Vandal Arts is committed to fostering a greater appreciation of the arts and cultures as it relates to contemporary urban issues. The experiences and cultural contributions of the Hip-Hop lifestyle have been ambivalent throughout history and Vandal Art’s mission is to undertake the responsibility of sculpting that history in order to give a more accurate portrayal of the contributions of Hip-Hop to the artistic and global landscape.
Take for example the incident stated below. It describes police brutality against Hip-Hop performers, enthusiast, and press at an event. This was professional at work and media coverage was able to prove that. Hip-Hop is targeted and coerced.
New York, NY
June 30th, 2011
Official Statement
On Tuesday, June 28th, Pete Rock, Tek & Steele (of Smif N Wessun) were celebrating the release of their collaborative album, ‘Monumental.’ It was a peaceful gathering inside of a sold-out Tammany Hall (lower-east side Manhattan, NY) to see the group perform new music from the project. Earlier in the evening some guests wanted to enter the event but were turned away by the management and bouncers employed by the club. A minor argument ensued, but eventually was diffused by the bouncers. Thirty minutes after that minor skirmish 15-20 uniformed Police Officers from the 7th precinct arrived at the venue. Shortly after even more uniformed officers arrived. The officers then hurried into the club and began macing and assaulting individuals inside the club, dragging one of them out and pummeling him directly in front of the club. Present at the event were artists, industry tastemakers, fans, photographers, and cameramen. Several people began filming and recording the unprovoked brutality, much to the dismay of the police. The officers then began to mace and assault anyone within arms length, including several women. Kenneth Montgomery, the group’s attorney, who was in attendance at the event, stated that the Police “behavior was unjustified, unprovoked, and simply barbaric considering there was no provocation.” Pete Rock, Tek and Steele fortunately were not harmed, however some of their friends & family were assaulted by the Police. The group’s attorney, Kenneth Montgomery, is addressing the situation now with local community leaders & is available for comment with more detailed information.
Today at 12PM EST, Pete Rock & Tek & Steele of Smif N Wessun will be holding a press conference to address all questions at New York Criminal Court on 100 Centre Street, New York, NY.
For more detailed information on the incident please contact:
Kenneth Montgomery
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| © 2011 Duck Down Music Inc. |
