My personal experience has most certainly been kind of a trip for me. For a long time I ignored Facebook, which is sort of hypocritical since I’m a big fan of the importance of social network theory and its impact on our society. To be frank, I’d simply convinced myself that I was too busy to deal with it, even though I knew that it could be useful for events that I was promoting or things of that nature. I’d received all sort of different advice about using, and even tried to utilized the technology of Facebook and twitter spontaneously during “A Day in the Life of HHC: West Coast” when Hip Hop Congress was having events in 3 states simultaneously throughout the day. As whole, HHC was still new to the technology so the day was a little bit rough. If anything, I can remember it pissing a lot of people off and stressing a lot of people out. My point here is that even though I was sure there was a value to the technology, I was more inclined to stay out of it. The curve may not have hit yet as HHC had attempted twice to create an organization page and been rejected due to the fact that they didn’t seemed to be accepting pages for groups just yet.

Then, in months of February and March, something very interesting happened. Twitter use started to climb dramatically, which some speculated to be connected to the rising unemployment rates. This was never verified but one thing was for certain, technologies like Twitter and Facebook, which allowed more real time coverage of life and communication were growing exponentially.  Around august, I decided to stop being stubborn and take the advice of all my friends and colleagues and started dragging my behind online to “connect with others.” I never could have been prepared for what happened.

Initially the technology from Facebook began connecting me to the other folks I knew were online. I started searching for those that I could remember to search for and they started to pop. Over time, though, it started to grow more dramatic. Suddenly, Facebook was introducing to people from my High School, my elementary school, college, virtually any job I’d ever worked at for any period of time. Following came my brother, my mother, my sister, my cousins from both sides of the family.  Almost anything I could imagine. Somehow the word was spreading and Facebook, a technology designed almost exclusively for students, was connecting me to every part of life that I wanted to be connected to.

At one point, the reconnection to everything made me feel overjoyed. Then, I started remembering everything. You see, being face to face with almost every aspect of my life brought me into contact with what has become a relatively cold reality of facebook and social networking technology in general.  If there’s any truth to the concept of “out of sight, out of mind,” then Facebook has brought us square to the doorstep of the opposite of that reality. In a word where Facebook and twitter are dominant, transparent and nearly omniscient forms of communication, blocking something from the near or distant past out of your head has reached a new level of challenge.

My own struggles with this have led me to some new insights about my life and what I want for it. It’s also led me to increasing consider how I would like to use this tool, and the consequences for such transparency. More and more, I’m beginning to hear the stories of ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends stalking your every update, those who used to consider themselves sly being caught by the simple nature of their Facebook updates or even worse, their status. And at its worst I’ve heard stories of those who’ve been seriously wronged at the level of sexual assault, domestic abuse, molestation and more. I’ve also seen an increase in the attempt to set boundaries on such a scenario as exemplified by the recent circulation of groups like “No Sex Criminals on Facebook” and “I don’t play Farmville.” The reality has nonetheless imposed itself upon those that have chosen to make themselves a part of the faceook reality.

Republican National Convention

by Laura Yuen, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — Two anti-poverty protesters who organized an outdoor encampment on Harriet Island in St. Paul were arrested Thursday night after they refused to clear the park by the 11 p.m. closing time.

The arrests were peaceful, and the camp shut down quietly — at least for the night.

But it brought a strong police presence to the camp, known to its inhabitants as “Bushville.” About 60 officers arrived by bike and on foot, setting up a large perimeter around the area that gradually tightened throughout the night. About half of the officers were part of a crowd-control team, known as the “mobile field force,” which will be sent out to trouble spots during next week’s Republican National Convention. It included at least one officer securing the park with an assault rifle.

Members set up Bushville in St. Paul

Officers notified the protesters about the closing time shortly after a couple dozen began hauling mattresses, sofas, a tent and a generator into the park Thursday afternoon. Starting around 8 p.m., the negotiation ensued. Mayor Chris Coleman also stopped by in the evening to observe.

