PING!
Posted on 01/17/2007 9:32:14 AM PST by GMMAC
Black stars harassed, suit alleges
OLIVER MOORE
Toronto Globe and Mail
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Two former federal ministers and 95 border guards are among those named in a $900-million lawsuit filed by the owner of Murdercap Records, who alleges routine harassment of black hip-hop stars trying to enter Canada.
Jerome Almon said last night that he had escaped extra scrutiny only a few times out of hundreds of border crossings since the late 1990s. Often, he added, whites nearby were treated with greater respect.
"I don't see this as any different than what Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks did in Alabama," he said in a telephone interview from Detroit, referring to the lawsuit.
"I would never have expected that of Canada; maybe North Korea or Iran, but not Canada."
Among the many defendants are former immigration minister Denis Coderre and former revenue minister Elinor Caplan. Others include the commissioner of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and scores of border guards. The 67-page statement, filed in Michigan on Friday in the U.S. District Court, alleges routine discrimination by border guards.
"During the dozens of searches, [the] Defendants never found any contraband on [him] or in any vehicle in which he was travelling," the claim states. The allegations have not been tested in court.
In the interview, Mr. Almon acknowledged that he had been arrested twice in the United States but had no criminal record. He said that many of his border delays appeared related to a police clearance that needed to be in his file. He said he had produced the documentation repeatedly but that it kept vanishing from the database.
Mr. Almon also said that guards often appeared concerned about his music. He believes their reaction was part of a broader Canadian government desire to crack down on rap lyrics, which critics say glorify violence and misogyny.
Asked whether the criticism is valid when applied to his music -- said to include songs such as On Ya Neez Bitch and How Stella Got My Backhand -- he was dismissive.
"Art always reflects the society. Detroit is a city that is extremely black, extremely backward, extremely violent and extremely misogynistic," he said. "I can't create art without reflecting the reality. I don't live in a Brady Bunch world."
PING!
"Murdercap Records" speaks volumes.
LOL
Thanks, I needed this!
"Art always reflects the society. Detroit is a city that is extremely black, extremely backward, extremely violent and extremely misogynistic," he said. "I can't create art without reflecting the reality. I don't live in a Brady Bunch world."
I'm assuming this guy has a crib in the middle of the hood based on this statement..however, I betcha he has a multi-million dollar mansion that's worlds apart from Detroit and is surrounded by white neighbors in a gated community..I'd be curious to find out..
Gee, haven't we always been told that art is supposed to break stereotypes instead of reinforcing them?
This also speaks volumes about who the Dems think they need to reach out to in order to maintain power.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Oh yeah - giving a little extra attention to artists who're signed with MURDERCAP records: how dare they! This is indeed laughable.
was that murdercOp records?
Yep, in other words, a liberal paradise.
Anyone else trying to enter Canada must submit to whatever laws might be in force in Canada regarding such an entry.
Someone is worried that Murdercap Records is getting a bum rap?
That's what you get for frontin' at bein' a gangsta. Play up how many people you've killed, how many years you've served, and how many bullets you've been shot with (even if your bio is a lie) is going to cause you problems in life.
I don't know of this label but I do know of the genre/hype for the music and the name of the label seems geared to put them in the same lot.
There are so many wrongs here it is almost laughable---except that in the end the Canucks will capitulate and the border will become MORE porous.
Thanks a lot mr. rapper.
Oh and BTW, the headline says "Stars", which the plaintiff is NOT.
Note to rapper dude: people have to be aware of your existence for you to be a "star". If you were a "star" you'd have been wisked through quicker than a dozen donuts disappear at Rosie O'donnell's house.
Leaving aside all the easy jokes, why *is* this guy getting hassled every time he crosses the border into Canada? He has apparently answered all their questions and provided documentation in regards to his arrest (not criminal conviction) record. Notice how big-name professional sports stars with multiple criminal convictions travel freely between the US and Canada, while the average shmoe with a 20 year-old criminal conviction for a minor charge is treated like Osama Bin Laden. Same for other famous and/or "important" people who aren't in the rap music business.
I got my car turned inside out.
The hype for the music is falsified. How do you relate to running away from the cops when you might live in an upper-class neighborhood?
If that had been me I would have informed the border agent (after the search was complete) that it would be a snowy day in July before I ever returned to Canada and that I intended to spread the word of the discourteous way that I had been treated.And I would have done it using the most respectful tone of voice and choice of words that I'm capable of mustering.
And,no,I wouldn't have sued.
They don't see anything wrong with that? You should've told them you have a basement collection which includes high powered sniper rifles.
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