African Apartheid, now we ask you: please remember that apartheid is apartheid, whether it comes from White Afrikaaner settlers of South Africa or from Jewish Israelis in Israel. Desmond Tutu has recognized that Israel’s Apartheid is worse than South Africa’s– will you stand with us against apartheid and cancel your performance at the IDF fundraiser?

Another petition put out by  the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, called on Wonder to  “Please be a ‘full-time lover’ of justice by standing on the right side of history and canceling your performance for the Israeli army.”

Late yesterday, there were news stories running in Jewish based publications like HAARETZ noting that Stevie Wonder is set to pull out of his performance. They note that Wonder’s representatives claim that he did not know the nature of the group, the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, and that he believes such a performance would be incongruent with his status as a UN “Messenger of Peace,”You can read about that HERE

Some may say that Wonder was using his UN position as a weak excuse and that he should’ve taken a firmer stand condemning Israel military and the policies that govern it. Others are happy that he’s pulling out and hopefully will not back track or commit himself to do future fundraisers for IDF.  It’s still a mystery to many of us as to why the IDF feel a need to host a  a fund-raiser for the Israeli Army considering the billions we give to them each  year via our tax dollars in military aid. Israel has the 4th largest army in the world and gets on average 3 billions dollars a year from the US. You can read about that HERE.

With Wonder pulling out, former Green Party VP candidate and activist Rosa Clemente raised a more challenging question. She released this statement via social media last night; “….all of you complaining about Stevie (Wonder) and asking about signing petitions, are you still rolling with the Obama Democratic administration that actually funds and supports Israel? I mean it’s not like he (Wonder) is making or implementing policy.”

Holding our public officials and the policies they support is where the real battle ground is..Stevie Wonder pulling out hasn’t changed our policies yet.. More pressure is needed.. In the meantime, here’s a song that was done in protest of Stevie Wonder’s initial decision to perform for the IDF. It’s done by a Palestinian singer known as Doc Jazz..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kR99M75T6A