Chilean Born Emcee Anita Tijoux Speaks on Student Strike Back Home & SB 1070 in Arizona

It’s always a pleasure to chat it up w/ Chilean born emcee Anita Tijoux who has been doing her thing for a minute outside the US and has now been making major headway here. Her album 1977 kicked down the doors and put folks on notice she was not one to be toyed with.. Her constant sold out shows is an indication that she’s here to stay. We sat down with Anita not too long ago after she rocked the Independent in SF. We talked about her new material and the political uprisings in her native Chile where hundreds of thousands of people have been taking to the streets protesting education tuition hikes..

Anita explained how everything in Chile has been privatized and averaged people have been economically squeezed to the point that there has been eruptions from the youth..Tijoux captured the raw emotions of what’s going down with a song called Shock.. She later did an accoustic version of the song after visiting the border in Arizona and witnessing first hand the trauma being inflicted on both documented and  undocumented folks thanks to to SB 1070

Below is the Hard Knock Radio interview click the link below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=177-s44MSVQ    Shock in Chile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkvgAXkd7yM Shock in Arizona

Flipsyde takes on the Police, Chuck D takes on Immigration..Hip Hop is Up an at ‘Em

Oakland based Flipsyde bring serious heat with this song and video called ‘Act Like a Cop’.. Lots of messages laced throughout the video.. This is what we need more of… Props to Piper, dave and the Crew for giving us the type of cultural nourishment we all need in this time of mass distraction..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCYc4ndSMU

Chuck D of Public Enemy brought down the house last night at Stanford University when he delivered a new video for the song ‘Tear Down That Wall‘.

He explained that he does music and videos to add to the struggle not take away from it.. he explained many mistakenly believed the landmark song ‘By the Time I get to Arizona’ was dedicated to the current struggle around immigration and the racist law SB 1070..It wasn’t…

Chuck explained it was a song that made to address Arizona’s refusal to honor Martin Luther King’s birthday. He says he recognizes that the same reactionary forces that smashed on King are also behind SB1070, but in PE’s new song’, it specifically addresses the oppression being levied on indigenous communities.

He said he wanted to show the hypocrisy of America where they she demanded that the Berlin Wall be torn down during the Cold War, while simultaneously spending billions to build up walls of our own.

Chuck also noted how we have vastly different policies with the ‘border walls’ between canada and the US vs mexico and the US.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPeyQ9SdiOs

12 Beefs We Should Remember from 2010

It’s that time of year again where we look back, remember and reflect on what went down this past year- 2010.. For me, there was so much making it hard to put it all in one essay.  But I figured, lemme try and reflect a bit at atime..So here ya go..

Here’s ‘12 Oh Snap, You Remember That Beef ? for 2010.. Some were funny, Some not so funny.. Some we just shouldn’t forget. And just so folks know, because I know y’all are gonna ask,  I didn’t include Oscar Grant vs Police, Shirley Sherrod vs the NAACP or the BP Oil Spill. Those will be for my year end write up.  I wanna go in on those topics in a different way..Also I forgot to include the conflict Bishop Eddie Long had with 4 young men in his church who accused him of sexual misconduct.  I’ll include in my end of year write up as well.. In the mean time enjoy-Enjoy

-Davey D-

12Trae the Truth vs the Boxx. This was an under-reported beef which could’ve and should’ve had far-reaching implications. At the core of  this beef was a nagging question: ‘What happens when a radio station not only decides to ban your music because of a disagreement, but fires it’s deejays and bans other artists who even associate with the artist? thats banned?

This is what happened with one of Houston’s most popular artists Trae the Truth. Earlier this year, he had an argument with an on air personality where she clowned him on air. He clowned her back  in a mixtape and the next thing you know he was banned.

Trae although not happy could deal with it until the station started insisting to local promoters and other artists that Trae not be included on their bills and songs.  Any one caught supporting Trae would be banned from the The Boxx. Several of the the Box’s deejays including popular host , Brandi Garcia were fired for supporting Trae or playing his records at nightclubs.

Such punitive actions prompted Trae to sue the radio station, which in turn set off all sorts of debates about the responsibility of those who control the public airwaves.

Here’s a video of the press conference along with an Open Letter to the KBXX

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V4m-nXwa9s

Scarface

11Scarface vs VHI Hip Hop Honors.. I don’t know if this was a beef in the traditional sense with lots of animosity, but neverthless it was one that got a lot of people talking in 2010.

Hip Hop legend Scarface decided to address VH1 about their Hip Hop Honors show and how they were going about honoring Southern artists-which was this year’s theme.

Scarface who was to be honored, shocked everyone when he returned his invitation> he got major props from fans when he penned an open letter detailing the reasons for his decision. He felt it was important to stand up for a region that is often overlooked and clowned.  He wanted long term changes not just honors at an awards show. He penned the following words for Ozone Magazine

I was nominated [to be honored at the Dirty South Hip Hop Honors] but I declined to accept because I don’t wanna be classified as just “Dirty South.” I’m Hip Hop, man. I’m not going because I feel slighted. Even though it was a nice gesture, I feel like it’s just a pacifier. They’re like, “Let’s give these niggas down there a pacifier so they can stop feeling left out. We’ll make Luke and all these niggas down there look funny,” you know? “Let’s put a plate of fried chicken and some watermelon and let’s just do some nigga-ass shit.” (laughs) Quote, end quote. “Some nigga-ass shit.” Fried chicken and watermelon. “Shit, the faster we get this over with, the better.”

peep the rest of the letter HERE

10Al Sharpton vs Tavis Smiley: In 2010, many of us were waiting for boxers Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao to mix it up. That didn’t happen but we go the next best thing.. two Civil Rights leaders, Al Sharpton and Tavis Smiley going at on the airwaves.. Now in my opinion it wasn’t over trivial stuff although some tried to make it so..

It was a spirited debate over how President Obama was handling issues important to the African American community.  Tavis felt the President has not been on the case the way he should.. Al Sharpton who had just visited the White House along with other Civil Rights leaders, took issue with the way Tavis was coming at him..

He felt Tavis was grand standing and trying to act like his annual State of Black Union Roundtable was the be all end all..This played out on the air and generated tons of debate..

