mick silver
24th January 2015, 11:57 AM
The Daily Fix: U.S. Rapper Faces Life Sentence Over Lyrics About Gang Violence By Kristina Bravo | Takepart.com 1 hour ago Takepart.com (http://www.takepart.com/)
A San Diego, California rapper faces 25 years to life in prison (http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/01/09/more-jails-colleges) for rapping about gun violence (http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/01/08/wagg-rapping-plague-gun-violence).
Brandon Duncan, or Tiny Doo, was expecting a state superior court judge to dismiss his case on Friday, reported U-T San Diego (http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jan/23/gang-conspiracy-duncan-rap-jurisdiction/). But the judge merely asked the defense to file a motion to dismiss the charges, which another judge will hear at a later date.
Although Duncan, who has no criminal record, hasn’t been accused of violent acts, he faces nine counts of street gang behavior.
Prosecutors are citing California Penal Code 182.5, which makes it a felony to benefit from a criminal activity. Duncan and 14 other alleged gang members supposedly gained respect after a series of shootings in San Diego in 2013, reported CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/23/entertainment/tiny-doo-rap-conspiracy-charges/).
Prosecutors referred to Duncan’s album, No Safety, and lyrics like “Ain’t no safety on this pistol I’m holding” as an instance of a “direct correlation to what the gang has been doing.”
“We have innocent defendants being held on a procedural technicality,” Brian Watkins, Duncan’s attorney, said at the hearing on Friday.
According to TIME (http://time.com/3680275/san-diego-rapper-tiny-doo-album-gang/), the rapper couldn’t afford the $500,000 bail and has mostly remained in jail since his arrest eight months ago. He’ll go to trial on April 20.
In other news…
Judge Strikes Down Alabama’s Gay-Marriage Ban: U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. Grande ruled in favor of two women who sued the Southern state for the recognition of their union after getting married in California. (via The Associated Press (http://time.com/3681349/alabama-gay-marriage/))
Anti-Vaxxers Shamed: The California State Health Department believes that unvaccinated individuals were the principal factor behind the Disneyland measles outbreak, according to an agency spokesman. Others have been more blunt. Philanthropist Melinda Gates has urged parents to get their kids vaccinated, saying Americans have “forgotten what measles death looks like.” (via Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/24/usa-measles-disneyland-idUSL1N0V21Q120150124) and Huffington Post Live (http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/melinda-gates-annual-letter-2015/54b9769c2b8c2a1d7d000110))
The President Pays Respects: Pres. Obama will shorten his three-day visit to India to go to Saudi Arabia after the death of King Abdullah on Friday. The king was active in checking the power of his country’s rival, Iran. (via The Associated Press (http://bigstory.ap.org/article/75f0371b7f2f435e87704aae901ae6bc/obama-seeks-leverage-ties-indias-modi-during-visit))
Overfishing in Africa: As part of an anti-malaria campaign, families in impoverished parts of the continent receive mosquito nets for free by the truckload. But families have been using them to catch fish, capturing more than when traditional fishing nets are used. Scientists worry that this could threaten local marine life. (via The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/world/africa/mosquito-nets-for-malaria-spawn-new-epidemic-overfishing.html?_r=0))
Emma Watson Unveils Anti-Sexism Plan: The actor (of Harry Potter fame) launched the HeForShe IMPACT initiative, a one-year project focusing on women’s advancement, at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Friday. (via TIME (http://time.com/3679969/emma-watson-heforshe-initiative-davos/))
The Daily Fix is your chance to act today to change tomorrow’s headlines by taking action on the latest stories. Look for links to petitions, pledges, and other social actions embedded throughout these news items.
Original article (http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/01/24/rapper-life-sentence-lyrics-gang-violence) from TakePart
Society & Culture
Crime & Justice
California Penal Code
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A San Diego, California rapper faces 25 years to life in prison (http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/01/09/more-jails-colleges) for rapping about gun violence (http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/01/08/wagg-rapping-plague-gun-violence).
Brandon Duncan, or Tiny Doo, was expecting a state superior court judge to dismiss his case on Friday, reported U-T San Diego (http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jan/23/gang-conspiracy-duncan-rap-jurisdiction/). But the judge merely asked the defense to file a motion to dismiss the charges, which another judge will hear at a later date.
Although Duncan, who has no criminal record, hasn’t been accused of violent acts, he faces nine counts of street gang behavior.
Prosecutors are citing California Penal Code 182.5, which makes it a felony to benefit from a criminal activity. Duncan and 14 other alleged gang members supposedly gained respect after a series of shootings in San Diego in 2013, reported CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/23/entertainment/tiny-doo-rap-conspiracy-charges/).
Prosecutors referred to Duncan’s album, No Safety, and lyrics like “Ain’t no safety on this pistol I’m holding” as an instance of a “direct correlation to what the gang has been doing.”
“We have innocent defendants being held on a procedural technicality,” Brian Watkins, Duncan’s attorney, said at the hearing on Friday.
According to TIME (http://time.com/3680275/san-diego-rapper-tiny-doo-album-gang/), the rapper couldn’t afford the $500,000 bail and has mostly remained in jail since his arrest eight months ago. He’ll go to trial on April 20.
In other news…
Judge Strikes Down Alabama’s Gay-Marriage Ban: U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. Grande ruled in favor of two women who sued the Southern state for the recognition of their union after getting married in California. (via The Associated Press (http://time.com/3681349/alabama-gay-marriage/))
Anti-Vaxxers Shamed: The California State Health Department believes that unvaccinated individuals were the principal factor behind the Disneyland measles outbreak, according to an agency spokesman. Others have been more blunt. Philanthropist Melinda Gates has urged parents to get their kids vaccinated, saying Americans have “forgotten what measles death looks like.” (via Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/24/usa-measles-disneyland-idUSL1N0V21Q120150124) and Huffington Post Live (http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/melinda-gates-annual-letter-2015/54b9769c2b8c2a1d7d000110))
The President Pays Respects: Pres. Obama will shorten his three-day visit to India to go to Saudi Arabia after the death of King Abdullah on Friday. The king was active in checking the power of his country’s rival, Iran. (via The Associated Press (http://bigstory.ap.org/article/75f0371b7f2f435e87704aae901ae6bc/obama-seeks-leverage-ties-indias-modi-during-visit))
Overfishing in Africa: As part of an anti-malaria campaign, families in impoverished parts of the continent receive mosquito nets for free by the truckload. But families have been using them to catch fish, capturing more than when traditional fishing nets are used. Scientists worry that this could threaten local marine life. (via The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/world/africa/mosquito-nets-for-malaria-spawn-new-epidemic-overfishing.html?_r=0))
Emma Watson Unveils Anti-Sexism Plan: The actor (of Harry Potter fame) launched the HeForShe IMPACT initiative, a one-year project focusing on women’s advancement, at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Friday. (via TIME (http://time.com/3679969/emma-watson-heforshe-initiative-davos/))
The Daily Fix is your chance to act today to change tomorrow’s headlines by taking action on the latest stories. Look for links to petitions, pledges, and other social actions embedded throughout these news items.
Original article (http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/01/24/rapper-life-sentence-lyrics-gang-violence) from TakePart
Society & Culture
Crime & Justice
California Penal Code
Click to view comments
View Comments (52)