Las Vegas City Life recently published a guest commentary by Andreas Hale. In the commentary, Hale attempts to blame the murder of Metro Police Sgt. Henry Prendes on racism and downplay the negative effects the “gangsta” culture has on rap music in general.
I’m not feelin’ it one bit.
Who is responsible for the tragic events of Feb. 1 that ended with the deaths of Amir Crump (a.k.a Trajik) and Metro Police Sgt. Henry Prendes?
Who do you think is responsible? Everyone in town knows damn well that Amir “Trajik” Crump was responsible. He shot and killed a cop in cold blood. End of story.
Aside from what is obviously known, there are other circumstances surrounding those deaths that haven’t been addressed. Like our society’s history of violence, for example.
That’s funny. It was common knowledge that the circumstances surrounding those deaths was Crump’s history of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE — which wasn’t addressed in the op-ed.
Crump was beating the crap out of his girlfriend in a fit of rage, and she called the cops. This was NOT the first time Metro had responded to a domestic violence call when “Trajik” decided to take his frustrations out on his significant other.
Society didn’t tell Crump to engage in domestic violence, nor did society tell him to kill a cop. Crump made those choices on his own. He created the circumstances surrounding those deaths. He was ultimately responsible.
It is a well-known fact that the police and the African American community haven’t exactly been the best of friends over the years, especially with regards to the hip-hop generation. A number of African Americans have been brutalized at the hands of the police.
That statement has ABSOLUTELY no relevance to Prendes’ murder. Crump brutalized his significant other, then brutalized his entire cul-de-sac, killing one cop and wounding another in the process.
Whether shot, unlawfully searched, accused, harassed or simply beaten, the police have shown their stripes from time to time and have instilled a fear within the African American community. Did Crump’s fear of the police play a role in the events? If he believed the police did an honest job of “serving and protecting,” would he have fired those fatal shots?
Crump wasn’t being unlawfully searched, accused, harassed, or beaten at the time. After beating his girlfriend with a broomstick, he went into his house and waited for the police to arrive — heavily armed and loaded for bear.
According to Metro records and eyewitness accounts, Prendes approached the front door and was gunned down by Crump. Crump then unloaded 50 more rounds from his semiautomatic rifle on police, went upstairs, and started shooting down on officers as they attempted to rescue Prendes. It took a rifle shot from a Gang Unit officer to take Crump out.
Metro Police followed procedure and shot Crump in self-defense. They would’ve followed the same procedure if the suspect was white. To infer that racism played a part in the incident is asinine.
Crump wasn’t killed because he was black; he was killed because he became a homicidal threat to others.
[snip]
Rappers embrace an image that might not truly reflect who they are because artists who portray the negative, stereotyped image are more likely become popular and get the big record deals. On the other side of the coin is the notion that some rappers are indeed violent and cause people to fear anything remotely hip-hop. If the media didn’t push this image, and rappers didn’t have to pose to get recognition, would Crump have undertaken the violent persona?
That’s a cop-out and you know it. Rappers are SOLELY responsible for the images they project, for better or for worse. You can’t tell the differences between the posers and the real deal nowadays.
Dave Rosen (manager of Trajik’s group, Desert Mobb) told the Review-Journal that Crump was a peaceful person and his persona was just a “pose.” He also stated violent lyrics “just kind of go along with the music.” Knowing that should put these events even more in perspective.
Oh yeah. He was a peaceful person who became the monster he rapped about. He was a peaceful person who battered his girlfriend on several occasions. If he was so peaceful, why didn’t he control his anger? Why did he engage in domestic violence and kill a cop?
If it walks like a thug and talks like a thug, it is a thug. Crump died as a thug; not as a poser.
The most sickening thing about this whole ordeal is now Desert Mobb CDs are selling at a rapid pace.
Agreed. It’s a damn shame — and it’s morbidly sick of people to idolize a dead domestic batterer and cop killer.
This further reinforces that negativity and hip-hop are peas in a pod in the public eye. Crump’s death has validated him to many ignorant people who are impressed by death. Yet the only ones who should be mourning for Crump are his close friends and family. Death by violence and cop killing should not be idolized by the public. True fans of hip-hop know that and will not allow this event to define rap music.
Finally, some sense is being made.
As for the hip-hop community, crimes like the above should be denounced. What hip-hop needs desparately is a revival of the Stop The Violence Movement.