The two arrested were taken to Ramsey County jail, and police said they were expected to be charged with trespassing. The remaining protesters left the park after receiving orders from police.

MPR News counted about 30 activists milling around the tent, but police said about twice that number were in the entire park after closing.

Protester Shamako Noble of San Jose, Calif., is a member of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign. He thinks the police reaction was overkill.

“There’s one thing to have police officers available and out there to enforce an ordinance. It’s another thing to bring out 50 to 60 officers, at least 10 to 20 in riot gear, coincidentally around the same time that the Republican National Convention is taking place,” Noble said. “So I think one of the biggest things we wanted to get out of this is to expose the fear of people speaking up for themselves in places where people don’t want them to.”

Sr. Cmdr. Joe Neuberger, who supervises the mobile field force, said the team was deployed to the park because the officers happened to be in training Thursday night. At one point, an officer was videotaping a videographer who was there to document police behavior.

Bushville sign in St. Paul

Neuberger said the night provided a first glimpse of how police might respond to civil disobedience during the RNC, which starts Monday.

“If it goes like this, it’s going to be great,” he said. “The folks that wanted to make their statement made their statement. The folks that wanted to be arrested got arrested. I don’t want to say it’s a great resolution — I would just as soon no one was arrested and we wouldn’t have to come down here — but if this is example of how police can cooperate with the folks who want to express their First Amendment rights, I think everyone won on this one.”

The group, which aims to raise awareness of the poor and homeless, are also organizing a march around downtown St. Paul on Tuesday.

One of the two people arrested, organizer Tim Dowlin, said he drove all the way from Philadelphia to protest the RNC. And he says many more people will be joining the camp.

“Yes, it is a protest, it is a statement, but it also is a necessity,” he said. “Our members don’t have the money for hotels, so we really need a place to stay. There are actual homeless people that organize that would be homeless in their home towns, so to come to Minneapolis in an encampment is no different than what they’re already dealing with.”

A human rights group sets up an encampment

The protesters who left the park Thursday said they will stay at churches and houses, rather than take up space in homeless shelters. And they planned to return today to Harriet Island and get settled in.

Related Topics

At the June 21st Special San Jose City Council Meeting on Police Issues, Councilperson Nancy Pyle, after dozens of public testimonies of being racially profiled, told the council and community in the audience the room, “Don’t look like a gang-banger if you don’t want to be picked up for being connected with a gang.” Audience members, of all ages and ethnic backgrounds, were appalled by the stereotyping, racially insensitive, comment, particularly given the context of the public meeting and that not one of the community members mentioned any gang affiliation. Pyle’s comment was received as dismissive to the public statements, and saying that police harassment is caused by the community, rather than the police.

So in response, on Wednesday, June 27, 2007, we held a GangBanger Fashion Show to deliever the message to Nancy Pyle that she needs to be stop the racist stereotyping of San Jose residents. There was a perfect small stage already built for the event by the time we arrived. Everyone was in place — security, audience, the local news channels. Media arrived to get footage of what may be a once a year event until City Hall and San Jose Police stop racially profiling innocent citizens of the city of San Jose just by the clothing we wear, especially in California, the most fashionable state in the United States of America.

As the show went on, the gang-bangers (regular citizens) walked across the stage, displaying their fashion sense and speaking on their experiences with the SJPD (San Jose Police Department) on how the police abused their authority towards them just for being who they are.

After the fashion show, everyone from the group, accompanied by the media, all headed inside of City Hall to the 18th floor, chanting on our way up with a stereo system playing anthems — “I’m Too Sexy for My Shirt”, “Nuthin’ but a G Thang”, and “Gangsta’s Paradise”.

When everyone got to the 18th floor, Nancy Pyle refused to come out or send a representative of hers. As soon as the crowd heard that they could smell victory, the volume in the room suddenly went from minimum all the way to the max. On behalf of residents of the city who have been harassed by the cops, we then gave a gift to Nancy Pyle — a white-tee — sending a message that “fashion is not a crime.”