Many got sidetracked by the pairs respective personalities as folks weighed in on what they liked or didn’t like about both men. On the flip side, many vigorously debated the hard questions about Obama and whether or not he’s been responsive to Black America.Check out the story and the audio archives HERE-Tavis vs Sharpton

Eventually Tavis held his roundtable in Chicago under the name  ‘We Count’. Minister Farrakhan showed up and drop serious gems about President Obama and how we should view his presidency. He went in on whether or not African-Americans should publicly be criticizing him.. I think its worth a listen.. Check it out HERE-Minister Farrakhan Speaks on Obama

Related to all this,  are the videos put out by two of Tavis running buddies, Professors Cornel West and Michael Eric Dyson. Throughout 2010  both went in on Obama.. Cornel got at Obama for not addressing the poor during his state of the Union address..Apparently President Obama didn’t appreciate Dr West’s critique and stepped to Cornel about that.. Dyson got at Obama for waffling on important issue.. He suggested that he be more like Bush and stop bowing down to his enemies.

Actor Sean Penn went in on Wyclef said he's been MIA for the past 6 months

09Sean Penn vs Wyclef Jean:..Actor Sean Penn is never one to pull punches and he most definitely lived up to his rep  during a CNN Interview when asked about his thoughts on singer Wyclef Jean running for President of Haiti.

Penn went in on Clef and basically said that his campaign was fanciful and that while it excited many of his fans in the United States, there was little excitement on the ground in Haiti because Wyclef had been missing in action for the past few months.. Penn said he feared that Wyclef would be used and become a shield for corporate interests and policies that have resulted in Haiti’s extreme economic hardships which were exasperated in the wake of Haiti’s devastating Earthquake where over 100 thousand people perished  You can peep Penn’s comments HERE..-Sean Penn Goes In on Wyclef

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6UK8lf6o3c

Many of Wyclef’s supporters who saw this newscast and immediately accused Penn of being the ultimate Hater. Many  were still reeling and circling the wagons after see Wyclef endure what many felt were unfair attacks on his YELE Charity.

If folks recall shortly after the earthquake Wyclef set up a charity where you could donate by texting to a number. Your donation would be added to your cell phone bill. As money came rolling in there were all sorts of unflattering stories that surfaced that came accused Wyclef of shoddy book-keeping.

He was accused of keeping the money after he did a couple of events and it wasn’t long before  the criticisms levied at him took on nasty racial tones. Many took offense as they saw Wyclef tirelessly working on relief efforts and they came to his aid  especially after held a tearful press conference defending his charity.

Others nodded their head in agreement with Penn because they knew what time it really was politically speaking in the embattled nation . Many knew about Wyclef’s political leanings including the fact that him and his Uncle,  Ambassador Raymond Joseph supported harsh policies championed by former  President Bill Clinton which included the suppression and banning of Haiti’s largest political party the Lavalas and the harsh removal (overthrow) of democratically elected President Jean Bertrand Aristide..

What was really crazy about this situation was Wyclef’s cousin and fellow Fugee member Pras came out and endorsed Wyclef’s rival.. a popular musician named Sweet Mickey. He explains why he was not supporting his famous cousin HERE-Pras Says No to Wyclef Run for President

John Mayer

08- John Mayer’s Racist Remarks.. At the start of the year everyone loved John Mayer. He was a fufunky white dude  embraced by many in the hood especially after he did some skits on the Dave Chappelle show. He hung out with iconic musicians like Questlove and pretty much was seen as ‘that guy’. There were quite a few sistas who felt like if given a chance they would get at him.. Everything was cool until Mayer did an interview for Playboy Magazine and said the following;

“I don’t think I open myself to it. My dick is sort of like a white supremacist. I’ve got a Benetton heart and a fuckin’ David Duke cock. I’m going to start dating separately from my dick. …I always thought Holly Robinson Peete was gorgeous. Every white dude loved Hilary from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. And Kerry Washington. She’s super hot and she’s also white-girl crazy. Kerry Washington would break your heart like a white girl. Just all of a sudden she’d be like, ‘Yeah, I sucked his dick. Whatever.'”

Folks were stunned when they read these other remarks:

Someone asked me the other day, “What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?” And by the way, it’s sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass. Why are you pulling a punch and calling it a hood pass if you really have a hood pass? But I said, “I can’t really have a hood pass. I’ve never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, ‘We’re full

This was all said in addition to him bragging about his sexual exploits with exes like Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Anniston. People did not hold back and went in on Mayer and let him have it.. Among them was author Adam Mansbach who penned an widely read article reminding us that Mayer was no different from Senator Harry Reid who earlier this year attributed President Obama’s success to him not ot having a Negro Dialect.

He reminded us that Mayer was no different from former Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, radio host Don Imus, comedian Michael Richards and baseball player John Rocker along with a host of others who crossed the line and made over the top racially charged remarks. You can peep Mansbach’s column HERE-“And the Hood Pass..

As the firestorm erupted Mayer soon found himself twittering apologies trying to clean things up. He even stopped a concert to let folks know how wrong he was.. Not sure if Mayer got his ‘hood pass back.’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npASm6_8vLc

Solar

07Solar vs the World… The untimely death of Hip Hop legend Guru was sad enough. The beloved emcee had touched us all and his passing earlier this year left us all wanting to come together and collectively mourn. Unfortunately that was disrupted by Guru’s producer/partner Solar whose actions and words left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth.

Many were disheartened when a farewell letter Solar produced depicted Guru as someone on his death-bed who was bitter and vengeful. The letter stated that Solar would handle all his affairs control his business dealings. The letter also stated that his former deejay and partner DJ Premier should not be associated with him at all..

Folks were skeptical about the authenticity of the letter  and felt like Solar was out-of-pocket and being manipulative. Many accused him of isolating Guru from his family and was using his death as a way to uplift himself. Whatever speculation folks had about Solar was bolstered by this disturbing video from Guru’s nephew Justin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TNkP4pH6-0

Folks were even more disheartened when reports came out accusing Solar of beating down Guru on numerous occasions and that the two were entangled in some sort of abusive love relationship.

Things got so bad Solar wound up going on MTV to deny the allegations..But even more stories came out about him beating Guru including this one from the mother of his child who went into great detail about what she had witnessed between the pair…

Sadly Guru’s death was marred by chant s and rally cries of ‘F–k Solar’. There was even a website set up http://www.fucksolar.com/ which professes to be documenting Solar’s downfall for Guru. The controversy surrounding Solar overshadowed the accomplishments of Keith ‘Guru’ Elam

06Helen Thomas vs Israel... She was considered the Dean of the White House Press Corps. 90 year old Helen Thomas was legendary. She sat in the front row and always asked sharp, pointed questions to more presidents than any other reporter. She was beloved by all the Presidents she took on until a video surfaced of her criticizing Israel..

