I watched this video a couple of times…trying to search for clues as to what happened because I think this video conveys only one side of the story.
Here’s what I really think what happened since it’s MY NEIGHBORHOOD:
This hip hop show happened at Tammany Hall on Ludlow. It’s a ‘new’ venue which really means it has just changed owners. The place gets packed, people stand on the streets, they are loud, yelling, smokers, etc. Since this show was being headlined by Smif n Wessun (don’t you think the group’s name is sooo ironic to the situation…it’s not like they named themselves to promote peace, love and understanding), so I’m pretty positive a large crowd of the concert-goers were not LES local, but came down from the other boroughs. I think a noise complaint was issued to the NYPD because people were being loud, cops showed up, and some ghetto mofo started to mouth off at the cops and BAM….tempers flared, concert-goers pushed cops, cops pushed back, arrests were made and people start claiming the cops started it & all that craziness ensued.
If you start mouthing off to a cop, dumb move. He can arrest you and you go to JAIL. A cop nudges you to move along (in an attempt to keep a crowd going), don’t push back. He can arrest you and you go to JAIL. If a cop tells you to move along…move along. You’ll never see him again. Jail is not somewhere that anyone should want to spend time in. Jail is not a badge of courage.
This was supposed to be a music show. Not a moment to make a point about police brutality and racial profiling that does occur. If you want to highlight racial profiling & police brutality, start an organized peaceful protest, start a campaign, DO SOMETHING PRO-ACTIVE. Don’t start acting like an ass like those shown in the video above.
UPDATE
As I mentioned yesterday (above) that this riot consisted of non-locals, the names and addresses of those arrested were released today:
244 Bond St., Brooklyn
145 Tremont St., New Britain, Conn.
238 Bond St., Brooklyn
450 W. 17th St., Manhattan
9216 34th Ave., Queens
BOOYAH!!!