The Black Man's Survival Guide
1988 The drug game in the Bronx had taken a wicked turn. Jamaican drug dealers hit the scene and were unruly. NYPD was not used to getting shot at when they announced " FREEZE!!!!PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AND DON'T MOVE!!!! You see in Jamaica. The police don't do that. They shoot first and ask questions later. So NYPD announcing themselves to a YARD MAN! was a joke. Their response to that ! " Im just seh put mi hands dem inna di air? Dis man is a rasss idioooot !!! I gone shoot im rass " Not only was NYPD jumpy but they were running scared. The Jamaicans had The Bronx under siege.
One night Clipperman and I traveled to the Bronx to get the New Edition concert tickets my buddy O North had purchased for us. He lived right across the street from Edenwald Projects. A place no one wanted to be late at night. Especially since The Jamaicans not only shot at police, but their american counterparts as well.
We arrive at O North's house at 8pm. My car radio was blasting at the time so when I got out the gunfire coming from the projects caught me off guard. I knock on the passenger side window and say to Clipperman " You hear that!!! Clipperman responds " Hear what. The firecrackers coming from the projects? I respond " You see. This is why you should NEVER travel around the Bronx without me! THATS GUNFIRE YOU IDIOT!!! O North comes running out of the house " Slish lets make this quick . You hear that shit going on across the street! As I'm reaching into my back pocket I see this dude run from inside the projects. He crosses the street to where O North, Clipperman and myself are. He runs by us, tosses a gun into the bushes next to O North's house and takes off running TOP SPEED!! O North says " OH SHIT!!! Slish did you see that! I respond " Take this money so Clipperman and I can get the hell out of this warzone" I hand O North the money I owed him for the tickets. He then gives me an envelope. Before I could turn around and get into my car I hear FREEZE! EVERYONE PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AND DON'T MOVE !!!
I turn around to see 8 police officers had surrounded us. "EVERYONE KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM" These officers looked real jumpy. They're hands shook as they pointed shot guns and various automatic weaponry. O North quickly obliged, Clipperman has this OH LAAAAWD look on his face, and me " WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT!!!! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! THE MUTHAFUCKA YOU'RE LOOKING FOR JUST RAN THAT WAY!!!! Officer" PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!!! I respond " THIS IS SOME BULLSHIT YOU PUNK MUTHAFUCKAS TO AFRAID TO GO BACK INTO THE PROJECTS BECAUSE THATS WHERE THE REAL GUNFIRE IS COMING FROM!!! O North " Slish! Shut up! You trying to get us killed. Those are real guns they have pointed at us! This ain't the time to be a civil rights activist!
One of the Officers walks over and orders me to open the trunk of my car. I respond " Nope. For what ? O North " Slish! Open the trunk ! I comply. The Officer looks around and finds nothing. I say " NO GUNS OR DRUGS!!!! You're wasting your time here! Then the Officers get a call on their radios that they should be where the gunfire is coming from. THE PROJECTS !!!! They get in their Police van and leave.
O North and Clipperman verbally assault me for about 5 minutes. O North goes inside his house, Clipperman and I get into my car and head back to where gunfire is damn near non existent.
11 years later Feb 4th 1999 another brotha was faced with the same situation. He wasn't as lucky as I was. What caused him to die and not me. Well. Although I was talking all that shit. My hands never left the air. They were positioned where the Police could see them. The black man's survival manual says so on page one. Too bad no one showed Amadou that book.
One night Clipperman and I traveled to the Bronx to get the New Edition concert tickets my buddy O North had purchased for us. He lived right across the street from Edenwald Projects. A place no one wanted to be late at night. Especially since The Jamaicans not only shot at police, but their american counterparts as well.
We arrive at O North's house at 8pm. My car radio was blasting at the time so when I got out the gunfire coming from the projects caught me off guard. I knock on the passenger side window and say to Clipperman " You hear that!!! Clipperman responds " Hear what. The firecrackers coming from the projects? I respond " You see. This is why you should NEVER travel around the Bronx without me! THATS GUNFIRE YOU IDIOT!!! O North comes running out of the house " Slish lets make this quick . You hear that shit going on across the street! As I'm reaching into my back pocket I see this dude run from inside the projects. He crosses the street to where O North, Clipperman and myself are. He runs by us, tosses a gun into the bushes next to O North's house and takes off running TOP SPEED!! O North says " OH SHIT!!! Slish did you see that! I respond " Take this money so Clipperman and I can get the hell out of this warzone" I hand O North the money I owed him for the tickets. He then gives me an envelope. Before I could turn around and get into my car I hear FREEZE! EVERYONE PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AND DON'T MOVE !!!