What happened was Thomas was leaving the White House  after a celebration for Jewish Heritage Day when a reporter caught up with her  and asked her thoughts about Israel.

The feisty Thomas without hesitation said,  They (Israel) needed to get the Hell out of Palestine’.  She continued by saying the Jews that were there were occupiers and they need to go back home to Poland, Germany and America.

Now many of us weren’t clear if Thomas was referring to the settlements or she was talking in general. There was no opportunity to debate or ask. The reaction to her remarks were swift and punishing.

Within a day of her remarks, she was dropped by her agent. Her invitation to keynote at a university  was rescinded. Her book project was dropped. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer condemned her. President Obama moon walked away from her and Thomas suddenly retired/ fired from the Hearst Corporation. She was labeled an anti-Semite  and her 57 years of reporting was forgotten about as she was quickly nicknamed Ms Hezzbollah and Ms Harmas. Thomas later apologized for upsetting folks but stuck by her remarks in interviews done after the incident. She said it was true Israel was a bully and was occupier and that any sort of criticism of the country was like touching the 3rd rail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQcQdWBqt14

05Texas vs the US History… Leave it to the state of Texas to stir things up in such a way that the rest of the country gets impacted. Case in point, while most people ignored the election of folks to the Texas State Board of Education, a group of right-wing nuts got themselves on there and decided it was time to change things up. They started by proposing to remove important Black and Brown figures like Thurgood Marshall and Cesar Chavez and replace them with folks like conservative leader Newt Gingrich and the late Jerry Falwell.  They removed words like slavery and replaced it with a nice sounding name like Atlantic Triangular Trade. In short Texas decided to white wash history.

Sadly what many people failed to realize was that because Texas is such a large state, the changes it put in text books would impact 90% of the country because publishers would print books based on the huge amount Texas purchases. Related to this Texas Text Book controversy was Arizona passing a law to get rid of ethnic studies and teachers with accents.  Yep this all went down in 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OUNw6SUt8k&feature=fvw

04- Epic Bearded Man vs Coolio (When keeping it real goes Wrong) … There was a crazy fight that took place earlier this year on Oakland’s famed AC Transit bus that caught the imagination of folks all over the country..  A senior citizen (Epic Bearded Man) 67 yrs old got into an exchange of words with a much younger man sporting braids  (he was dubbed Coolio). The argument stemmed from the Epic Bearded Man asking about a shoe shine and Coolio Man not appreciating the racial dynamics to the questions.. Words were exchanged. Epic Bearded man got up to leave.. but that wasn’t enough for Coolio who was being egged on a young woman filming the confrontation. Bearded man warned Coolio he was one white boy not mess and walked to the front of the bus and sat down in the senior citizen section.  Coolio didn’t head the warning.. He went up to the front of the bus took a swing ..the rest is history.

Coolio did not know Epic Man is also known as Vietnam Tom was said to be former special forces guy who served in Nam who is known for clocking fools including the police.His sister says he wasn’t in Nam.. Whatever the case Tom can fight..He’s no joke and put fools on notice.

After this incident went viral there was all sorts of follow-up interviews Also the young lady who filmed the clip and was seen stealing Tom’s wallet, got hacked and harassed for months … You can peep them here  Drama on AC Transit , Interviews with the Combatants

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF6W3206l70

03-Dr Laura vs N**gers:  There’s not a whole lot one can write about this incident.. All you have to do is listen to the phone call and shake your head in utter astonishment.. Dr Laura reminded us just how backwards things can be at times in this country.. Her use of the N word 11 times was bad enough. What took it over the top was how dismissive she was to her troubled caller along with her overall analysis about race. Dr Laura basically told her caller there was no more racism because Obama was in office.  Y’all remember this call heard around the world?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAD-PipXGwA&feature=related

Debbie Riddle

Kind of in the same vein is Texas lawmaker Debbie Riddle who sort of looks like Dr Laura. Whereas Dr Laura went in on Black folks, lawmaker Riddle went in on Brown folks accusing them of having ‘anchor babies‘ and ‘terror babies‘.. Read about it HERE

Anchor babies are undocumented parents who have kids in the US so they can be citizens. Terror Babies are parents who have kids in the US take them back home, train them to be terrorists and then send them back to the US where they can supposedly enter legally and blow up stuff. Her assertions were so outrageous until you discovered that she is hard at work in the Texas legislature trying to pass 6 bills addressing these issues. She actually camped out in front of the capital to be first on the floor to get at these bills the day after the midterm elections

02 Arizona vs Brown Folks (SB 1070) This is an epic battle that is still being waged. Its one that all of us should be paying attention to because it shows what can happen when you get a few racist, backwards thinking people with a pen elected to office.

Arizona Lawmaker and White Supremacist supporter Russell Pearce sponsored the immigration bill

SB 1070 claims to be the toughest law in the country to stop the flow of undocumented folks from crossing the border. There are large numbers of White Supremacist forces behind this bill. Including long time Neo Nazi supporter Russell Pearse who is the brain child of behind this law. He’  successfully fought to ban ethnic studies in Arizona public schools and universities.

Sadly SB 1070 falls in line with Arizona’s sordid history of intolerance. Folks may recall this was the state that vigorously fought to NOT celebrate Martin Luther King‘s holiday. Only after a boycott pushed by singer Stevie Wonder which caused the state millions did they back off..

The passage of SB 1070 set off a slew of protests, boycotts and a number of songs and PSAs from prominent artists like Zack de La Roca, Talib Kweli, Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, Cypress Hill, Johnny 5, Pittbull,  Toki Wright, Public Enemy and a number of Arizona based artists called Az Artists Unite. Many artists committed to boycotting the state in an effort called Sound Strike. The battle still wages shout out to all who have stood up.

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

Since we’re on the racism White Supremacist tip,  we can’t mention the hostility around SB 1070 and not talk about the drama around the Mosque at Ground Zero. As 9-11 drew close we saw innocent cab drivers stabbed in the throat, we saw Mosque get vandalized, we saw sitting Senators and Congressmen insist that American citizens who practice a religion remove themselves from an area that was populated with fast food joints and strip clubs.. We saw a Christian Pastor named Terry Jones threaten to burn Holy Qurans.