Author: Shamako Noble

First I would like to commend and congratulate all who have participated in the motion to support the Jena 6. Indeed such a display does reflect that a STRONG need for sweeping change and the willingness to push it forward exists. Most notable are the roles played by such great folks as Mos Def, Davey D and Troy Nkruma and the entire NHHPC. Your energy and efforts continue to resonate throughout the country and the world and represent the growing hope for a more just collective future.

With that said, I just wanted to throw out a couple of thoughts. The mass movement around the Jena 6 is powerful reflection of the need for change in our society; it is also a potential pitfall for broader movement work that does not benefit from the divisions that such passion can create.

Most recently, Davey D commented on Mos Def as the Paul Robeson of our time. This is a most apt description, as Paul Robeson fought for the rights of Black Americans, but also of coal miners, farmers, and factory workers both here and abroad. In fact, a great deal of what got Paul Robeson labeled a communist sympathizer was his support for a wide spectrum of economic and social justice work. He was extremely skilled at recognizing and articulating the specific plight of the Black American; connecting that struggle, and his clout as a world renowned performer and intellectual, to various struggles throughout the United States and the globe.

1. 50,000 people descended on Jena. Many claim that this is “the beginning.” While that may be true, it is equally true that the immigration movement, which initially brought out millions faded away quietly, bringing out only a fraction of what it produced last year. What caused the diminished activity and how it could have been avoided are still in question. However, millions became hundred of thousands virtually overnight; that energy-while still present-is deeply quieted.

1. Many have argued that self-preservation is the strongest motivating force for such an action; a larger more sustainable self-preservation is possible by recognizing and cultivating the reality that all of our communities are suffering from the same problems; many of those same communities have developed great solutions. It is important- even critical- for Black America to take responsibility for its problems. We must also recognize that long lasting change in this country cannot come through the advocacy of the Black communities agenda alone. We can also recognize that all of the Black Community agenda, is not yet one agenda and so those communities with the most urgency, suffering from rampant poverty and unemployment, police accountability issues, poor education, lack of health care, and violence could seek alliances with those communities that share the same need for change.

1. The divisions around this issue which have made this a very distinct black and white line obscure that the black agenda, and even more specifically the poor black agenda, is both advanced by and shared with the poor Latino, White and Asian agenda of America and beyond America.

1. Racism in America is distinct, and is even more distinct in certain places. The core of the social and economic problems that we truly face as American people are global, and are shared by the African Diaspora, the global indigenous, and the general poor and working class of the world. This was also something that Paul Robeson understood, and modeled as an artist of his era. Robeson, as a member of an oppressed group in America worked for African freedom, and related to everyday life of, “British dockworkers and Welsh miners, and the many Africans whom he met.”

1. Battling racism is important and racism, in any form, should not be tolerated. However, what we are really fighting is a system of institutional racism and economic oppression. Thus, if we all live in Jena, then fight has been happening and continues to happen each day. This was beautifully illustrated by Bomani Armah, who recently pinned a song that is available on www.notarapper.com and www.myspace.com/knotarapper , commented on the fact that “The hard work still remains to be done, in Jena, and throughout America, and I’m taking a stand, as an artist, father, husband, son, and brother.”

These are serious times. The Hip Hop community-bonded by the culture that generates common experience-has taken a firm stance on Jena. Let us continue to take such a stance in cities all across the USA, advocating for the use of chess strategy like Adisa Banjoko; continue to press for International and National education reform like Martha Diaz; continue to work diligently to seek justice for Katrina victims like Supervisor James White, or Rosa Clamente, and continue daily to support the efforts of under recognized community organizers, youth workers, parents, teachers, artists, poets, etc. Every day another Jena 6 is born, and the systems that create them continue to thrive.

