FBI response to "Fuck the Police"

Today in class during my poetry discussion, I mentioned how there was intense criticism to the song “Fuck the police” when it first came out. I touched on this but due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to get into the historical context of what actually happened in 1989. The FBI sent a letter to Ruthless Records, NWA’s label at the time. The letter cited "inciting violence and disrespect" against law enforcement officers as the reason for FBI's involvement.  First amendment advocates at the time criticized the FBI's actions. Critics blamed the FBI for engaging in artistic censorship, far removed from FBI's charter of law enforcement. Obviously, the FBI defended its decision to get involved. A representative of the FBI issued a statement saying “78 law enforcement officers were feloniously slain in the line of duty during 1988 . . . and recordings such as the one from N.W. A are both discouraging and degrading to these brave, dedicated officers" (Steve Hochman LA Times).

Ironically, the FBI’s involvement brought the label more attention, notoriety and made them more money. In an interview with The Daily Beast’s Michael Daly, Dr. Dre stated that the letter “inadvertently helped N.W.A achieve a new level of free publicity.” In my personal opinion, the letter added to NWA’s image.  NWA's fan base saw NWA as standing up to authority.  According to their fans, NWA was able to “rattle” the FBI and FBI had no ability to take real action. Based on a Wikipedia source (to be taken with a grain of salt!), the FBI letter was actually written by a man named Milt Ahlerich, who was falsely representing the FBI.  This explanation may hold some credibility because the purpose of the FBI's letter escapes me. What was the FBI trying to accomplish by making the letter public? Did they really think NWA would stop producing these kinds of songs?

The Straight Outa Compton album that NWA produced was one of the first rap albums of its time.  Their popularity and the controversy they generated spawned the entire "gangster rap" genre. For us, at the present time, it seems strange that the FBI would take action against artistic expression  probably because we are used to this style of music based social-commentary. However, NWA's music, that took stand against law enforcement back in the late eighties, could be compared to the "Black lives matter" movement sweeping the United States. The recent killings of people with color, primarily African-Americans has created friction between the African-American community and law enforcement, which is being brought into the mainstream consciousness by the "black lives matter" organizers. I personally think that bands like NWA and movements like "black lives matter" shine a light on social issues that need to be discussed in public. As uncomfortable as it may make people feel, real progress can only be made through dialogue between people of varying viewpoints. NWA's music and the black lives matter movement brought awareness to the challenges faced by urban black youth (stereotyped as criminals, living in a culture of violence and drugs, etc.). I think the FBI violated the NWA’s right to freedom of speech, just like I believe authorities cannot and should not ban "black lives matter."

The Brotherhood

In chapter 17 of Invisible Man, we see the narrator immerse himself in the work of the Brotherhood organization. In this chapter, I got the sense that the narrator became even more passionate and committed as the organization seems to provide the narrator with direction and purpose. The narrator’s emotional state in this chapter contrasts the way we see him several chapters ago when he first arrives in Harlem. He roams the streets aimlessly and doesn’t appear to have any social life or friends. Now, when he walks down the street his is a celebrity.

The Brotherhood organization seems to give the narrator a huge self-esteem boost. So much so that on page 380, he counts how many people stop and greet him on his way to work. The narrator enjoys all the attention he is getting as we see him “brag” about his importance around the city. He says “Speeches here, there, everywhere, uptown, and down. I wrote newspaper articles, led parades, and relief delegations, and so on”. The narrator talks about how he has lofty goals as he felt the Brotherhood was the only organization in the country that he could reach the top. The success that the narrator has makes him more confident and he believes that he can continue to move up.  

The narrator’s diligence and ability to spend hours upon end working tirelessly shows his devotion to the organization. He never shies away from an assignment. Ellison makes note of the narrator’s punctuality during the meeting when Tod Clifton shows up late. On page 379, the narrator says he worked “feverishly”. When Brother Jack shows up to work early in the morning on page 379, the narrator is already busy in his office. In addition, the narrator adopts a leadership role within the organization. On page 366, when brother Jack leaves the room, the narrator suggests that each member of the team “work in the area he knew best”. He assigns himself the difficult task of creating a liaison between the Brotherhood and the community leaders.

After the narrator’s altercation with Ras and Clifton, he seems even more in line with the principles of the Brotherhood. Even though Ras is able to present a convincing argument, the narrator stays steady and responds to Ras with an explanation. On page 374, He makes it clear that the organization will not back down by saying “We’ll be out here and the next time you go after our brothers with a knife-- and I mean white or black—well we won’t forget it”. In this conversation, the narrator is the “tough guy” in this scene as he makes it clear that the Brotherhood will continue to do what it does.