New York State has officially been without the death penalty since 2004. But, you know, sometimes, people just need to die. One magical aspect of the federal government is that even if something is legal/illegal in a given state, the federal government can swoop in and arbitrarily declare otherwise. Then, it can impose federal penalties!
Whenever someone offs a cop in New York, the U.S. Attorney’s Office fabricates a reason to prosecute the case federally. This allows them to circumvent the fact that the fucking New York Supreme Court declared capital punishment unconstitutional. Off a cop- even in cosmopolitan New York- and the government will off you, motherfucker.
Similarly, in California, medicinal marijuana is legal at the state level. But still, when my friend, cancer victim and longtime medicinal marijuana proponent, Todd McCormick opened and operated a grow facility in L.A., the feds stuck him in prison for years.
Newly…um…promoted Gov. Paterson was surprised when the cops were acquitted? Of course he was. Spitzer would’ve been, too, because he chased the black vote like no other. You’ll see more Spitzer stickers on lamp posts and fences in Harlem than anywhere else in the city. But, hell…his hands are conveniently tied now.
Does anyone actually expect a federal indictment? Do people believe the Iron Hand of Uncle Sam protects citizens in the same capacity that it protects his minions?
…or think that Al Sharpton spitting bile about “shutting the city down” and “mobilizing like never before” will evoke some sort of official action?
…guess what. The NYPD was prepared for riots when the verdict came down. NY’s Finest were probably pleasantly surprised when the worst of the public outcry was Sharpton waddling around Harlem with a couple hundred of the all-purpose protestors left over from last month’s “Free Mumia” rally.
“The case drew immediate response from the hip-hop community, with Papoose dropping a song just a week after the shooting titled “50 Shots,” which sampled Sam Cooke’s anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come” and featured the lines, “Mike Oliver said his gun jammed, he the main one/ 12-year veteran and don’t know how to use a gun.” Paultre Bell was featured in a controversial ad from Rocawear as part of their “I Will Not Lose” campaign, which launched just before the trial began. In addition, 50 Cent has referenced the case on cuts, and Prodigy also has several references to Bell on his just released album, HNIC2, on a track titled “Field Marshall P.”*
How long did it take for Rodney King to start appearing in rap songs? I was 8 when that shit went down.
I don’t remember much of what I heard about it back then. I remember thinking that it wasn’t a big deal. I’m pretty sure I thought it was his fault. Due in large part, I’m sure, to the fact that I went to a public elementary school in a 90% white, poor as shit little town in central Florida. If my teacher said shit about it, I’m sure she said it after 1:30. School ended at 2:00, but at 1:30, the buses came.
…and the only kids who rode the buses were black. Furthermore, all the black kids rode the bus. We- the students, the administration, the teachers- were politically correct to a frightening degree…until 1:30. It was the moment of catharsis for us little dipshits…bigoted by proxy due to our upbringings; encouraged by our invariably prejudiced, incompetent teachers.
Sixteen years later, most of this country operates like my elementary school. Political correctness is the most effective way to ensure that nothing changes.
*The new Prodigy album is really awful.
Tags: 50 cent, al sharpton, indictment, nyc, nypd, papoose, paterson, prodigy of mobb deep, queens, sean bell, shooting, spitzer, us attorney's office
