Fuck tha Police Final draft

Beto Hoyos

Dr. Steph Brown

ENG 306

9/29/16

                                                                   Fuck The Police

            In the 1980s, Los Angeles was a place full of racial tension and police brutality. In 2016 things are still far from perfect, but today people are constantly connected and therefore are more exposed to the injustices and the unfair treatment of African Americans by police. In 1988 the Compton rap group N.W.A released their highly controversial song Fuck Tha Police on their first album, Straight Outta Compton. The song was something people could get behind, especially those who were seeking out justice for unfair treatment by law enforcement. Those who have experienced these injustices first hand felt like they finally had a voice that could speak on their behalf.

            N.W.A was a group that was never afraid to speak their minds. They carried around an attitude which made them intimidating while at the same time admirable. The A in the acronym does stand for Attitude, and it was present in their music, lyrics and personas. The lyrics were controversial. The beats were hard hitting, in your face and fast paced. The group formed by Andre Young (Dr. Dre) consisted of his neighborhood friend O’Shea Jackson (Ice Cube) who wrote most of the raps, Lorenzo Patterson (MC Ren) a skilled lyricist, Antoine Carraby (DJ Yella) who manned the turn tables, and of course Eric Wright (Eazy-E) who was the grandiose, outspoken lead rapper.

            N.W.A had developed a following of fans in Compton and the surrounding areas years before their first studio album together. Dre and Yella had gained notoriety from being in World Class Wreckin’ Cru and Cube had attracted some fans from his time rapping with Cru In Action. In 1987 the group released a compilation album titled N.W.A and the Posse and really began forming their image as a group. Even though the group was still in its infancy when the controversial song was released, their collective voices were well respected within the community. Plenty of people may have had similar feelings as N.W.A had towards police, but it was N.W.A who had gained enough of a platform within the hip hop community to shake things up. This song and its message along with its controversy pushed the issue of police brutality to the forefront and allowed others outside the affected communities to take notice of the group and its message.

            The rhetorical object here is the entire song. N.W.A was sending out a message to the world that police brutality exists, they’ve seen it up close and personal, and that they were tired of it. When the track begins, Ice Cube immediately mentions how police treat African Americans with the opening lyric; fuck the police coming straight out the underground/ a young nigga got it bad ‘cuz I’m brown/ and not the other color so police think, they got the authority/ to kill a minority. From the get go, the song takes the form of a protest. Cube opens up the song stating that if you’re a minority or are dark skinned you are going to have a hard time with police because they treat minorities different. Cube also furthers his statement by saying that he’s not the other color, meaning white, so because of that, police think it would be allowed to treat him badly, beat him or even kill him.

            The story about the songs origin claims that Ice Cube and the rest of the group were standing outside of a recording studio when two officers came up to the group and began questioning them. Immediately the officers had them get down on the ground while they were cuffed and searched. When the groups manager, Jerry Heller came out to defuse the situation, the police told him they just needed to ‘check these bangers for drugs’. The claim was supported in the bio pic based on the group Straight Outta Compton. Ice Cube immediately began writing down the lyrics and recorded the song that day (Grey). These were young musicians trying to make a name for themselves. Upcoming rappers who finally had the chance to record a proper album. The police did not see it that way. The police seemed to only see the color of their skin. It was as if the police only saw another opportunity to oppress a minority. When the group released this song they tugged on the emotional strings of their audience, especially those who had been affected first hand by police brutality or unfair treatment.

The groups purpose with the song was to shed some light on what had been going on in the hood for too long. It was social injustice at the hands of police which sparked the Watts riots of the 60s. Although the fires of Watts may have been extinguished long ago, tensions from Watts are still smoldering today, and a fire still burns in the memories of many. Today the song has been adopted by some among the Black Lives Matter movement. With all of the fatal shootings by police across the country in the last couple of years, this song remains relevant. Not just Ice Cube but the entire group felt they needed to bring these issues to the forefront. In a 2015 interview with Billboard Magazine Ice Cube said he wanted to make a song people from his community could rally around (Gale). Cube tried to warn people about what was going to happen. Although all members were talented in their own way, it was Cube who was the more conscious and political.