Unfortunately, the media has linked the fact that he is a rapper who killed a cop and placed the blame squarely on rap music’s shoulders.
He was a rapper by trade, and he killed a cop. Sadly, rap music is stigmatized. It is what it is.
Can I blame the media and society? Yes and no. Crump was a man before he was a rapper. Society and the media linked the two together and thus, have given rap music another black eye. But we cannot remove the responsibility from the audience that has embraced the negative and shunned the positive. This should teach us all that we have a long way to go before we truly understand one another.
Again, it is what it is.
Crump was neither a man or a rapper when he died. He was a batterer and a cop killer. He died a thug’s death.
If rap music wants to end the black eyes such deaths bring, “gangsta” rappers need to be held accountable for the images being perpretrated by their fellow artists. Rappers should be denouncing such violent crimes en masse, and start being responsible for their products — especially those products that glorfy the “gangsta” lifestyle that includes misogny, domestic violence, hate, and murder.
Rappers need to start policing their own, or law enforcement will do it for them.
Blaming rap culture for his activities is lame.
How many Blacks are in college and listen to rap?
Even 17 days later after he was killed – things like this tend to rile me up haha thanks for posting it – it reminded me there are still ignorant people out there like the person who wrote that article. I don’t care that Crump was an aspiring rap artist and I don’t particularly care that he was (at one point from witness accounts) a good person. He chose to kill a father, a brother, a son and a cop. He killed a good man. And you’re right, he made his own choices – society didn’t make them for him.
No one ever wants to talk about the fact that he was a domestic batterer. Thanks for mentioning that, because while I agree that Prendes’ death was a tragedy in and of itself, it can’t be denied that the plight of the woman, as well as other women like her, is a tragedy as well.
Oh, and this schmuck is being made out to be a martyr? Fsck that! Sure, I can think of times when police don’t behave as they should. The case in question here is not one of them. This clown was committing a crime and didn’t think he should have to pay for it, to the point that he was armed to the teeth and ready to kill, as if beating a poor young woman with a broomstick is an act of virtue. Indeed, to hell with Crump. There are a lot of other rappers that come from the “thug life” that are not hostile toward women. Take Field Mob, for instance (I mention them because they are from my home town).
Yes. If freedom and free will are to mean anything at all, we *must* take responsibility (and be willing to be held responsible) for our actions and their forseeable consequences.
I likewise disagree that media companies are responsible for ‘pushing’ the thug-life image. If they didn’t do it, someone else would who would be subsequently acquired by the media companies, accomplishing nothing (I would also argue that as currently constituted, corporations are essentially obligated to push whatever makes them the most money).
To those who would try to ‘solve’ this by starting a PC ‘war on some speech’, the only effective policies (public or private) are those that reduce the demand for this product. It’s is nearly impossible to reduce the supply as long as a demand exists.
Metro was responding to a domestic dispute call. Seems this aspiring rapper had a history of violence towards women. When Metro arrived, this Amir Crump openned fire. He was later shot and killed after a long engagement. End of story.
As long as The African-American community permits itself to be compromised by radical and emotionally dysfunctional individuals you will continue to see more and more Amir Crumps! Amir was a violent slime bag who loved beating up on a woman that was defenseless! The African-American community ALWAYS tries to sweep this aspect of their community under the rug. The reality of the Amir Crumps in society is they are nothing more than cold blooded slime bags who on a human scale are lower than Whale S**t!
I submit whale s**t rests at the very bottom of the ocean!
The reality of life suggests where you find a violent spousal abuser, almost invariably there will be a day of accounting. The only question regarding the abuser is how much damage they inflict before law enforcement is required to stop them.
with the attitude of individuals that comment without the true facts can be misled and misleading, the acts of the events are that, tragic and until we as a community look at what happens in the community, your child or love one could be next, hip hop music is only a voice reaching out for those who choose to listen, it’s your choice, but too say he was a violent person, and without prejidice you would had to know him, and if you did not know him. how can you make any judgement, thinks about it Amir crump, and before this incident most of us, never heard of the desert mob, or amir, but since the death not only the officer and the young man, this has become a circus of people judging and not having all the facts. which, some might say guilty even before the trial, america has troops dying every day for what, oil. we still pay more for gas. music is a choice so is life, choose and stop judging unless you know the facts, not what you heard. but what you really know. then choose.
