A creative spin on Biggie's "Ten Crack Commandments" gives guidelines on how to stay safe under stop-and-frisk.
Stop-and-frisk awareness has gone viral.
A new video from Web-radio show This Day in Blackness creator Elon James White and emcee Jasiri X puts a conscious, 2012 spin on Biggie’s classic, "Ten Crack Commandments." Just as Biggie painted a picture of the inherent perils of dope dealing, the "10 Frisk Commandments" warns men of color about the dangers of walking the streets in New York and other major U.S. cities that have policing policies similar to stop-and-frisk.
"Number five, never talk back when they talk smack. Even if they call you a n---a man, be the bigger man," Jasiri X rhymes in the song.
White says the inspiration for the song came while hanging out with Jasiri X at the Netroots Nation conference last month.
“I often joke about how my knowledge of what to do when I’m stopped by police officers all stems from Jay Z’s '99 Problems.' A few weeks ago at Netroots Nation I was hanging out with Jasiri X and it hit me. I run up to Jasiri and say 'Dude! You should flip Biggie Smalls' "10 Crack Commandments!" Make the #10FriskCommandments! What to do when you’re stopped and frisked!,'” White told Colorlines.
In New York City, the stop-and-frisk practice, in which officers may legally search a person based on a reasonable belief that the person is armed and dangerous, has placed the police department at odds with a growing number of residents and advocacy groups who charge the stops are basically racial profiling and don't actually prevent crimes.
Read the full story here.
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(Photo: Courtesy newsone.com)
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