JAYFORCE

“The war on drugs is not a war on drugs. It’s a war on thugs.”

Words from Dice Raw, who is providing some of the ‘thug combatants’ from his hometown (Philly) a tool and a platform with and from which they can counterattack – a LP and documentary. Shout to OK Player for bringing this important work from this down-for-the-cause artist to light. Check out the documentary short above and how you can get involved. Check out the wisdom from OKP, too:

1. Stay out of prison – Crime never pays–and street life will eventually catch up with you.

2. Be informed – There are root causes behind the unfathomable numbers of black men and women in prison – things like lack of jobs, poor education, inadequate homes and ills within the justice system are leading factors for why people commit crimes.

3. Get involved! – Hundreds of organizations and movements are popping up across the country and working on the issue of Mass Incarceration every day. Join groups like the @ACLU or @WomenOfWAMI to stay in the mix of the solution.

4. Support the “Jimmy’s Back” LP & documentary – Give ‘em some props, artists and musicians have always been champions for the underdog. Pre-order Dice Raw’s “Jimmy’s Back” on August 4th and look out for the official release on August 19th.

“State and local law enforcement agencies are rewarded in cash by the millions for the sheer numbers of people swept into the system for drug offenses. This helps to explain why law enforcement so often goes out looking for the so-called ‘low-hanging fruit’… stopping, frisking, searching as many people as possible… pulling as many vehicles as possible over in a search for drugs. But, of course, they don’t do that so much in middle-class white neighborhoods. They don’t sweep college campuses and universities for drugs though plenty can be found there, I can assure you. No, these tactics are applied only in poor communities of color; because that’s where they can get away with it and still get paid.”

– Michelle Alexander

Best described as Dice’s response to and interpretation of Michelle Alexander’s groundbreaking book ‘The New Jim Crow,’ the doc features interviews with previously incarcerated Philly natives who want to share some their experiences and comment on what they’ve had to do to evade the system’s deliberate traps for black and brown men and boys.