Islamaphobia is something else when it raises its ugly head and we should never forget how it’s close cousins to the racial intolerance displayed around undocumented immigrants. This video says it all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwaNRWMN-F4

01Jimmy McMillan and Landlords Everywhere: We figured we end our year in beefs with one that everyone can relate to..NY Gubenatorial candidate Jimmy McMillan showed up at debate to remind folks what the real issue was in the middle of the worst recession in decades.. He repeated over and over.. he said The Rent is Too Damn High..McMillans words resonated with renters everywhere. Did rents get lowered as a result of this rallying cry? Not yet, but it sure feels good to say at the end of the month when handing in that rent check..

Although this is humorous this touched a nerve because it speaks to troubling underlying issues. Many of us had houses foreclosed on. Many could not get housing because of recently ruined credit. In some areas we saw rents skyrocket to the point of being more  than mortgages for houses.. Hello San Francisco??  We’ll leave you with this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4o-TeMHys0

Bonus Beef: Chris Brown vs RazB: We had already completed our year end beef story and it was up and running when we got this strange tweet from former B2K member Raz B.. It read as follows..

Im just sittin here Thinking how can n@@as like @ebenet (Eric Benet) & @ChrisBrown disrespect women as Intelligent as @HalleBerry11 @Rihanna

Everyone reading this collectively said ‘Ooohhh’ and it was on.. Singer Chris Brown quickly retorted with a series of disses which referenced Raz B admission that he was molested as a young member of B2k.. Chris used homophobic terms terms like butt-plugged and homo-thug.. He also talked about the irrelevancy of Raz B’s career.

Raz B  returned fire and questioned Chris Brown’s sexuality with retorts like;

@Chrisbrown Do you hit your boyfriend @andre_merritt like you do your women?

These sorts of disses went on throughout the day resulting in Chris Brown looking like the bad guy even though he didn’t initiate the fight.  Many have noted Raz B as the one who is constantly seeking attention and by going after the embattled Chris Brown, who tweeted insults long after the initial outburst from Raz B.

Whatever attention Raz wanted, he succeeded in getting it. Ideally Chris should’ve ignored him… By responding, he not only made the national news (this was reported on Early Today )..He also brought into question his use of slurs offensive to gays. He also came across as one who was insensitive to victims of molestation.

Ideally it would’ve been good if the pair ended their beef and turned their venom to people like Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson who yesterday suggested that Eagles QB Michael Vick should’ve been executed.

Perhaps they could’ve went after racist Tea Party members or smashed on corrupt cops like the one who killed Oscar Grant.  Better yet.. they could’ve made plans to do a song together and set an example for young fans on how brothas can work together.  After all yesterday was the 4th day ofKwanzaa with the principle of the day being Ujamaa which means co-operative economics..

Imagine if the pair came together to raise money for those in need? Instead they raised money for comedians, gossip columnists and TV and radio shows who reported on their exploits. The beef between Chris Brown and Raz B was a fine example of ‘Negro Entertainment’.

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Lessons from Arizona: Direct Action Organizing from 1999 to Now

Lessons from Arizona: Direct Action Organizing from 1999 to Now

by Jesse Strauss

Arizona’s legislature passed the highly contested Senate Bill 1070 last
April. The bill targets people who have crossed our southern border
without documentation in a variety of ways. One example is that Arizona
law enforcement officers, if following SB1070 as it was written, are
required to obtain citizenship/legal residency information of anyone they
come across who could have crossed the border without papers. Essentially,
this rule requires officers to profile the people they see in daily
interactions. As undocumented immigrants are deemed ‘illegal’ by Arizona’s
power structure, the consequences of daily activities like shopping,
taking kids to school or taking a stroll could result in the destruction
of a livelihood or a family by arrest and deportation.

The passing of SB1070 occurred near the end of the eight month period from
September 2009 through May 2010, when the bodies of 110 hopeful immigrants
were recovered on the US side of the Arizona-Mexico border, many of which
were completely unidentifiable by the time they were discovered. As a
supposed method to combat non-legal border crossings, support for SB1070
spread quickly along southern states. Within a few weeks of SB1070’s
approval, eleven other states readied themselves to create and implement
copycat laws. News pundits jumped on the story and comfortably took their
places in the hype of the “immigration debate” that appeals to most of
their viewers, which is characterized by an Us versus Them approach.

What was broadcast over mainstream airwaves was a narrative that erased
many complexities of immigration in favor of a simple and stereotypical
polarizing approach. In those “immigration debates” it was rare to hear
any mention of why people might be leaving their homes, their families,
and their lives as they know them in order to be in the US. Also lacking
was any clear definition of ‘immigration’ in a context of two countries
whose borders changed barely 150 years ago with the Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo (which is why the question of who crossed the border and who the
border crossed should be brought up as a major part of the conversation).

Nationalizing a Local Movement

Soon after SB1070’s passing, people took to the streets all around the
country in protest (and in the case of some ‘Tea Party’ activists,
support). Leilani Clark is a community activist in Tucson, and a member of
a group now called the Capitol Nine. On April 20th, she and eight others
chained themselves to the state capitol building in Phoenix. In her words,
the group was “chained to this building just like our community is chained
to this legislation.” In that respect, Clark approached the action through
her responsibility as a community member. Action is all she could hope for
to create change in such a racially divisive legal reform, and the group
took action “as a massive call out to nonviolent civil disobedience, not
only in Arizona but all across the country.”

Soon after, fourteen young people in Los Angeles were arrested for
chaining themselves to an intersection in protest of SB1070. A few weeks
later, House Bill 2281 passed in Arizona, banning Ethnic Studies. A group
of fifteen Ethnic Studies students and alumni protested by occupying the
State Building in Tucson.

These are just a few examples of the nonviolent actions taken before
SB1070 was implemented on July 29th. What seems to fall through the cracks
too often in discussions of the actions, however, is their level of
coordination.

Movement Building Arizona Style

A few weeks ago, the Catalyst Project, a San Francisco organization
focused around building a movement against racism especially in white
communities, facilitated a report-back featuring activists who had been
organizing against SB1070 in Arizona prior to July 29th. One segment of
the report-back was an important analysis of the effectiveness of the
movement building process in Arizona. For context’s sake, the process was
contrasted with the organizing experience of the 1999 World Trade
Organization protests in Seattle.

