 The Bay Area's Hip Hop organization Third Eye Movement is set to take it to the streets again. This time they will be aggressively seeking to put an end to police brutality in Oakland. Earlier this week OPD was rocked as word of a scandal and corruption involving 4 west Oakland officers known as 'The Riders' made headlines. A rookie officer came forth and testified that the officers who worked the midnight shift were planting evidence on suspects, beating down people and falsifying police reports. The rookie officer immediately retired from the force after blowing the whistle. In a strange twist of fate one of the main culprits to this drama was the officer who choked Tony Toni Tone singer Dwayne Wiggins last year. This particular officer has logged more then 18 complaints including breaking someone's arm during a calling which he asked the victim to turn down his music during a fourth of July party.With these allegations now surfacing, Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and police chief Richard Word have called for an investigation by an independent body connected with the county of Alameda. However the folks who roll with Third Eye says that's not enough. Yesterday during a news conference in front of Oakland Police headquarters group members noted that similar complaints of police misconduct and abuse have come from all sectors of the community. Hence they will be reaching out and collecting information from cats who have been jacked by Oakland police. Their sense is that since the Police Chief is upset and determined to clean up the department, this will help his efforts. They also noted it will help restore trust between the community and the police if a truly independent body was apart of the investigation.. One thing is for sure, Third Eye is very skilled at organizing folks and this latest incident will not go by the wayside now that they are involved.. Now that's what I call Hip Hop activism. For folks who don't know the history of Third Eye, they initially formed a few years back when San Francisco police shot and killed a young woman named Sheila Detoy. She was 17 years old and a classmate to many of the members. She happened to be in the back seat of a car as a passenger when SFPD rolled up and demanded that the driver pull over. Because homeboy had a warrant he sped off and the police recklessly shot in the back of the speeding vehicle killing Detoy.. This sparked the groups activism which has continued and grown immensely over the past couple of years. Most notable was the huge battle they waged against California's Juvenile Crime Initiative Prop 21. Many of the members are B-Boys and B-Girls who do everything from spoken word to graffiti. Hip Hop expressions has been their main tool to help organize Bay Area heads. They are currently finishing up a compilation album. Since we're talking about Hip Hop activism folks in Seattle should be aware of some big doings going down in their neck of the woods on Saturday September 30. There will be a rally held in downtown to protest Hip Hop being scapegoated and maligned in the media..You may recall the story we ran earlier this week about Seattle Hip Hop night clubs being pressured to shut down. Things have gotten so out of hand, Seattle's Mayor has even joined the fray and has been unfairly critical of Hip Hop. Around 2pm Hip Hop groups and organizations like Darkside Productions, Student Hip Hop Organization of Washington. Jasiri Media Group, Pak Pros and others will be on hand to hold a press conference and rally. They intend to help clear up Hip Hop's often tarnished image and aggressively address the issues at hand.. Things will jump off at 4th Avenue and Pine around 2pm.. This is what Hip Hop needs to do more of.. Step up and protect the culture as well as our respective business interests.. |