Si Se Puede

*Shamako Noble is an emcee, The CEO of Rondavoux Records, and the Second President of Hip Hop Congress. He is currently working on his second album “Personal Issues” and has blog’s at Soundslam (www.soundslam.com) and Art of Rhyme (artofrhyme.com) while also being a writer and community organizer for De-Bug Magazine. He also has a radio show on KSCU 103.3 (B.U. Radio) on Saturday nights from 11pm-2am (www.kscu.org) *

Few people see all of the subltle connections between Hip Hop and martial arts. The connections go far beyond what many think. Steve Da Silva is a Nova Uniao Black Belt and a pioneer dancer representing the Electric Boogaloos. World famous B-Boy Remind is another raw grappler in the mix. Rapper Rakaa from Dilated Peoples trains with Ryron and Renner Gracie. Plus, they have a new MC getting ready to set it off named RIO LIFE- but you ain’t ready!!! Theres more to it…Many levels of the game…But I’m gonna let one of the worlds rawest MC’s tell you in his own words. Be sure to pick up that 101 Sub’s VOLUME TWO!!!! Special Shouts to Gumby and Scotty for supporting Bay Area Hip Hop culture!!!

OTM: For those unfamiliar with the damage you do to microphones, can you tell the OTM family who you are?

SN: Well, I’m an emcee representing out of the Bay; specifically residing in San Jose. I’m recently the proud father of two who enjoys freestyling, battling, reading, writing, grappling, striking, production and organizing, teaching and reaching out to the youth on the horizon. I work at the Riekes Center, and I work with Hip Hop Congress, R.E.F.U.G.E. (Real Education For Urban Growth Enterprises), and a whole host of other groups. And I like to kick it.

I love battling and slam poetry and have participated in and won Zulu Nation, Battle Ave Regional and Brainstorm Regional battles in addition to the Bezerkely poetry Slam. With Brainstorm, we had some issues because I won the regional but was not given the opportunity to get a ticket. I was told I was left a message, but I never remember getting that message. It happens.

OTM: Is there anybody you’d like to battle to test your skills? Like, who do you think you could still wax, but they’d give you a hard fight on the mic?

SN: There are levels to this. Battle Circuit: Illmaculate, BoRad, Rhymefest, Swann, Duece Leader, Dirtbag Dan, Xi, and I want J-Jack, Joey Madness, and Coley Cole Rematches.

Cats kinda off the circuit but still fresh: Mac Lethal, Eyedea, Brother Ali, Wordsworth, Tonedeff, Immortal Technique, C-Rays Waltz (sp?)

Established Cats: KRS-One, Cannibus, Eminem.

Basically I would like to battle anyone that’s really tight. Win or lose, you can only get better. Unless you fall off.

OTM: Now, I know you are the Dir. at the Academy of Hip Hop at the Riekes Center for Human Enhancement. Tell me about that place, ’cause they do a lot there.

SN: The Riekes Center for Human Enhancement is a tremendous opportunity to explore and develop ones interests. Specifically, we focus on Creative Arts (Recording, Music, Movies, Fine Art), Nature Studies (Tracking,Aboriginal Skills, Knowledge of Place, etc.) and Athletic Fitness (Sport Specific Training, general physical psychological improvement, physical therapy, etc.

We have a host of facilities ranging from the Basketball Court and Batting Cages to the Video Recording and Editing to the Music Studio and Yamaha Motif. The staff is amazing: both specialized and diversified in skill sets and understanding. You can come and record your demo, or develop specific physical attributes, or just to increase your awareness and comprehension of your natural surroundings. It is very much a non-profit school and enhancement center that provides a plethora of services.

I work in the Creative Arts department and in specific, as you mentioned, I work with the Academy of Hip Hop which was originally conceived by Rahmann Jamal and myself. Right now we do Emceeing, Production and Recording and have offered or collaborated in a series of events including B-Boy Jams, Lectures, and whole host of exciting items on the horizon. It’s an incredible place.

OTM: Who are some of your favorite fighters these days?

SN: The first thing I have to say in response to that question is that I enjoy all forms of martial arts. Meaning I enjoying striking, grappling and weapons combat although I don’t know of too many commercial supported weapons sports.