I turn around to see 8 police officers had surrounded us. "EVERYONE KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM" These officers looked real jumpy. They're hands shook as they pointed shot guns and various automatic weaponry. O North quickly obliged, Clipperman has this OH LAAAAWD look on his face, and me " WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT!!!! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! THE MUTHAFUCKA YOU'RE LOOKING FOR JUST RAN THAT WAY!!!! Officer" PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!!! I respond " THIS IS SOME BULLSHIT YOU PUNK MUTHAFUCKAS TO AFRAID TO GO BACK INTO THE PROJECTS BECAUSE THATS WHERE THE REAL GUNFIRE IS COMING FROM!!! O North " Slish! Shut up! You trying to get us killed. Those are real guns they have pointed at us! This ain't the time to be a civil rights activist!
One of the Officers walks over and orders me to open the trunk of my car. I respond " Nope. For what ? O North " Slish! Open the trunk ! I comply. The Officer looks around and finds nothing. I say " NO GUNS OR DRUGS!!!! You're wasting your time here! Then the Officers get a call on their radios that they should be where the gunfire is coming from. THE PROJECTS !!!! They get in their Police van and leave.
O North and Clipperman verbally assault me for about 5 minutes. O North goes inside his house, Clipperman and I get into my car and head back to where gunfire is damn near non existent.
11 years later Feb 4th 1999 another brotha was faced with the same situation. He wasn't as lucky as I was. What caused him to die and not me. Well. Although I was talking all that shit. My hands never left the air. They were positioned where the Police could see them. The black man's survival manual says so on page one. Too bad no one showed Amadou that book.
posted by Mr.Slish at
6/04/2006 11:30:00 PM
24 Comments:
"the glove compartment's locked, so is the trunk in the back. I know my rights. You're gonna need a warrent for that."
You don't even have to be a cop to get me to cooperate. Everytime I'm at the club and the DJ says "wave your hands in the air, and wave it like you just don't care", my hand are up. Don't take any chances with anything. Cops won't shoot unless you give them a reason. I can't think of someone getting shot for cooperating with the cops. You can talk all the junk you want to talk, just follow instructions and keep your hands away from your pockets.
Now you know the cops have wised up since 88. they shoot first then say put your hands up.
You a straight dumb ass. Next time somebody who has a gun tells you to do something just go ahead and do it and file the complaint later.
You crazy Negroes make it bad for us Cosby kids.
Edenwald?!?!?!?! Good Lawd! Mister Telephoneman and Candy Girl would have to wait...didnt they have "Will Call" at the theatre or something? Sayin? He couldnt mail em? Meet you some place safer... like say...Iraq?!?!?
NYPD are unskilled, incompetent, frightened white men from Staten Island who use their guns to compensate for their shortcomings. There have been several cases of people of color who have been shot, humiliated, maimed and/or killed AFTER complying with police demands during a traffic stop. They shoot whenever they want to...all you can do is pray while simultaneously memorizing the badge number for your attorney afterwards.
Oy! Growing up in the 80's! It's amazing that we're alive, that you're alive specifically from an incident like that which made statistics of so many men that looked just like you!
Oakland was the murder capitol of the world when I was in high school and I have seen the police pull some sickening stuff...but honestly what I love about Oakland the most, is that every now and then folks would just fight and shoot back!
this story reminds me of being a kid in brooklyn in the mid to late 80s.. not a good look yo.. lol glad we picked up and moved to the suburbs.. for real.. and you KNOW you were one lucky NEGRO. trying to pull some fight the power bullshit at the WRONG mothafuckin' time! I like you Slish. you're a funny mofo. lol
Whoa Slish.. That was some deep stuff. I'm lovin your blog man and it amazes me the differences and yet the similarities between the coasts... LAPD shoots first but they try to look away and act as if the trigger finger slipped. Then the rest of the officers will typically empty their bullets into you too and when all is said and done, they'll all just sigh and say "oops, did we do that?" lol..
So, how is it now out there and what happened with the Jamaican's that used to run everythang?
@ Organized You're a silly negro..lol
@ Phoenix Ain't that the truth.
@ Venom I was 19 and impressionable. Public Enemy stayed in my tape deck.
@ Chez Wasn't thinking like that back then..Just wanted those N.E tickets. Clipperman and I knew they're would be some shawties at madison square garden...lol
@ Ms Ahmad Thats what the Jamaicans were doing. Shootng back! ..lol
@ equal I was lucky but I didn't realize it until Amamdou was shot 11 years later.
