Rebel Diaz with rapper "Common"

(lyrics and story of NYPD arrest of Rebel Diaz in the Bronx last year)

Which Side Are You On?

See I gotta draw the line I cant take it no more

If you aint down with revolution what you waitin for

Makin money for suckas and our communities poor

Rippin flags off of coffins man this aint our war

Colonized and terrorized by the worlds biggest killers

the US government the biggest weapon and drug dealers

Fillin prisons with children incarceratin the future

Myspace and facebook they got us stuck on computers

Stuck on stupid bumpin music that's the abusive to the shorties

And the nonsense that you spittin they just listen and absorb it

Ive been dormant ive awoken im a giant im ready

Im with the APPO in Oaxaca and we holdin machetes

 
WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? 

CHORUS:

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

Chi city!!!

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

South bronx!!!

WHICH SIDE ARE YOUON?

Oaxaca!!!

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

Palestina!!

(RodStarz)

I rock hard like palestinian children holdin slingshots!!!

Im with every single kid that's down for hip hop

For the culture the life what it really stands for

This music is resistance it's the voice of the poor

Im on the side of the workers, the teachers and lunchladies,

on the streets with brown mommys raisin our brown babies,

Im with youth organizers cleanin up the bronx river

Im like jaime escalante when I stand and deliver

Im with evo morales man he runnin bolivia

distribution of the land so they could all live bigger

Im with hugo and fidel, grandmaster and melle mel,

with the Panthers up in queens justice for sean bell,

Im with camacho negron, im with ojeda rios,

freedom for oscar lopez time to get an appeal,

Im with abu jamal im with assatta shakur,

Im with the compas in Immokalee getting a penny more!!

(Lah Tere)

Im with elvira arellano im with Rudy Lozano,

Im for a world without borders and a better tomorrow.

Im with Mothers on the Move Im with sistas on the rise

Im with La Pena del Bronx, keepin culture alive

Im with the kids at the Batey watchin a beat battle

Mean muggin all these yuppies in shorts and brown sandles

Im with parents everywhere fightin for good schools

And for all these good women to find some good dudes

Im with Salvador Allende Man Im Super Anti Momio!

Con el pueblo en la Havana grito Viva Cuba Cono!

Im for immigrants, activists, unions and freelancers

For djs mcs bombers and breakdancers

Im with editors, engineers and indy media

Im with my family and my crew Rebel Diaz

Im with Dj Disco Wiz a Latino Pioneer

Cuz its its dope when the elders break bread with the kids..

(G1)

Im for tellin the truth exposing the lies

Think about the dead soldiers when youre drivin your ride

Them people died for the oil and Daddy Bushs revenge

Im with the widows the children and the lonely best friends

Im with Families Stayin Together as ONE

Im Not for the Raids and the Deportations!!

Im with Victor Toro and The M.I.R.

So watch out for those snitches in that unmarked car!

And for Lil Saulito, we gonna fight for your moms..

So we gonna shout her out, twice in One song..

Im for twelve million workers and Elvira Arellano

Im for a world without borders and a better tomorrow

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

CHORUS:

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

Chi city!!!

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

South bronx!!!

WHICH SIDE ARE YOUON?

Oaxaca!!!

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

Palestina!!

Editor's Note: Rebel Diaz has become the voice for tens of thousands of revolutionary youth, especially within the minorities from the streets of New York, Boston and Washington DC to the barrios of Chicago and Los Angeles. Increasingly, the youth of the United States are turning to revolutionary messages as they seek justice for themselves and for the oppressed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. Rebel Diaz delivers those messages with insight, skill and the honest, blunt force of rap. - LMB

June 18, 2008

NYC Police Beat Up Rap Group Members Rebel Diaz
NYC Indymedia

Rebel Diaz Arrested

"Rebel Diaz are not your ordinary rappers"

The story we are hearing is that group Rodstarz and G1 were up in Bronx on Southern Blvd in Hunts Point, when they noticed the police were harassing a street vendor who was selling fruit. The two went over to witness the cops in action and when they saw the police being abusive they pulled out a cell phone to video tape the incident and asked for the officers badge numbers.

Keep in mind that part of the Bronx has a large immigrant community and it is also being gentrified. The police from the 41st Precint have made it a point to commit acts of terror including the shooting and killing of an unarmed immigrant man last year. The case brought up images of Amadou Diallo another immigrant was gunned down by out of control Bronx cops in the neighboring precint.

According to witnesses, when Rodstarz and G1 asked for badge numbers the police became agitated and turned around and started beating them with bully clubs and kicking them in full view of other vendors and people on the crowded street. The two were dragged off bloody, put into a police car and charged with resisting arrest and assault.

The backdrop to this story is that Rebel Diaz are not your ordinary rappers. They are well known activist who not only speak out against police terrorism, but have been key in helping out folks within this immigrant community. Hence it would not be usual for group members to bear witness and to speak out against the injustices. Rebel Diaz has committed themselves to given voice to the voiceless in that Bronx neighborhood.

Many feel that the assault by these cowardly Bronx police officers in plain view of everyone was a way to send a strong message to folks in the community that the police run things and they best stay in line. By beating the Rebel Diaz members in front of everyone was a way to spark fear and remind people that no one is safe from the police. They wanna let folks know that they can brazenly beat up popular rappers in front everyone even with cell phone cameras rolling and do so with impunity. The whole ordeal is akin to the slave masters from way back sparking fear in the hearts of other slaves by beating the strongest among them in front of everyone for all to see.

Over the past year NY Police have been man handling, arresting and terrorizing politicized Hip Hop artists, activists and news reporters.

For example, last year in Brooklyn well known attorney Michael Tarif Warren who routinely represents people in police abuse cases was badly beaten along with his wife when they stopped to watch and bear witness to NY cops terrorizing a unarmed tennage boy at a gas station.

During the protests immediately following the acquittal of the officers on trial for the Sean Bell shooting, journalists who had been speaking out against the police were harassed and roughed up.

Hopefully folks will read this and understand that what the police are doing will not work.. A police state will not take place on our collective watch..

[Wednesday] there will be a rally infront of the 41st Precint Police station. Bring drums, noise makers, banners, and people power!

http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2008/06/98039.html