This is what I wrote to the readers on the internet; don’t think it went through though
I wasn’t present at the time of this event as I’m sure none of you were. Opinions can some times get blown out of proportion depending on the individual and fire more prejudice than the law should allow.
I have a few questions for all that read. Why would police handcuff a dead man and in various positions, take pictures of him like the lynched of prejudice? Why is it that no bullet holes were reportably found up stairs? Why is that Amir’s body was reported laying in the door way of the home when he was shot dead not up stairs?
Is it fare for Police to threaten his family for his actions no matter how wrong he may have been, or deny the family the right to burry their loved one in the church of God, or even cause an innocent person to loose their job simply because they bare the name of the so called “Cop killer”? Is it fair that police would threaten his family with death threats and follow them around harassing them and provoking them to anger?
Am I defending Amir? No, simply pointing out facts. I think two very wrong creatures died that day due to bad police tactics in a response to a domestic violence case, NOT RAP MUSIC. I also believe that when man makes mistakes they are his/her own to bare and God to judge not that of the world.
Jesse,
I question your interpretation of the facts. Please name names and cite your sources.
You have 24 hours until I post my response to you (and the final comment for this thread).
“…or deny the family the right to burry [sic] their loved one in the church of God…”
I did hear that several black churches in Las Vegas denied funeral rites for Amir Crump.
It is common practice for most religious denominations to deny a church funeral to anyone who has committed murder or any other heinous act deemed as a sin. Church funerals exist to honor the deceased; they are reserved for those who lived good lives and did not bring shame to others.
To grant Crump a church funeral would have been tantamount to celebrating the undeniable fact that he committed the sins of premeditated murder and domestic abuse. It would also be an insult to every moral and virtue a church should espouse.
I am relieved to know that the black church community in Las Vegas did not compromise their precepts and avoided a situation which would have been a slap in the faces of law-abiding churchgoers — especially in the faces of those who work in law enforcement or provide support to victims of domestic violence.
I do have sympathy for the Crump family, who must now live with a stigma that they surely didn’t ask for. However, I have no sympathy whatsoever for Amir Crump, who died as a batterer and a cop killer.
Dc Thorthon
You actually beleive the church has the right to refuse burial of a human being, in this being of the 20th century. DC wake up were not in kansas. but the facts are simple a young man lost his life and his family has to live with that, but does it serve as a mark against his family, maybe but one thing is sure respect. his family has not gone a rampage killing anything but the negativity presented from people with no facts. just hearsay, thats wrong. as for the churchs who denied him the right, thats up to God, see he does not judge and he will forgive both in this case, it’s clear most confrontations start with words. here is one. Amen”’
“You actually beleive [sic] the church has the right to refuse burial of a human being, in this being of the 20th century.”
It’s actually the 21st Century.
“…but the facts are simple a young man lost his life and his family has to live with that, but does it serve as a mark against his family, maybe but one thing is sure respect.”
No, a young man beat his girlfriend, killed a police officer execution-style, and was justifiably shot to death in self-defense.
Respect — even for the dead — is earned. Amir Crump lost respect when he chose his fate.
By the way, where are those names and sources I asked for? Your 24 hours are almost up.
DC Thornton, you appear to be an educated and reasonable person who thinks logically. You will never be able to get your points across to “Jesse” because he lacks objectivity, and the ability to logically analyze using all known facts. “Jesse” is the type of person who is biased and will always be swayed by emotion! Additionally, Crump’s family knew he was a violent “abuser” and so did his pals! Also, Amir was the person firing the assault rifle!
Jesse is in “DENIAL” he can not admit that Crump was a slime bag because some part of his psyche is “INVESTED in what Crump was”. Amir Crump was a violent accident waiting to explode. Crump exploded taking a very decent young man with him, and then the police performed an “ablation” that is to say a surgical removal of an Urban Cancer!
Worf, these things I do know. I just like to give my critics the opportunity to back up what they’re saying.
As for Jesse…well, your words concerning him sum up my thoughts exactly.
One last word before I close this thread: I encourage readers and thread participants to donate to the Sergeant Henry Prendes Memorial Fund at any Wells Fargo branch in Nevada.
For those outside of Nevada, you may send your donations to:
Injured Police Officers Fund of Southern Nevada
201 Las Vegas Blvd South
Suite 200
Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
I think this will be the best way to honor the memory of Sgt. Prendes and send a message to the Crump apologists that we’re not sailing down a certain Egyptian river.
End of discussion.