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[Political Prisoner News]

The Struggle of Rebel Diaz

http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/18011

June 27, 2008 By Alexander Billet

We live in a society that makes scapegoats of people: immigrants, 
women, people of color, gays and lesbians or anyone else who can be 
conveniently labeled "the other." We also live in a society where 
anyone who questions such labels, from activists to artists, is a 
target. If you happen to be a combination of these things--artists of 
color who also stand up for the rights of immigrants--well, let's 
just say the world isn't exactly your oyster.

Bronx based rap group Rebel Diaz know this well. They are the kind of 
musicians who use the confrontation of rap as a springboard for their 
militant politics. The masthead on their 
<http://www.rebeldiaz.com/>website reads "if hip-hop organized the 
whole world would be in trouble."

Their <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dr05tXktSo>single "Which Side 
Are You On?" rattles off a litany of figures and causes they side 
with from unions to deported immigration activist Elvira Arellano to 
the people's movement in Oaxaca, Mexico to the very idea of socialist 
revolution.

Rebel Diaz are by no means naive. Two of the group's three MCs are 
sons of Chilean activists who fled after the CIA-backed coup of 
Augusto Pinochet in 1973. Like all good revolutionaries, however, 
they realize that no real change comes without risk.

That risk became reality last week when it was reported that on June 
18th, two of the group's MCs were arrested by the NYPD after 
intervening in a case of clear police harassment. According to 
hip-hop activist <http://www.daveyd.com/>Davey D, Rodstarz and G1 
witnessed police aggressively questioning an immigrant street vendor.

After noticing the police were becoming abusive they began to tape 
the incident on one of their cell phones. Upon asking for badge 
numbers, the cops turned on the two MCs, hitting them with billy 
clubs, handcuffing and arresting them.

This is a story familiar to anyone living in a community that is 
coming under the thumb of gentrification and racist police 
authoritarianism. Nobody in these communities needs to be told who 
the cops are really there to "serve and protect." But there is 
another layer to this heinous incident. As D points out:

"The backdrop to this story is that Rebel Diaz are not your ordinary 
rappers. They are well known activist [sic] who not only speak out 
against police terrorism, but have been key in helping out folks 
within this immigrant community... Many feel that the assault by 
these cowardly Bronx police officers in plain view of everyone was a 
way to send a strong message to folks in the community that the 
police run things and they best stay in line."

Rodstarz and G1 were released on their own recognizance and are still 
awaiting a court date. Yet the harrassment didn't stop there. Early 
in the morning of June 24th, G1's apartment was raided by the NYPD. 
They had no warrant; they did not give a reason for the raid. 
Needless to say, they didn't bother to knock. G1 describes the incident:

"They pointed their guns at us the whole time as they verbally 
barraged MM [his friend] and I with questions as to who we were and 
what we were doing there. As I lay on the ground with my hands up, I 
replied loudly and clearly that I lived there, and that everyone in 
the house was supposed to be there. They replied incredulously, 
repeatedly yelling their questions as to who we were, with threats as 
to what would happen to us if I was found to be lying."

The police left without arresting anyone or identifying themselves.

On September 3rd, G1 and Rodstarz will be headed to court to face 
misdemeanor charges of assault and obstruction of justice. Their high 
profile in the community as artists and activists may well be used 
against them during trial. It wouldn't be the first time for hip-hop, 
and certainly not for radical politics.

Yet the case of Rebel Diaz is hardly isolated. The clearing out of 
poor neighborhoods to make way for condos and strip malls is a crime 
that happens every day. And of course, the very people whose job it 
is to stop crime are the ones carrying it out. Rebel Diaz shouldn't 
be arrested for standing up to this injustice. They should be 
commended, supported, and most of all, listened to.

To learn what you can do to support Rebel Diaz, go to their 
<http://www.rebeldiaz.com/>website.

Alexander Billet is a music journalist and socialist living in 
Washington, DC.  He is a regular contributor to Znet, Dissident 
Voice, and SleptOn.com.  His article on censorship in hip-hop appears 
in the recently published "At Issue: Should Music Lyrics Be Censored 
for Violence and Exploitation" from Greenhaven Press.  His blog, 
Rebel Frequencies, can be viewed at 
<http://rebelfrequencies.blogspot.com/>http://rebelfrequencies.blogspot.com, 
and he can be reached at 
<mailto:rebelfrequencies at gmail.com>rebelfrequencies at gmail.com.




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