As for the question naturally I’m a big fan of the Gracies without a doubt. I’m always impressed, occasionally floored, and sometimes completely blown away.

Though I haven’t seen him fight as often as I’d like to, I’m really into both Dave Camarillo’s fighting style and political philosophy. I’ve always been a bit of a Mark Coleman fan, and in boxing, right now I’m feeling Bernard Hopkins. Pound for Pound one of the best, if not the best in the game

OTM: So what’s the new jam you made for the upcoming “102 Submissions DVD”?

SN: The song is a little ditty I put together at the Riekes Center using the Motif 6. With Gumby’s permission and support, I crafted a piece I thought would be kind of fun for the video based on the previous one. It was a lot of fun and I’m really into doing projects like that.

OTM: You guys have had insane B-boy jams at the Riekes. Do you see any correlations between Hip Hop and martial arts?

SN: You mean besides the need for regimented training and some degree of consistent physical discipline. Nope, not at all.

Well, except for reference to capoeira which is an art where the correlation kind of meets directly. This is without pointing to Hip Hop cultures general roots in appreciation for martial arts like Kung Fu and karate based on 70’s and 80’s flicks.

Also, clan/crew divisions, elder hood and “rites of passage”, and styles and schools of thought don’t come to mind either.

I mean, I apologize for the sarcasm, but I honestly get upset when people don’t see the obivous connections. Perhaps to some I guess they are not so obvious (and many things are like this) but many of the similarites seem so pronounced. to me. The direct physical confrontiation., the nature of the movement. I mean, if you simply turned B-boying into a contact sport it instaneously becomes a martial art. Now, it doesn’t have the historically developed code and focus, but that is time, possiblity and genuis. Or maybe it’s happened already and I just haven’t heard about it cause I’m behind. In short, I see a correlation.

In the world of Hip Hop and politics, there are many organizations. The one I respect the most, is Hip Hop Congress.

The President of Hip Hop Congress is Shamako Noble. He is a respcted battle MC and political organizer based out of San Jose, California. His first LP, “The Return of the Coming of the Aftermath” is an underground smash.

In this interivew we talk about the San Jose race for Mayor, and talk about how both dems and reps have left young people in the cold.

AB: Who is Hip Hop Congress and what is the mission of the
organization?

S: Hip Hop Congress is a 501 (C) Non-Profit and grass roots network that seeks to educate empower and organzing through and with Hip Hop Culture. We work nationally, internationally, locally and regionally with many different groups to bring communities together form music,
art, social change and education.

We have a chapter program which includes community chapters, college chapters and high school chapters. We have an artist program which networks, trains and books artists of a variety of types for all types of events. We have several major initatives which include
education, politcal awareness and women’s integration and empowerment.

Our primary focus, though, is organizing ourselves and organizing the urban arts communities we’re in.

AB: You recently helped work on the campaign to get Cindy Chavez in as mayor for San Jose. What was your role, and what did you learn through the campaign? />

S: I worked as a campaign field organizer.I learned that the South Bay Labor Council is one of the finest organizing institutitons in the state. I learned that you have to work damn hard to get your voice heard and it doesn’t always gaurentee that you will. I learned that organizing is about systems, although a debate could be had on the value of flexiblity. I’ve learned when you say that power is exerted
through money or through people, those concepts don’t have to be abstract. They can be mapped out and executed to precision.

I’ve learned that voter registration as a strategy is poor, and piss poor when compared to concentrated efforts at voter education and voter turnout. All of that is not nearly as hard as the sum total of training a base from scratch. I’ve learned that the South Bay has a long way to go in recognizing it’s Urban significance.

AB: In my opinon Chuck Reed crushed Cindy Chavez. What is your understanding of why he won?