@ Var Things have calmed down quite a bit. That part of the bronx is much safer now. The Jamaicans have taken most of their hustle money and opened various establishments in the bx ex( Jamaican Rest, Shipping and courier services etc etc etc) They have managed to keep a lower profile.
For N.E. tickets, Slish? You would've took a bullet for Ronnie DeVoe?
KZ
P.S. I've been playing that one disc non-stop. I haven't gotten to the other one yet. That Lupe Fiasco joint is pure unadulterated beauty. Thanks once again!
I was thinking the same thing as Organized Noise when I read this...
"the glove compartment's locked, so is the trunk in the back. I know my rights. You're gonna need a warrent for that."
I want to say so much but I'd just clog the comments section when in reality we all know what it is. Shyt changes while at the same time staying the same. It's all Bullshyt!
Rest in Peace Amadou & all the other brothers and sistahs who weren't able to escape the madness!!!
@ Zed Lmaof I would have taken a bullet for injustice..lol
As for the cds no problem. Lupe's track is some hot shit...I think i put another one of his new joints toward the end of the cd... If you need some more let know I have cd's you can play for the Ladies too...lol
@ Royce Clog the comments.Thats what we're here for don't hold back now.. Speak your mind Sistah!!!
You're right about that. 41 bullets in your ass will make many a minority keep his mouth shut and keep those hands in the sky. There have been countless young black males who have had their lives cut short by nervous, trigger happy, shoot first, ask ?uestions later, untrained cops. A very good friend of mine was killed in the spring of 1985. His name was Edmund Perry. E attended my church (shout out to Memorial Baptist on 115th & St. Nick.) and was a brilliant young black male with tons of potential. I remember Edmund, his brother Jonah, my man Shaft, and I used to hang out all the time on the weekends after Choir rehearsal and Church. While we may have been mischievous children, none of us were criminals. While I was about to move to Atlanta to start a new life, Edmund was accepted into Stanford University after graduating from the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy in the New England suburb.
Unfortunately, a young inexperienced plain clothes officer shot and killed Edmund in Morningside park in Harlem, less than a mile from where he lived. The officer claimed he was afraid he was going to be mugged and that was his reasoning behind ending such a bright future. E's brother Jonah, who was attending the Ivy League School Cornell University, was allegedly the accomplice according to the officer. Adding insult to more insults was the fact they (NYPD) tried to charge Jonah with assault. He was tried and found not guilty of assaulting Officer Lee Van Houten. There was no evidence to support the officer’s story. Of course the officer was not charged with anything. Regrettably, far too many stories like this have taken place, not only in NY, but every city and town where minorities are the majority, and the Caucasians are the authority. Even more unfortunate is the fact that these Officers who are sworn to protect and serve, have no diversity training before going out into these neighborhoods and exerting their AUTHORITY. (Good point Chez)
Slish was very lucky, because unlike what Organized said, you CAN NOT talk back to Officers these days. You will have a night stick shoved so far up your ass you’d think you swallowed it. Cops truly believe they are THE ALL to END ALL. Try cursing at a cop today and you will be arrested for “resisting arrest” and if you’re lucky you’ll end up with just a headache, and not a plunger up your ass. You can all thank Rudy Guiliani for the Police State in NYC that still exists today. He was the U.S. District Attorney in NYC prior to becoming Mayor in 1993. Remember that when he runs for President in 08.
FUCK GUILIANI!!
Yes, it still hurts. I miss you ED!
For more info check out this book:
Murder Without Motive – The Edmund Perry Story
Peace & Blessings, and don’t talk back to cops!!
@Grant-I went to undergrad with Jonah. I remember thinking, "They got Black dudes at Exeter?"
@NoAge-I went to law school with a dark-skinned Italian dude (tan skinned, curly hair, full lips) who REGULARLY got pulled over by the cops in Queens. NYPD are so challenged, they cant even get the racial profiling right!
NYPD, LAPD, NJ State Troopers and NOPD (New Orleans) were/are all NOTORIOUS. The Mullen Commission report, the OJ trial, various lawsuits and Hurricane Katrina took care of some of them, God will take care of the rest.
Its a shame growing up in the South Bronx that we 'trusted' the criminals more than the cops. I grew up with the thugs. The ones that are still alive in my neighborhood (those who arent dead, locked up or in rehab) know my mother and respect the whole family, she probably babysat them or some of their kids. Cant say what would happen if any of us had a run in with one of those dirty cops from the 44th Precinct, though. D*mn shame!
