It doesn’t seem like the Sean Bell situation is going away quietly. While the internet has been lit ablaze with frustrated bloggers, journalists and artists, David Banner was the latest to air out his frustrations with not only the trial, but the complacency of the black community. HipHopDX spoke with Banner on Tuesday, April 29th – which is also the 16 year anniversary of the infamous Rodney King riots.
“I’m not surprised. Amadou Diallo got shot 41 times, Sean Bell 50 times and Rodney King got beat up on camera,”Banner stated. “It’s to the point where they known niggas ain’t gonna do nothing to nobody but themselves. We’re going to have to do something that will instill fear in other races of people or we’re going to have to hit them in their pocket. It ain’t no other way. Why should they respect anything if we’re not going to do nothing?”
Tired of the marching and burning down our own communities, Banner explains his weariness with African Americans and those being oppressed in general.
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“Our generation is a bunch of cowards,” he exclaimed. “I think that black people have bought into white supremacy and we’ll do anything that we see that’s being done to us. We’ll whoop black folks. If somebody don’t bring back our dope we’ll kill them.But anything that has to do with any other race of people or a hierarchy, we’re not going to stand up for nothing. The one thing about the ’60s is (the government) feared those people, they didn’t know what they would do.”
He then put the exclamation point on his topic.
“If you a gangster, be a gangster for everything. Not just when it comes to black people.”
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Banner also cited the fact that civilians cannot have a gun in New York to protect themselves from situations like this and also expressed his issues with NYPD having free reign.
“Police know you aren’t going to shoot back because you ain’t supposed to have a gun. If you do have a gun, they are going to put you in jail forever – even if it’s self defense – because you aren’t supposed to have a gun in the first place,”Banner says in disgust. “They won’t let you carry a pistol in New York but they’ll let you go to Iraq and put a rifle in your hand and go tell you to fight but we can’t protect ourselves in our own cities.”
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“They can go through your mail and tap your phones,” Banner continues. “And now they can hold you hostage for 48 hours without even giving you an explanation or a reason why!”
Banner also wanted it to be known that his activism isn’t something he takes lightly and that he only speaks on issues affecting minorities because “no one else will.”
“I guess I’m an activist,”Banner sighs. “I would love to just sit back and make money. I would love to say, ‘Buy the Greatest Story Ever Told that’s coming out in July,’ but I’m only political because won’t nobody else be. I’m not going to stand by and let this happen to our kids. That wasn’t my plan to get into politics, I want to make money and make music and be happy like everyone else. But my manhood won’t allow me to be in these times. It’s not our responsibility as rappers to be political, it’s just our politicians ain’t doing shit. Our leaders are shakedown artists. They are fake fucks!”
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Banner also expressed his concern with the upcoming election as he hopes Obama is much more than just a black face.
“I just hope Obama is not a token. I hope what he says he really means. I believe him right now,” he says.
Before getting off the phone, he wanted to leave DX and our readers some food for thought regarding the Bush Administration.
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“What is the Bush family involved in?” he asks rhetorically as “oil” is the correct answer. “Wouldn’t it be smart for gas prices to be at their highest in the history of man once you go out of office? That’s pimpin! That’s so gangsta!”
Be on the lookout for David Banner‘s The Greatest Story Ever Told this July.