S: The people of San Jose were horrified by the Gonzlaes administration. You could put together a pretty strong argument for why that distrust was for the most part unjustified, but more importantly it resulted in a tricky situation for Cindy. Chuck tied her in to Ron early, andnever left the course. He also had the appearence of being the reform candidate, which as we can see by the house and senate (though not the governer’s race) was at the front of people’s mind.

Can’t discount old fashioned sexism and racism, too. I mean, people literally said, “I’m not voting for her. She’s too mexican.” or “I’m not voting for her, she’s a woman.”
I think that those were the biggest factors.

AB: I saw their debates. One of the thing both of them seemed to ignore were issues dealing with specific needs of the youth in San Jose. But that appears to be a trend with the Democrats across the board. Would you
agree that the American youth have been abandoned by todays politicians- regardless of party affiliation?

S: I would say that there is a lack of recognition for what youth and youth support services need and not enough organization or power development from those that work with the youth. I believe that the youth services world-probation, youth and community centers, mentorship programs, etc. need to organize locally and nationally and
find collective ways to assert their presence. I also think that
efforts to get youth to particapate in the electoral process are important.

I do not believe we can solve the bulk of our many communities problems through electoral politics, but there are many that we can address through understanding and influencing local, state budgets and laws.

They weren’t abandoned because ultimatley, neither party is there for a base it doesn’t think exists. So they’ve never really been there to begin with.

AB: On the national front, does the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld signify anything specific to you about where America is headed?

S: Maybe. There are a lot of people who are very excited that the democrats have taken the house and the senate. While I feel that this is objectivley a much bettter option than a house controlled by Republicans, we have yet to see what effect this will truly have on Katrina victims, No Child Left Behind, coillege tuition, the prision industrial complex, universal health care etc.

I am hopeful because I realize there is a much greater potential for postiive change than a Republican controlled congress, but still….

I have a similar feeling here. Rumsfield has never been weakened to the point of having to leave, so there is no denying the significance of the vulnerability. However, it reamains to be seen if the memory of the people, the slick manuevering of the right and corperate influence
and other such factors with mitigate the impact of this move.

I’ll also be very interested to see who he’s replaced with and why.

AB: I did not see a lot of rappers playing a role in this recent election. Do Democrats or Republicans even NEED Hip Hop people to be involved?

S: Well, no. But it’s not about them needing Hip Hop. The truth is, the democrats didn’t “win” the house. The people did. The people wanted change. Not because of campaigns or great candidates (with the exception of maybe Sherrod Brown, Obama and few others) but because the American people were ready for something different.

Hip Hop is signficant because of the groups they represent. Namely, youth, poor and people of color. If we feel as though those groups are being neglected, then we should be less concerned with whether they need us and more concerned with how we are going to organize ourselves
so that our issues are addressed with or without democrats and republicans.

AB: If you met a person who has no knowledge of rap music (or any other aspect of Hip Hop) what three albums would you suggest they listened to, to get attuned?

S: I would have to give them more albums after the 3 but…

NWA-straight out of compton
Wu-Tang-Enter the 36 chambers
Outkast-The love below/Speakerbox

AB: With the Dems in power, do you think this will open a road for Obama to take the Oval Office? And will the Dems authentically support him if they do?

S: All of that is shakey. Obama has got it, but we have yet to see how the Dem machine will react to his sudden emergence as a candidate for president. There are people who have been working for years for that slot. Honestly, I can’t call it. I can seeing it going either way.

AB: As an artist, what effect will all of the recent political events have on your music, if any?

S: A lot, man, especailly in terms of the state and local races. San Jose is racist. Oakland is looking for some real grassroots change. Arnold is still our governer. I think all of this is going to play out in my music in some way shape or form.

If we don’t see a lot of change coming out of the a dem controlled congress, you’ll hear that, too.

AB: Any last words?

S: We are much more powerful than we choose to recognize. We beef over territory, over cash, over theory. Let’s get serious and get organized.

Props out to all of my folks, Amir and Shamar (my sons) all everyone who supports HHC in anyway ever.

For more info on Hip Hop Congress visit:

www.myspace.com/shamakodnoble