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NYPD Claims Officers Blasting Diss Track Outside Brownsville Building Had 'No Malicious Intent'
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 21, 2019
Modified Feb 21, 2019
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By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 21, 2019
Modified Feb 21, 2019
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The NYPD is weathering criticism for their second hip-hop slip-up of the week, after a video surfaced showing two officers gleefully blasting a provocative diss track from a patrol car stationed outside Marcus Garvey Village in Brownsville.
The song — "Folk in the Trunk" — calls for murdering members of Folk Nation, an alliance of street gangs that reportedly has a major presence in the housing complex. It was recorded by artists Dee Savv and Young Costamado, both of whom have discussed their intention to kill members of the Gangster Disciples, which helped form Folk Nation.
"It's like playing ‘Cop Killer' outside a precinct,” a source told the Daily News.
A police spokesperson told Gothamist that "there was no malicious intent" in blaring the track outside the building, claiming: "Officers used it as a way to start conversation with young men on the street." The spokesperson would not elaborate on the goal of that conversation, or whether the officers were aware of the song's message.
The incident, which comes as the NYPD is embarking on a "community policing through music" initiative, seemed aimed at instigating violence and distrust in the neighborhood, according to residents. "I find it offensive especially with the trials and tribulations we have been through with the police,” one resident told the News. “The cops are antagonizing people, probably trying to get them to do something, get a reaction."
Earlier in the week, the department launched an internal investigation into Deputy Inspector Emanuel Gonzalez's alleged threats against 50 Cent. According to officers who witnessed the comments, the commanding officer told his unit to shoot the rapper "on sight" prior to an NYPD boxing match.
Gonzalez has previously been accused of shaking down the owners of the hip-hop club Love & Lust, then retaliating against the club after they failed to give him tickets to Puerto Rico and other freebies. The NYPD would not comment further on the disciplinary status of the commanding officer.
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community policing
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Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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