In Boston, the police just sit on their a$$es at Dunkin Donuts and let the thugs shoot up eachother and the rest of the neighborhood. There have been more than twenty shootings involving youth since the New Year in Boston. Only one has resulted in an arrest. The cops blame their lack of police work on the "no snitching" t-shirts. But the real deal is that its easier to gentrify the hood when all of us have killed eachother off ahead of time.
@Slish-Sorry to post on your comments.
@Knockout-Luuv the "Kick Push" song. Wish somebody would send me some music too...
:-P
Cops have this false bravado that I hate.
@Grantlove...sorry about your friend.
@Slish...you were lucky that time...no blessed! Bet you won't try that these days.
@ Grant How come I don't remember that cat.
@ Noage. Scary and true
@ Chez who don't you know..lol
@ Babybear Lucky I didn't have your training. Remember Jim Kelly in that flashback scene in Enter The Dragon..OOOOy OOOOOy Oooooy disarmed those pigs..lol..Classic movie moment
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
My 16 yr old nephew just got his black man initiation a couple months ago. Walking home from school, wearing a black tee, jeans, J's and a book bag...at 2:30pm (after school) and the cops stopped and searched him 2 blocks from his house bec he looked "suspicious." Of course I was pissed...how the hell is a public school kid supposed to look after school?! But my brother said he did the right thing, just shut up and let them search you knowing you aint got nothing on you.
Better him than me. :(
@ So wise...This shit never changes...Tell your nephew I feel his pain...
@Chezniki
"...now coast!" Beautiful song. Atypical in every way.
Slish,
Did the buildings start to shake? Did you do a double take?
KZ
I love reading this blog....
Hmm..I knew a dude once, his girl kicked him out of their apartment around eight in the morning all he had on was his boxers..The police shot him and then claimed he made a move with his hands like he was reaching for something.
WTF? could he be reaching for when he's standing in the snow in only a pair of boxer shorts?..
Sad really, but it happens.
@ Zed What you talking bout WILLIS..lol
@ Greeney Welcome to my blog. Glad you enjoy reading it.
Police all over need diversity training.Its the only way the madness will end.
We had a recent case of DWB down here in ATL. This cop straight LIED on dude http://www.wsbtv.com/news/9314063/detail.html and had him facing 25 years for assault on a cop...which he did not do...how do we know? Surveillance Video in the parking garage. Now dude is suing the city of Atlanta and the cop is being investigated. The cop even lied about the man's height and weight, didn't tell him why he was being arrested.
Snippet from the article:
Richard Holmes is demanding a formal apology from the Atlanta Police Department after he says he was falsely arrested and accused of aggravated assault, DUI and other charges.
Richard Holmes was living a great life – a corner office in the prestigious Suntrust Building in Downtown Atlanta, a private investigator with major corporate clients – and then he had a run-in with an Atlanta police officer a few months ago, and his life hasn’t been the same.
“I don’t think if I were a white male driving a new Lexus in a suit renting office space at one of the most expensive commercial developments in Downtown Atlanta that this would’ve happened to me,” says Holmes.
For Holmes, there’s just no other way to explain it, “I didn’t commit a crime. This was a civil matter that was resolved between me and the parking attendant.”
A dispute inside the Suntrust parking garage led to his arrest and indictment. An Atlanta police officer claimed Holmes hit and dragged him with his car.
But, there’s surveillance video that shows otherwise.
As Holmes’ car is leaving after a verbal dispute with the attendant over using his access card, Officer DiMaurio walks up.
“He told me to place my hands on top of the car and that I was under arrest. I never knew what my charges were up until I went to jail,” says Holmes.
Holmes was facing a possible 25 years in prison for the felony charges against him.
The district attorney’s office dropped all the charges against him – after seeing the surveillance video.
The officer’s report of that night listed Holmes at a 6’5”, 250 pound man. In actuality, he’s less than 6’ and under 200 pounds.
*smh* the more things change...the more they stay the same.
@ Mz Newagenda DAMN!!!!
All I can do is shake my head as I read this post and its comments.
I'll add my own story of police injustice, brutality and ignorance. Recently, this girl I went to highschool with in Chicago's aunt had a heart-attack and died. Why? Her nephew and his friends were being harrased by the Chicago PD in front of her house and she ran out asking the police what happened. One officer put a gun in her face and told her to go in the fucking house. She went in the bathroom crying and died right there. No bullshit. They had the funeral the first week of May. What are they going to do about it? From what I know, nothing. Sad.
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