When the Tacoma police and city officials were unable to associate E40 with a gang, they unsuccessfully attempted to find a gang affiliation with the other artists scheduled to perform. They cancelled the show because they want to prove WA State has a serious gang problem and to pass the Anti Gang Bill 2712.
http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/crime/2008/03/13/anti_gang_measure_on_the_way_to_the_guv
Rottweiler Records had their Hip Hop show set with major recording artist E -40, it was going to be their album release event that they had been planning and working on for Months. This concert was paid in full and they were welcomed as part of the diversify of the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts and the city of Tacoma.
When the police became involved they claimed "that we needed extra security and a exurban amount money to pay for security, we came up with the money and they still cancelled the show" Tracy Miller Rottweiler Records
The city would also like you to believe that gang violence is on the rise. They want to instill this fear in everyone to stop the growth of the urban culture. The real reason might be due to the fact that the upcoming anti gang bill has 9 million dollars allocated to POLICE department anti gang units and no money going to programs that create outlets and education for youth (real prevention).
The state would have you believe that it is concerned about alleviating the issues and circumstances that cause gang behavior, but in reality the lawmakers are only concerned about locking more people up. Make no mistake about it, the way that Tacoma law officials are overreacting and blackballing E40 will become the norm, and more and more of our youth will find themselves behind bars if bill 2712 passes.
2712 PETITION: We, the undersigned, contend it is imperative to the health, human rights and lives of all people of color and youth in Washington State that Legislative Bill 2712, An Act Relating to Criminal Street Gangs, is stopped immediately. Much of the bill is focused on enforcement and changing the laws to expand the penalties for actions that consist of what the bill defines as gang related activities. Increasing and harshening penalties is merely a symptomatic approach to the problem, and does not address the root causes of the disease of gang violence which includes:
- Poverty, lack of resources
- Racism, being physical, psychological, economic, etc., embedded into the institutions, systems and processes of this society
Stricter penalties will result in an increase in incarceration, putting the economic strain of funding more prisons and prisoners on all taxpayers. The bill is just another weapon that is being given to law enforcement to dominate and penalize the behavior of the oppressed and downtrodden.
We believe that the implications of this bill will be detrimental to the lives and health of our children. The money for social programs will be quickly exhausted, but the changes affecting law and enforcement may last for years to come. We ask that you veto bill 2712. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/veto-the-wa-state-gang-billsignatures
Also former gang members that have participated in the Gateways Program, a gang intervention program at Evergreen College stated that "we should focus on education and prevention instead of police and suppression".
Tacoma and Seattle Hip Hop community have come together as well as many other cross cultural comminities. "We plan to hold more protests and rallies until this bill and the mis treatment of our youth is stoped. Hip Hop is more than Gansta RAP!" Keith Tucker
To get involved contact:
CONTACT: Coalition of Citizens for Justice - Priest Amen - 206-355-3452
Rottweiler Records - Tracy Miller -253-472-6316
Keith Tucker - www.myspace.com/thekeithtuckershow
SIGN THE PETITION @ http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/veto-the-wa-state-gang-billsignatures
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfVVQwGpznQ&feature=related
Here's a newspaper story about the incident..
About two dozen protesters gathered Friday at the Pantages Theater to decry cancellation of a high-profile hip-hop concert and what they characterized as profiling by Tacoma police.
Popular Bay Area rapper E-40 was to perform at a CD-release party for Tacoma hip-hop label Rottweiler Records. But the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts pulled the plug March 7 after police raised concerns about imagery in advertisements and on performers' MySpace pages.
"We have a no-tolerance policy for gang activity," assistant police chief Bob Sheehan said Friday. "Our involvement was to make sure it was a safe event for the people who attended, for people who live in the area and for the people who are passing through."
Broadway Center director David Fischer said organizers had complied with the increased security recommendations by police. The bill would have come to nearly $11,000, said Tracy Miller, who owns Rottweiler Records with her husband, Kyle Nephew.
The couple said they initially were told to hire 13 off-duty police officers for the event. The tally climbed to 19 officers, two sergeants, plus 25 security guards for an estimated turnout of 1,000.
"That's like almost a little small army of people making sure everything is all good," said Nephew, clutching a sign at the protest that read "Save our hip-hop."
Still, Nephew said, they were willing to hire that much security, but in the end, the center canceled the show.
Fischer said there were no concerns about headliner E-40, but that police raised general concerns about local opening acts being involved in gang activity.
"The police concern never became more specific with us," Fischer said, adding that police said they couldn't say more because of an ongoing investigation.
At a meeting March 7 to address concerns of police and business owners, police presented advertisements and images from performers' MySpace pages that they said depicted gunplay, lewd behavior and performers flashing gang signs.
Like the police, Staff Pro, a national company that provides security for concerts, expressed concerns.
"With two independent expert companies that deal with hairy events all the time telling us they felt we should cancel, we certainly weren't going to veto that information," Fischer said.
Organizers said Friday that some of the images in question were misunderstood. For example, a poster used to promote the show depicts a rapper forming a V and A with his fingers. The gesture represents his home state of Virginia, not any gang affiliation, Nephew said.
"Hip-hop (is) stereotyped right off the bat," said Jason Maxwell, a Tacoma hip-hop producer who goes by the alias Midnight. "The first thing they say is gangs, then there is the degradation of women. But there's much more to it."
Tacoma rapper Brandon Chatman, whose stage name is R.G., would have performed at Friday's show.
"I'm very upset about it, because all of the artists put all their blood, sweat and tears into a nice performance to show this town what we can do instead of being in the streets," Chatman said.
"We take what we learn from the streets and put it on the stage and put it into our performing arts, and we had that stripped from us."
Miller and Nephew said Broadway Center offered to refund $11,000 in already-paid-for security. The couple said they were looking for a Seattle venue to reschedule the E-40 show but would still lose thousands spent on marketing, refunds and other expenses.
"If we knew it was going to cause this much of a deal, we would have taken it" to Seattle, Miller said. "But we're from Tacoma. Most of our artists are from Tacoma."
Fischer said he regretted calling off the show, since hip-hop is a rarity at Broadway Center and diversity was one of his biggest goals for its venues.
"That came in direct conflict with our commitment to public safety," he said.
Ernest A. Jasmin: 253-274-7389
blogs.thenewstribune.com/noise
Staff writer Stacey Mulick contributed to this report.
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