Organizing against the WTO turned into massive street rebellions, where
activists clashed with police in virtually unprecedented ways, from
enormous levels of chemical agents being dispersed (tear gas, pepper
spray) to an incredible dedication by activists to continue fighting for
their cause of Global Justice. From the streets of Seattle to Quebec to
Miami and the beginnings of the World Social Forum process, the early
2000s seemed ready and ripe for a Global Justice revolution.

But Seattle’s organizing model was off. As described by the Catalyst
project, Seattle’s model followed a flawed logic that setting a date and
creating a public (and online) call to action with a specific list of
targets would itself engage a critical mass of activists to build the
movement for Global Justice. The point of those tactics were to be
anonymous, uncoordinated and spontaneous. In other words perhaps, this
could mean either that the approach was actually non-existant, or at best
did not allow for accountability from within the movement. For Seattle,
the magic was in the mystery of it all.

Eleven years later, the struggle for justice in Arizona created its own
model. While small groups like the Capitol Nine attracted media attention
and sent out a call to action around the country, community activists
around the country were working on coordinated campaigns. While the
headquarters of struggle found a base at Tona Tierra, a Phoenix community
organization for eco- racial- and indigenous- rights, it was hard to go
more than a few days in activist communities anywhere in the country
without seeing mention of SB1070 or the struggle against it. At the US
Social Forum for example, dozens of workshops and hundreds if not
thousands of people focused their energy on creating strategy for
immigration justice.

The Arizona model of organizing is articulated by direct action, but more
for the purpose of publicity than for creating change through action. In
Arizona, activists knocked on doors and facilitated community gatherings
to discuss the expected impact of SB1070 for months leading up to the
law’s implementation. Within the movement, there were known organizers and
leaders who were able to take critical steps and actions with small groups
as well as coordinate with other leaders and organizers who were
transparent about their roles and intentions. Whereas the WTO protests
focused on anonymity, Arizona organizing has allowed for accountability.

Additionally, there were many action plans with room for anyone to be
involved, no matter their level of commitment or amount of time they could
dedicate. This meant that while some folks were responsible for childcare
or finding food donations, others were writing press releases or
discussing tactics and effective actions. What is different from other
models is that people were able to participate in a variety of ways and
that space was created specifically for people to take action within the
legal framework as well as for those who were dedicated to taking action
outside of legal limitations.

What we saw in Arizona over the summer showed a new model of organizing,
wherein cooperation between people who are dedicated to different tactics
as well as space for accountability within the struggle takes center
stage. As opposed to Seattle’s magic being in the mystery, the Catalyst
Project described Arizona’s magic as in the coordination that allows for
resistance through action, both coordinated and organic. Perhaps the
organization that is embedded in the Arizona movement building strategy,
however, proves that the magic is nonexistent. Instead, coordination takes
priority, and all it needs is a niche within a movement of people ready to
take on collective action for collective liberation.

—————————-
Born and raised in Oakland, CA, Jesse Strauss is an independent
journalist. His articles have been featured on Truthout, Common Dreams,
CounterPunch, Consortium News, and other sources. Reach him at jstrauss
(at)
riseup.net.

Meet the 2 Most Dangerous White Women in America…Be Scared Folks Be Very Scared!

This has been a painful and turbulent week for white women everywhere. Just when we thought people were starting to come together, bridges were being built and brighter tomorrows were looming on the horizon, here come not one but two women who have set this country and white womanhood back at least 100 years. No we’re not talking Lindsey Lohan or Paris Hilton. Sure they do drugs, are a bit over the top with their behavior and done a little jail time, but hey we all have those moments.

No it’s not Britney Spears..We all have erratic behavior at times..We understand.

No, No, No it’s not Snooki-yeah she’s crazy, but who doesn’t like her? Fist pump everybody

No the two women who have done irreparable harm and have taken ding batness to new heights are actually considered pillars of society. They’re considered the type of individuals we should look up to because they’ve had measures of success. We’re talking about Texas rep  Debbie Riddle and radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger.  Over the past week the stuff that has come out of these two women’s mouth has been more than shocking.

Texas Rep Debbie Riddle believes we have Terror Babies to Fear

Let’s start with Ditzy Debbie Riddle. She’s a horse breeder and has served in Texas House of Representativesoutside of Houston since 2003.  We always thought something was a little off about her.  She just had that look.. it was the look of extreme intolerance. Our fears came to fruition back in March 2003 when she gave an interview and said “Where did this idea come from that everybody deserves free education, free medical care, free whatever? It comes from Moscow, from Russia. It comes straight out of the pit of hell. And it’s cleverly disguised as having a tender heart. It’s not a tender heart. It’s ripping the heart out of this country.” .

Yep you guessed it,  good ole Debbie was acting like one of the good ole boys and showing her unabashed disdain for anyone not Anglo. She really had it in for the Brown folks of this good state and sadly when ever possible you could count on Ditzy Debbie to stand up and advocate for any sort of legislation or measure that most of us would find oppressive.

For example, back in May in typical fashion Riddle couldn’t contain herself in showing support for Arizona’s Apartheid-like law SB 1070.  But leave it to Ditzy Debbie to take it to another level. In an interview with ABC News as reported by Houston Free Press ,she was asked why she thinks that minorities might be opposed to laws requiring them to show their identification papers to local law enforcement. Riddle replied; “When you have people that are used to entitlements, then they like the entitlements and they want the entitlements to keep coming… ”The people who are saying these laws are racially motivated are trying to divert attention for their own selfish greed,”

Thats classic Debbie…but fret not, this week she out did herself and drove the car off the cliff. During a CNN Interview she came up with this delusional story about how mothers were coming over to America, having babies returning to their country so they could have American citizenship, forcing the kids to join terrorists cells and then sending them back over to the US when their 18 so they could commit acts of terror. She termed these babies ‘Terror Babies‘.. Yes, you read all that correctly.. Here take a minute and re-read that. Better yet, look at this CNN interview where you can see and hear Debbie in all her glory. All this stems from Riddles desire to get rid of so called ‘anchor babies‘. She wants to see the 14th Amendment change so that we could strip kids of their citizenship if born in the US with undocumented parents.

We don’t know whether we should laugh at this shear stupidity or cry especially since none of this could be confirmed by the FBI or any other terror expert. Realizing she’s a bona-fide lawmaker we shudder because Ditzy Debbie tries to craft policies around these outlandish beliefs. Lord help us all..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A5Z1QnXhx8

Dr Laura showed and proved that she could be a member of NWA any day.

