Sunday, April 27, 2008

Soulbrotha - "Unforgotten" [mp3]

RIP

Soulbrotha emailed this track to me yesterday, and it's a touching tribute to Bell. Especially poignant after Friday saw 3 of the detectives responsible acquitted. Soulbrotha explains the track:

As recorded the day I heard and read about the shooting. Some of you may/might have heard this before but I wanted it to be put up in his memory. The song is based on actual events that happened to a friend's brother. Though the event itself may not be 100% similar to Sean's case it still is telling of the nature sometimes of law enforcement. Be as it may, this song was recorded from my perspective and me sympathizing with my people and at the same time understanding that sometimes our reactions in situations sadly lead to certain things happening and in this case a rather unfortunate happening.

Those reactions of course do not just stem from a vacuum but come from a long legacy of distrust and lack of faith in the police caused by past mistreatment, negligence and violence towards people of color that has resulted in this fear and distrust.

                                               Unforgotten [zShare mp3] 

Read the New York Times' piece about how black New Yorkers feel about the case. Great article.

RIP Amadou Diallo.