            The reason this song has such staying power and timelessness is because not too much has changed since the late 80s. During this time, the group was seeing and experiencing all these same injustices as today. Ice Cube experienced this first hand one night while walking in front of his house, he was mistaken for another person and pushed up against a cop car and searched while bystanders including his parents stood by (Grey). For example, in 2011 612 people were killed in L.A county and 54 people were killed by officers or deputies, almost 70% more than in 2010 (Ruben). In 2015 the Department of Justice issued a report stating that Ferguson Police showed a pattern of clear racial disparities and discriminatory intent prior to and during the protests (Wihbey). Racism is still alive, its just that some people are good at concealing it.

            All of these issues have an effect on the way the public views law enforcement. However, it can be difficult to see things through the perspective of a police officer. Its understandable how emotionally and physically demanding the job must be, but many people all over the country and the world appreciate the hard work and the risk police take everyday. The thing people are after is accountability. People are seeking fair treatment, accountability and an end to racist behavior by those entrusted to protect us. People are tired of seeing unarmed individuals fatally shot by police. A USA today poll from August 2014 found that Americans of all races give relatively low marks to police departments across the nation when it comes to holding officers accountable for misconduct (Wihbey). In the previously mentioned Billboard interview, Cube agrees that not all police are bad or racist but thinks those who do act in that manner should be held accountable (Gale).

            Its always been the songs which contain an important message or evoke a certain kind of emotion which stand the test of time. This song managed to do both. The song has not lasted so long on mere controversy. The song was bold and brash but by doing so it sent a message that police brutality and racial injustices were recognized and would not be tolerated. Dre and Cube went on to establish successful brands for themselves, they both continue to be well respected in the entertainment world. Eazy-E sadly passed away in 1995 after losing a battle against AIDS. MC Ren and DJ Yella went on to live normal lives away from the spotlight. Although the group split up in the mid 90s the music which they created together will be a song to rally around while rallying against police injustices and unfair treatment of minorities. Hopefully relationships can improve between minorities and police, but so long as there is injustice at the hands of police, this song will continue to be a staple for those going through it.

                                                                

                                                                  Works Cited

Straight Outta Compton. Dir. F. Gary Grey. By Andre Young. Screenplay by Jonathan Herman. Perf. O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Paul Giamatti, Jason Mitchell. Universal Pictures, 2015. Film.

Goldstien, Rich. "A Brief History of the Phrase "Fuck the Police"" Thedailybeast.com. The Daily Beast, 23 Aug. 14. Web. 14 Sept. 16.

Ruben, Joel, and Sarah Ardalani. "Killings by Police Jump Sharply." Articles.latimes.com. Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2012. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.

Wihbey, John. "Research on Law Enforcement and Racial Conflict." Journalistsresource.org. Journalist's Resource, 28 July 2016. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.

Mozingo, Joe, and Angel Jennings. "50 Years after Watts: 'There Is Still a Crisis in the Black Community'" Latimes.com. Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2015. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.

Gale, Alex. "Ice Cube: Police Have Become Our Worst Bullies." Billboard.com. Billboard Magazine, 13 Aug. 2015. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.

Collin Kaepernick Final Draft

Micah Metz

Dr. Stephanie Brown

English 306

September 15, 2016

A More Perfect Union

Football, as one of America's most popular sports, is deeply infused with patriotic ritual. The singing of the national anthem before each game, and, on more special occasions, jets flying overhead, creates an atmosphere of national pride and reverence to all institutions that help protect it. With that common understanding in place it's understandable why Collin Kaepernick’s actions have started so much controversy within the football community. During the latter half of the NFL pre-season, Kaepernick began sitting during the national anthem before games. While widely interpreted as disrespect to flag and country, Kaepernick has identified his actions as a protest for racial injustice in the nation, most explicitly citing incidents of police brutality against minorities. With several isolated incidents of this kind of brutality being publicized in close succession in recent times, there is an air of distrust for authorities and animosity towards institutions that reflect a bias against people of color. With Kaepernick’s celebrity status and a taboo protest method, this comprises one of the more recent rhetorical strategies employed in the discussion about institutionalized racism.

