Thirty Three Jones | Desktop Site
I'm not sure if this is the same footage that Mos Def's publicist planned on releasing, but there is a new video showing his arrest outside of the VMAs. Link to the YouTube video of the arrest.
At about the 1:10 mark of the video, the cops bumrush the stage. Not quite as inflammatory as I expected it would be, but still an overreaction by the NYPD. Good to see that the crime rate has fallen so dramatically that the city can afford to dispatch an entire task force of police to deal with the dangerous rapper. I realize city ordinances require you to get a permit before you put on a show like this, but do you think there was any chance that Mayor Bloomberg would have given permission for a rap protest?
The majority of the blame for this situation, though, should go to MTV. Mos Def claims that he made repeated attempts to get clearance from MTV for this, but they ignored him. MTV was willing to milk Katrina for all it was worth, from "True Life" documentaries to teary-eyed John Norris testimonials, just so long as it didn't interfere with their award show. Yet they did manage to put Mos' arrest on full blast during their hourly 5 minute "news" breaks the next day.
9/6/2006 2:41:20 PM posted by Fresh