Next up we have Dr Dingy aka Laura Schlessinger. Maybe its me but she looks like she could be Ditzy Debbie’s sister. Anyway not to digress Dr Laura has always been the personification of hypocrisy and contradictions. She’s been on the air forever, dispensing advise on morals, family values and telling us how we should all live our lives. There’s nothing wrong with that per say, but Dr Laura has always been abrasive and uncompromising. She’s been known to go in on people and make them feel bad for divorcing or having sex outside of marriage. She’s been quick to smash on folks for behaving in an immoral fashion.

However when you take a closer look you find that it’s been, Dr Laura who got a divorce. She’s the one who had an affair. She’s the one who had naked pictures of herself surface. All her talk about having integrity went out the window when it was discovered that she was using her staff as fake guest for her short-lived talk show.

What really got into hot water was her outlook on Gays. She’s always seen them as an ‘abomination’, ‘deviant’ and a ‘biological error’. She was not shy about stating her opinions publicly which led to widespread protests and resulted in her having to publicly apologize or suffer serious economic consequences.

Dr Laura’s latest antic came the other day when she decided to step up and spout out the N word 11 times while speaking to an African American caller. Many of us thought she was trying to ensure a spot in the next NWA reunion. Here’s what took place.

An African American caller named Jade called in to talk about her interracial marriage. She noted that some of her husband’s friends and family members make racist comments. She complained that her husband would ignore the remarks and that left her feeling hurt.

Dr. Laura responded by saying, “sometimes people are hypersensitive.”

Later in the conversation Jade talked about the use of the N word and that it bothered her. Thats when Dr Laura rattled it off 11 times stating that Black people use it all the time. She said  “I don’t get it, if anybody without enough melanin says it it’s a horrible thing, but when black people say it it’s affectionate.”

Later on Dr Laura intensifies things by saying all sorts of crazy stuff about  “We got a black man as President and we have more complaining about racism than ever and I think that’s hilarious”

She told Jade who objected to the use of the N word that she had a chip on her shoulder  and was too sensitive and needed to get a sense of humor.

“Okay, all right, chip on your shoulder can’t do much about that. I think you have too much sensitivity and not enough sense of humor.

She even accused jade of trying to ‘NAACP her” and noted that “Hypersensitivity”  is being bred by black activists.

She concluded her call by saying: “I really thought that once we had a black president, the attempt to demonize whites, hating blacks, would stop. But it seems to have grown, and I don’t get it. Yes I do, it’s all about power.”

All you could do at the end of the call was shake you head in utter astonishment…Peep the call below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAD-PipXGwA&feature=related

Ditzy Debbie Riddle and Dr Dingy Laura Schlessinger what more can you ask for? Like I said, if it wasn’t for the fact that one is lawmaker crafting policy and the other is a Dr who dispenses advice on the air, this would be funny or something we could easily brush off. But they have creditability and get taken seriously in many circles. They’re living proof this country has along ways to go..Thank you ladies for taking America to new lows..

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner


Man Facing 16 Years for Videotaping the Police..A Full Fledged Police State Looms Larger

Police are pushing hard to make it a crime to videotape them.. They are making the case that even though they are public servants filming them without permission should be off limits.. This is not good at all… We been talking about this for weeks, how police departments all over the country, have been making moves to get laws passed making it a felony to videotape them. They have been citing wiretapping laws and parts of the Patriot Act.

Up to now, having video cameras has been the saving grace for many for many police brutality cases. Imagine if the murder of an unarmed Oscar Grant at an oakland subway station wasn’t videotaped? If folks recall, the day after he was shot, police released his criminal record to local newspapers and spun a narrative which suggested that he deserved to be shot because he had done wrong in the past. This information had huge impact as defenders of  Johannes Mehserle, the cop who killed Grant, have touted his criminal background as a reason to side with the convicted officer and see his action as ‘accidental’.

The push to shut down videotaping is coupled with most police departments having what is known as the Police Man’s Bill of Rights or some other Police protection law that allow officers to keep reports of violent incidents hidden, restrict them from having to polygraph tests, have their lockers searched and even have records of complaints excluded during any sort of criminal proceedings. We saw this play out during the Grant case. The world got to know about Grant past but not the unsavory things of  Mehserle who was no angel. Add all that up to this new tactic to enforce wire tapping laws and we now see the a full court press to keep citizens at a severe disadvantage.

Where might one wish to videotape the police? Let’s say we have concerns that racial profiling laws are being violated in Arizona under the controversial SB 1070. There’s a sizeable population of people who feel concerned that police will go overboard or that indviduals like Sheriff Joe Arpiao will defy court restrictions and direct officers to push the envelop and be aggressive in stopping people. Videoapes would be the best way for all concerned to keep everyone honest, but if we have wiretapping laws being cited and possible jail time being the result, this is more then chilling.

You wanna see where this has troubling effects? Look at the news Blackout that took place last year during the student protests in Iran. Many of us were upset and thought it barbaric that Iran had restricted  journalists and were beating and jailing protestors who videotaped police who were brutalizing protestors. How in the world did we here in the US get to a place where we are behaving like the country’s we heavily criticized? What will the public do when law enforcement starts putting into place new mass arrest techniques like Operation Falcon which has been damn near ignored by Main Stream media. How will we keep officers involved with that operation accountable?

I’ll leave you with one more food for thought…In recent days we learned that Google is working with the CIA to monitor websites. Does Google which owns Youtube start working with local law enforcement to restrict police videotapes from being loaded up. Police departments have been upset with Youtube stating that it puts officers in bad light and even in danger. We disagree. Videotaping keeps folks accountable and brings attention to rogue cops.

What’s even more troubling is Google now working with Verizon to cut a deal to end Net Neutrality… Imagine if we have situation where a website monitoring or video of police abuse is suddenly restricted or made to load frustratingly slow on the internet. Folks the day is coming where the flow of information is being shut down and blacked out..

Below is the video that has Anthony Graber in hot water.

-Davey D-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK5bMSyJCsg

Should Videotaping the Police Really Be a Crime?

