Pop & Drop

Pop and Drop
Pop and Drop.
That's all I hear these days
Another Black man
Another Woman
Another Child
Another Human
Popped and dropped...
By blatant brutality
Badges, barriers to prosecution
No solution...
Against the biggest army in the world.
Inherent fear in the hearts of boys and girls
Women and men
Seems like it's time for a revolution again
But how can we revolt when it's been proven we can't win?
Protests, sit ins, die ins around the country
On the White House lawn
Still day by day this blatant brutality goes on
White House, white out, die in, die out
Doesn't matter, our lives don't matter cus...
Black lives still don't matter
Our chants don't change our class
Our chants don't change our race
No matter what we do we can't change the color of our skin
The features of our face
Until we unite, really unite
stand Up as one TOGETHER prepared for the fight.
Sirens, red and blue lights
Will continue to haunt us through the night
&& even though it ain't right
At any moment handcuffs, jail cells and coffins can be our fate
And the public servant
The officer
Will still be Right,
With bloody hands, the officer will still be right...
Hmph.
Just Another Day In The Hood
Another Black body
Just another black body
Popped and dropped
Popped and dropped
By another white cop.

-Jay Dee

Roots of Love...Floetry

Sirens & Bullpens

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And their hearts beat with fright as sirens and spinning lights flash through the night
Many a home in the hood is torn apart in the wee hours of the night
In the name of the crime fight
We live in spotlights of badges and guns
Unwarranted frisks, searches and seizures
Seizures gone untreated on bullpen floors
Dope fiends shaking in their own vomit
There's nothing, no remedy to stop it.
Bullpen therapy to break spirits and souls
Collect phone calls home
Jail wives diligently hold on to all they love
With all their might
Holding on to the memory of that last night
Hopes and prayers of freedom
Time speeding
Needing
Home
To be happy, secure, safe and filled with love
Flicks, packages and multiple hour trips
Putting up with Correction officer Bullshit
& this for us is it...
From child support to direct sales and traffic tickets.
If they can find a way to steal a black soul they'll run with it.
Black babies thrown in the system, adopted away forever in 18 months
Mommy's got a 2 year bid
Now another family's lost another kid.
Look, it's a shame what we've did.
We were born with the wrong color skin.



(*not blaming the incarceration solely on racism but speaking the truth of minorities being targeted primarily in the inner city to fill the correctional facilities mainly located in rural small towns with limited income in an effort to provide economic stimulation. They've got to find someone to fill all these jails-and they're not looking at their neighbors. )


Bullpen Therapy- The practice of extended hours of incarceration with many other individuals in a small, medium or large one room concrete and steel barred cell. Each cell is lined with one to two benches on each side allowing for a limited number of individuals to be seated during the wait for court in New York City's Central Booking. Many are forced to sleep on the floor while waiting several days in the Booking's.
Although food is provided there is no visiting with loved ones, family or friends while awaiting court. This allows for the psychological and sociological aspect of incarceration. During Bullpen Therapy the detainee has time to reflect on his or her actions leading up to incarceration, call family, friends and legal counsel for assistance, speak with counsel before court and discuss his or her case with other detainees in the Bullpen. In New York City one can be detained for up to 72 hours awaiting arraignment-in the Bullpens. Some individuals frequent the Bullpens never making it to Riker's Island but going home from court, over and over again. Others learn the first time and never come back.
Others are transported to Riker's Isand for a wide variety of reasons where the true Bullpen Therapy begins. The individual can spend another 72 hours being processed through a series of medical and mental health testing and screening (including Hepatitis, TB, STD's and pregnancy in the case of females) before being sent to their actual cell block to await the next court date. These bullpens range from very small single person cells to extra large holding cells. The individuals are moved from cell to cell like cattle during the processing on Riker's Island and many cells are filled to standing room only capacity, sometimes with more than the legal amount of people per cell.
The detainees are dressed in jumpsuits and many sleep on the cold concrete floors after being washed down in a freezing de-lice shower at the beginning of the Bullpen process (not optional). Many people get colds, flu and infections after or during Bullpen Therapy. There is air conditioner running during all seasons in the Bullpens to prevent the spread of airborne illnesses and kill bacteria. Blankets are not given in the Bullpens until the detainee is ready to be housed.
(image: an actual Riker's Island cell block)

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During Riker's Island Bullpen therapy one is not allowed a phone call, visit or contact with the outside world forcing the individual to face the reality of their situation. Once finally placed in their housing unit detainees are not safe from bullpen therapy. Bullpen Therapy is used for court dates, outside medical and sometimes for child visits.
The day of release for an inmate is a very long day of Bullpen Therapy-hopefully making sure the inmate doesn't return. Reality is the recidivism rate is astronomical despite the sheer torture of Bullpen Therapy.

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Ghetto Story-Alicia Keys & Baby Cham

Ancestral Hope

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And through the lands their souls broke, shattered and scattered slave children old enough to work  were bought and sold for the sake of trade.
Today in the Hoods across America scattered children still cry from broken and shattered souls & homes.
They roam.
Hoods with teenage littered front stoops & school yard benches cloaked in hopes and dreams of better days and better ways
Just the same as their ancestral slaves
On plantations filled with songs of sorrow and strength
They sang songs to the beat of sweat drops on soft cotton.
Tear drops the heart of the melody.
From then to now we silently cry.
From plantations to stoops, to back yards and garages
We hope
We dream
And we pray
For one day
A better day
Another day
In the Hood.

-Jay Dee

Black Man

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We see you brother...We see you. (J.D)

We see, we hear and we understand .

THE GOOD OLE DAYS

Sittin on car hoods..

Munchin’ on Bonton’s  

 Throwin’ back red & blue quarter waters

Dip dip dog shit

Shorts under the skirts for our daughters

Concrete benches

Tag , Flippin ‘over park swings

Chinese staircases, “The box”

Double Dutch

Freezer burnt bodega ice cream

Double Dutch

Manhunt,  

Stayin out til the sun left…

These are the moments when I remember the hood the best…

# KIDS DON’T HAVE A CHILDHOOD ANYMORE…