            Kaepernick's actions follow a series of tumultuous events over the past few years involving police killings of unarmed black men. Individuals such as Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and the subsequent protests that arose because of their fatalities has created a political climate more sensitive to the methods of police forces and the most common type of victims in these instances. While there seemed to be a notion that institutionalized racism has decreased over the years since the days of the civil rights movement, the spotlight on these events has persuaded many that perhaps the nation has not come as far as many people once believed. Kaepernick, in an interview, alludes to the turbulent atmosphere between minorities and police force, and posits that there needs to be greater awareness:

People don't realize what's really going on in this country. There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust. People aren't being held accountable for. And that's something that needs to change. That's something that this country stands for freedom, liberty and justice for all. And it's not happening for all right now (ESPN).

            Kaepernick’s purpose can be seen as a drive to raise awareness about unjust policies, tendencies, or laws that target minorities. Taking the current political climate into perspective one could assume that many people are already pretty familiar with the topic, but past demonstrations and decries have left many spectators with mixed, undecided feelings on the subject, with a specific divide among spectators of different racial backgrounds (Vega and Thee-Brenan). The rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, for example, was seen negatively for the destruction that ran rampant throughout the town, regardless of the persecution that the residents might have felt threatened their community’s safety. Kaepernick's nonviolent, celebrity-status protest is one that has the potential to speak to a wide audience of people who are both in the category that he intends to represent (minorities who have been consistently been more likely targets for police assault) as well as onlooker patrons of the sport whom he might sway. While his actions are still seen as disrespectful by many people, with a supposed slight decrease in popularity as a player in correlation with his protest (Rowell, ESPN), it’s presented in a way that the media tolerates; it has generated discussion with an interpretation more positive than that of a violent riot.

            Kaepernick’s contribution to this wider civil rights movement is a well-rounded strategy that takes advantage of the ethos of American values, the logos of how the current state of the nation is falling short of upholding these values, and the and the pathos of citing the destruction that comes as a result. The flag that is honored ceremonially along with the singing of the anthem is an important item of national identity and is closely associated with military forces who are said to protect the freedoms that it represents. Any protests involving the display of the flag necessarily bring up the positive attributes of our nation; the choice to use this object of protest in a way deviant to the customs of respecting it is taboo and generates emotional response. But when asked about whether or not his form of protest was acceptable or not, the NFL player said:

To me, this is a freedom that we're allowed in this country. And going back to the military, it's a freedom that men and women that have fought for this country have given me this opportunity by contributions they have made . . . This is something that has to be said, it has to be brought to the forefront of everyone's attention, and when that's done, I think people can realize what the situation is and then really affect change (ESPN).

While national pride is alive and well in America, an important distinction that Kaepernick makes and is popular in the minds of citizens is that the honor due to the flag is still optional; being a symbol of freedom, it grants the freedom to behave deviant from norms. This commonly held notion makes Kaepernick’s demonstration and proclamation of beliefs effective because it’s meant to deviate from norms in a way that doesn’t denounce the intended framework of the norm’s original implication. Through this superficial defiance there is potential to affect a meaningful change to come about; That is to say, his subtle decry of national trends is meant to say that the standards outlined by patriotic belief are not in effect in the real world, but need to be, and that there is potential for them to be.

            Considering Kaepernick’s purpose to raise further awareness and to inspire people to affect change, the media coverage his actions have garnered demonstrate, in some respect, a degree of success in his strategy; most notably by targeting an emotionally changed aspect of patriotic ritual. While Kaepernick has seen a decline in popularity as a player in the NFL among some viewers, he has received support from his teammates. And while the broader public’s reception of him tends to be mixed, he hasn’t been made into an anathema for his actions. The notion of his that national policy needs to change before the identity of this country is to be respected calls for a higher level of performance from Americans is a social criticism that is made from a perspective of a member of the society rather than an outside; that is what makes this protest agreeable to a wider audience.

Works Cited

Rowell, Darren. “Poll: Niners QB Colin Kaepernick most disliked player in league.” ESPN.com.   22  September 2016. Web. 27 September 2016.

 

Vega, Tatiana. & Thee-Brenan, Megan. “Poll Shows Broad Divisions Amid Missouri Turmoil.”            Nytimes.com. 21 August 2014. Web. 27 September 2016.

 

Wagoner, Nick. “Transcript of Colin Kaepernick's comments about sitting during national           

anthem.” ESPN.com. 28 August, 2016. Web. 15 September, 2016