Thug Life Army

Hip Hop and rap artists Treach and dead prez and artists John Legend and Jaguar Wright are just a few of the artists featured on the upcoming CD/DVD project "Combating Police Terrorism". The Free Your Hood Coalition will celebrate the official release with a premiere screening of the DVD and live concert on Thursday February 1st at Joe's Pub. Hip hop activist rap artist M-1 of dead prez, Jaguar Wright, Treach of the hip hop / rap group Naughty By Nature, A-Alikes, Nemiss, and Hasan Salaam are among those scheduled to perform at the release.

"Combating Police Terrorism" highlights various police programs that result in unusually high arrests in Black and Latino communities such as Operation Impact, the Street Crimes Unit, and the Hip Hop Police Task Force. Through first hand accounts it tells the stories of those victimized by the NYPD including one that ended in the murder of unarmed 19 year old Timothy Stansbury and another that disrupted a dead prez photo shoot resulting in injuries and arrests. Though most of these cases took place between 2003 and 2005, the release comes just after the police murders of Sean Bell (NYC), Michael Smith (Chicago), and Kathryn Johnston (Atlanta ) occurred all within 2 weeks of each other this past November. At a time when national and local security forces rage war on terrorism Free Your Hood asks us to question all forms of terrorism and particularly police programs that disproportionately target communities of color and the claim that "contagious shooting" syndrome should explain why police fire to fifty times on one individual.

The Combating Police Terrorism film premiere and concert will take place Thursday February 1st at Joes's Pub located at 425 Lafayette St. near Astor Place. Doors open at 9:30pm and the screening begins at 10pm. The tickets are $15 and can be purchased in person at the box office or on-line at www.joespub.com . All proceeds will benefit the Sean Bell family and the on-going efforts of the Free Your Hood Coalition. For more information on the coalition please visit www.myspace.com/free_your_hood_coalition .

Hip Hop and the people need to speak out and take action for Sean Bell, Timothy Standsbury, and the hundreds of others killed and brutalized by the police.

About Information on Free Your Hood Coalition:

After witnessing and experiencing numerous police brutality incidents, dead prez and other People's Army members, who themselves had been harassed, injured, and arrested initiated the Free Your Hood Coalition to address the violence. The coalition brought together several groups working in Brooklyn including ACLU, Critical Resistance, InPDUM, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and Urban Mana to work collectively to inform communities about policing programs and their rights as well as to provide support for police brutality victims and their families. In addition to the DVD/CD project Free Your Hood also produces a free quarterly newsletter, The People''.