The crowd supposedly lost it when Dead Prez started to play F*ck The Police. Link
Police said a band called the Dead Presidents was playing at Evergreen State College when a fight broke out within the crowd at about 1:30 a.m.
As a campus police officer responded and tried to make an arrest in the brawl, she was surrounded by a crowd of concert-goers.
Police said as she struggled to remove the man from the crowd, the band onstage started playing a song called “F___ the Police,” and the audience became increasingly agitated and combative.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Brandy Kessler said the crowd surrounded the officer’s car, demanding for the arrested man to be released.
The officer called for backup. Thurston County deputies responded and removed the campus officer from her car and released the arrested man.
When a deputy’s car failed to start, the crowd overturned it, breaking out windows and ripping the car apart. Officers were pelted with rocks during the melee.
update: URB has footage of the incident. via Nah Right
LMAO “a band called The Dead Presidents”
I dont approve of violence, but there are certain things you just don’t do. You never attempt to arrest a person in a hostile arena without backup already present and a plan in play.
I was a police officer in a very non-urban area (Alaska), and when those fellas got to drinking they would always fight. I was trained during the academy never to attempt to be superman, for this very reason. KNOW YOUR SITUATION!!! With that being said, the behavior by the crowd was exceptionally poor and is a valid point of discussion. As long as that conversation acknowledges that fights happen at most rock concerts for the under 30 crowd, and rarely get any media attention, albeit most don’t result in a police cruiser being flipped.
I don’t feel this is a race issue, as it could have just as easily happend at a “rage against the machine concert” a few years ago. This is clearly what will always happen when an overly eager officer (usually a rookie) attempts to exact some measure of control in a situation that could have been resolved without force.
For example, if the officer approached the sound booth/board, she could have killed power to the stage, turned on the lights and directed everyone to exit the building from a position of relative safety. The crowd would have been upset, but leaving, and she would have been less exposed to violence.
Anytime an authority figure (officer, MP, bouncer…) puts their hands on a crowd member at a politically charged function…problems WILL follow, as emotions are running high. People attending these events are passionate about a cause, but feel helpless against authority. The performers at functions like this will see it as an opportunity to shout that their opinion is right and push the crowd to action against the authority figures, as the numbers are in their favor for a change. For all of these reasons and more, the tactic of a lone officer staving off a mob to make a righteous bust is only good in the movies. In real life, it will get your cruiser flipped! This is why I say at home at night, nothing good hapens after 1 am.
I thought this was a hip hop sight! “A band called Dead Presidents”?? Their name is Dead Prez and for you to post on a Hip Hop sight and not know who they are is inexcusable! This is how you lose credability.
read more carefully. that’s a quote from kirotv. obviously they are not familiar with dp. and obviously you are not familiar with blockquotes. i chose that specifically cause it was funny. but thanks. maybe you should consider becoming a blog editor? it pays super swell.
chill,
g
i used to be a fan of dead prez until i realized that they have yet to do ANYTHING beneficial for the hood or its youth unless you believe charging $18.00 per cd to be beneficial, but then again, who exactly IS that benefiting? thats right people!…themselves. dead prez are antagonists [note: they began to play a song called 'fuck the police', but didn't remove themselves from the stage to prove 'their point', instead they incited they're 'all too faithful fans' to do their bidding for them.] in the most sincere tone, i gladly say fuck dead prez. make changes…not songs. if anybody wants their cds, i got all of them sitting on a shelf collecting dust. holla back if u want em hahaha.
dead prez = music for a wack ass revolution to be lead by suburban teenage white kids.
one, one.
interesting to see dead prez catching a lot of flack for this incident. wouldn’t mind hearing their side of the story.
blup! blup! blup! BUCK THE SYSTEM ALL DAY!!! I’M RIDIN WID DEAD PREZ, AND I NEVER EXPECT THE MEDIA AT LARGE TO TELL THE TRUTH!!!! OH YEH, AND YOU CAN PEEP MY NEW SONG “JUNGLE WALK” FEATURING M1 OF DEAD PREZ & NATIVE AT
myspace.com/fatherjah
this is total BS. the riot started because someone was wrongfully arrested, dead prez didnt really encourage much of anything.
If the PD didnt come in swinging their billy clubs on the backs of the crowds head, and spraying pepper spray liberally- there wouldnt have been a riot or overturned cop car.
FURTHERMORE, M-1 from Dead Prez is a community activist and has been an active member of many communities for decades, you need to research shit before you open your retard mouth.