By ADAM COHEN

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2008566,00.html?xid=huffpo-direct#ixzz0vjwcZVun

Anthony Graber, a Maryland Air National Guard staff sergeant, faces up to 16 years in prison. His crime? He videotaped his March encounter with a state trooper who pulled him over for speeding on a motorcycle. Then Graber put the video — which could put the officer in a bad light — up on YouTube.

It doesn’t sound like much. But Graber is not the only person being slapped down by the long arm of the law for the simple act of videotaping the police in a public place. Prosecutors across the U.S. claim the videotaping violates wiretap laws — a stretch, to put it mildly.

These days, it’s not hard to see why police are wary of being filmed. In 1991, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) beating of Rodney King was captured on video by a private citizen. It was shown repeatedly on television and caused a national uproar. As a result, four LAPD officers were put on trial, and when they were not convicted, riots broke out, leaving more than 50 people dead and thousands injured (two officers were later convicted on federal civil rights charges).

More recently, a New York Police Department officer was thrown off the force — and convicted of filing a false report — because of a video of his actions at a bicycle rally in Times Square. The officer can plainly be seen going up to a man on a bike and shoving him to the ground. The officer claimed the cyclist was trying to collide with him, and in the past, it might have been hard to disprove the police account. But this time there was an amateur video of the encounter — which quickly became an Internet sensation, viewed more than 3 million times on YouTube alone.

In the Graber case, the trooper also apparently had reason to want to keep his actions off the Internet. He cut Graber off in an unmarked vehicle, approached Graber in plain clothes and yelled while brandishing a gun before identifying himself as a trooper.

Back when King was beaten, it was unusual for bystanders to have video cameras. But today, everyone is a moviemaker. Lots of people carry video cameras in their pockets, on iPhones, BlackBerrys and even their MP3 players. They also have an easy distribution system: the Internet. A video can get millions of viewers worldwide if it goes viral, bouncing from blog to blog, e-mail to e-mail, and Facebook friend to Facebook friend.

No wonder, then, that civil rights groups have embraced amateur videos. Last year, the NAACP announced an initiative in which it encouraged ordinary citizens to tape police misconduct with their cell phones and send the videos to the group’s website, www.naacp.org.

Law enforcement is fighting back. In the case of Graber — a young husband and father who had never been arrested — the police searched his residence and seized computers. Graber spent 26 hours in jail even before facing the wiretapping charges that could conceivably put him away for 16 years. (It is hard to believe he will actually get anything like that, however. One point on his side: the Maryland attorney general’s office recently gave its opinion that a court would likely find that the wiretap law does not apply to traffic stops.)

Last year, Sharron Tasha Ford was arrested in Florida for videotaping an encounter between the police and her son on a public sidewalk. She was never prosecuted, but in June, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida sued the city of Boynton Beach on her behalf, claiming false arrest and violation of her First Amendment rights.

The legal argument prosecutors rely on in police video cases is thin. They say the audio aspect of the videos violates wiretap laws because, in some states, both parties to a conversation must consent to having a private conversation recorded. The hole in their argument is the word “private.” A police officer arresting or questioning someone on a highway or street is not having a private conversation. He is engaging in a public act.

Even if these cases do not hold up in court, the police can do a lot of damage just by threatening to arrest and prosecute people. “We see a fair amount of intimidation — police saying, ‘You can’t do that. It’s illegal,'” says Christopher Calabrese, a lawyer with the ACLU’s Washington office. It discourages people from filming, he says, even when they have the right to film.

Ford was not deterred. According to her account, even when the police threatened her with arrest, she refused to turn off her video camera, telling her son not to worry because “it’s all on video” and “let them be who they continue to be.”

The police then grabbed her, she said, took her camera and drove her off to the police station for booking.

Most people are not so game for a fight with the police. They just stop filming. These are the cases no one finds out about, in which there is no arrest or prosecution, but the public’s freedoms have nevertheless been eroded.

Ford was right to insist on her right to videotape police actions that occur in public, and others should too. If the police are doing their jobs properly, they should have nothing to worry about.

Cohen, a lawyer, is a former TIME writer and a former member of the New York Times editorial board

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2008566,00.html?xid=huffpo-direct

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Fear of a Brown Planet:Leading Republicans want to Eliminate Citizenship for Those Born in the US

DJEZUZDJONEZNEWZNET
INFORMING the HIP-HOP COMMUNITY

Republicans want review of birthright citizenship

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100803/ap_on_go_co/us_republicans_birthright_citizenship

By BEN EVANS, Associated Press Writer Ben Evans, Associated Press Writer – Tue Aug 3, 6:25 pm ET

John McCain

WASHINGTON– Leading Republicans are joining a push to reconsider the constitutional amendment that grants automatic citizenship to people born in the United States.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Tuesday he supports holding hearings on the 14th Amendment right, although he emphasized that Washington’s immigration focus should remain on border security.

His comments came as other Republicans in recent days have questioned or challenged birthright citizenship, embracing a cause that had largely been confined to the far right.

The senators include Arizona’s John McCain, the party’s 2008 presidential nominee; Arizona’s Jon Kyl, the Republicans’ second-ranking senator; Alabama’s Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a leading negotiator on immigration legislation.

“I’m not sure exactly what the drafters of the (14th) amendment had in mind, but I doubt it was that somebody could fly in from Brazil and have a child and fly back home with that child, and that child is forever an American citizen,” Sessions said.

Legal experts say repealing the citizenship right can be done only through constitutional amendment, which would require approval by two-thirds majorities in both chambers of Congress and by three-fourths of the states. Legislation to amend the right, introduced previously in the House, has stalled.

The proposals are sure to appeal to conservative voters as immigration so far is playing a central role in November’s elections. They also could carry risks by alienating Hispanic voters and alarming moderates who could view constitutional challenges as extreme. Hispanics have become the largest minority group in the United States, and many are highly driven by the illegal immigrant debate.

McConnell and McCain seemed to recognize the risk by offering guarded statements Tuesday.

McCain, who faces a challenge from the right in his re-election bid, said he supports reviewing citizenship rights. He emphasized, however, that amending the Constitution is a serious matter.

“I believe that the Constitution is a strong, complete and carefully crafted document that has successfully governed our nation for centuries and any proposal to amend the Constitution should receive extensive and thoughtful consideration,” he said.

At a news conference, McConnell refused to endorse Graham’s suggestion that citizenship rights be repealed for children of illegal immigrants. While refusing to take questions, he suggested instead that he would look narrowly into reports of businesses that help immigrants arrange to have babies in the United States in order to win their children U.S. citizenship.

The 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868 in the aftermath of the Civil War, granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” including recently freed slaves.

Defenders of the amendment say altering it would weaken a fundamental American value while doing little to deter illegal immigration. They also say it would create bureaucratic hardships for parents giving birth.

Quoting a newspaper columnist, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said Republicans were “either taking leave of their senses or their principles” in advocating repeal.

An estimated 10.8 million illegal immigrants were living in the U.S. as of January 2009, according to the Homeland Security Department. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that as of 2008, there were 3.8 million illegal immigrants in this country whose children are U.S. citizens.

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Breakdown FM:Giving You The News from Arizona Dedicated to Arizona Mix

Click HERE to Listen to Podcast

Today we wanna remind everyone of the screwed up law that went into effect in Arizona. We’re talking SB1070 and regardless how you may feel about immigration, the purpose of this law is not to stop folks from coming in this country. Its designed to make lots of money for the private prisons which are publicly traded and further the political careers of the far right Neo-Nazi wing nuts who crafted it. People think that the law will somehow catch lots of undocumented folks hanging out in Arizona and no doubt there will be some that are caught.

However, the way the law will work is that police will look for the slightest infractions to pull you over and start jamming you up. At which point they’ll check to see not only if you are a US citizen, but will also check for everything else. This is on top of the slight infraction they stopped you for in the first place. It’s a page taken right off the policy used by former NY Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. His tactic was called the Broken Window theory. He felt if you attack the small problems the bigger ones will disappear.  In other words jam up people for minor infractions and it will make it too difficult to do something major. Most law enforcement folks say it doesnt work and it only leads to mass arrests because it becomes a numbers game.. hence the economic benefit to private prisons in Arizona. 

Lastly because the major criticim to SB 1070 is that it will leasd to racial profiling, in order not to appear bias, expect Arizona police to start jamming up everyone if for any reason just to prove the point that they are being even handed.  They may use the excuse that an American citizen is harboring undocumented folks. There’s no doubt that after attending the ACLU Roundtables on Government informants that the police will use the tactic of stopping US citizens on small infractions and in ezxchange for letting them go ask for the names of  suspected undocumented folks  which will allow them to make the case tbhat they had ‘reasonable suspicion’.  We dedicate todays show to those who are on the frontlines fighting SB 1070.

Click the link below to HEAR the show

http://www.alldayplay.fm/episodes/episode-26-give-you-news-arizona-part-1

01-Davey D- ‘Dedicated to Arizona Speech mix’

02-Olmeca-‘Piece of Me’

03-Click tha Super Latin ‘Get Live’ rmx

04-Ozamatli ‘Eva’

05-Antibalas ‘Battle of the Species’ (Al Sharpton rmx)

06-Kenna ‘Games You Can Win’

07-Labtekwon ‘Break It Down’

08-Dessa ‘Chacone’

09-Menahan Street Band ‘Tired of Fighting’

10-Deuce Eclipse ‘Mi Viejo’

11-Sharon & the Dap Kings ‘Stop Paying Taxes’

12-Word Burgular ‘The Route’

13-Brand New Heavies ‘I Don’t Know Why I Love You’

14-Brand New Heavies ‘We Can’t Stop’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s8jgZUgGpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJik5-GMF4M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PY56OqtL64&feature=related

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Taboo of Black Eyed Peas Takes a Stand Against Arizona’s Racist Apartheid Law

Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas.. does a song to speak out against Arizona’s SB 1070 anti-immigrant law

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaCxTO3Z3vk&feature=player_embedded

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Taboo

Rage Against the Machine & Other Artist Step Up to Boycott Arizona…Benefit Concert Called Sound Strike to Suppoirt the Fight Against SB1070

SOUNDSTRIKE ARTISTS RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, CONOR OBERST AND THE MYSTIC

VALLEY BAND HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE REGARDING BENEFIT CONCERT TO SUPPORT

ORGANIZATIONS FIGHTING ARIZONA ANTI-IMMIGRANT LAW SB 1070.

Rage Against the Machine

LOS ANGELES, CA July 21: Rage Against the Machine will play their first concert in Los Angeles in 10

years at the Hollywood Palladium Friday with all proceeds going to benefit Arizona organizations fighting

SB 1070. Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band will also perform.

Benefit concert performers will be joined by long time civil and immigrant rights activists Tom Seanz,

President of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), Dolores Huerta, Co-

Founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW), Arizona grass roots leader Sal Reza of Puente, and other

community leaders. This will be the Soundstrike’s first official press conference.

The SoundStrike artist boycott of Arizona has gained international attention and support. Hundreds of

artists have committed to exercise their conscious and their collective power to both reverse the punitive,

discriminatory and misguided Arizona law as well as to help lead a more productive national debate on

diversity and unity.

Soundstrike participant and Rage vocalist Zack de la Rocha said, “SB 1070 if enacted would legalize racial

profiling in Arizona. This law runs counter to music’s essential purpose, which is to unite people and not

divide them. We want to thank the artists of conscious that have joined the Soundstrike throughout the

world who use their role as artists to stand for civil and human rights.”

About The SoundStrike:

The mission of The Sound Strike is a call for Artist’s to Boycott Arizona due to the passage the Sb1070

law. For more information please visit our website www.thesoundstrike.net.

ARTISTS THAT HAVE JOINED THE SOUND STRIKE (PARTIAL LIST).

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE • NINE INCH NAILS • KANYE WEST • CALLE 13  • CHRIS ROCK • MAROON 5 •

GOGOL BORDELLO • MY MORNING JACKET • BEN HARPER • RY COODER • PITBULL • STEVE EARLE • BILLY

BRAGG • MIA • SWEET HONEY AND THE ROCK • ANTI-FLAG • THROWING MUSES • STATE RADIO • AZTLAN

UNDERGROUND • DJ SPOOKY…AND HAVE JOINED • CYPRESS HILL • JUANES • CONOR OBERST • LOS

TIGRES DEL NORTE • CAFE TACVBA • MICHAEL MOORE • JOE SATRIANI • SERJ TANKIAN • RISE AGAINST •

OZOMATLI • SABERTOOTH TIGER • MASSIVE ATTACK • ONE DAY AS A LION • STREET SWEEPER SOCIAL

CLUB • SPANK ROCK • SONIC YOUTH • TENACIOUS D • THE COUP

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