image credit: Uproxx
Police, claim the music on your phone is an indicator of gang activity. (the above picture, is a parody of "Now That's What I Call Music.")
It took seven years and a Supreme Court ruling, to acquit three men of a bogus crime linking them to a gang. Back in 2009, the Seattle police claimed, the music on a person's cell phone was an indicator of gang activity.
"Three men had their convictions for assault overturned when the Washington Supreme Court found Latin music on one of the men's cellphones was not evidence of association with a gang."
In 2009, the Seattle police relied on the evidence of a "gang expert" who claimed that one of the indicators of gang membership is the type of music a person listen's to.
What is a "gang expert'?
Police use "gang experts" to convince juries that their version of events is the truth.
"The gang investigator's years of experience, knowledge, and training in the field of gangs is of no value if he is unable to communicate this knowledge in such a way as to convince a judge or jury that this knowledge is truth."
Police use "gang experts" to get longer prison sentences.
"...Gang allegations and enhancements can multiply criminal penalties substantially. They are highly prejudicial and do great damage to the defense."
The FBI/DHS are teaching cops, that blacks and Hispanics who listen to hip-hop, rap and Latin music are probably in a gang. Click here & here to find out how prosecutors treat rappers and their lyrics as criminals.
Below, are two screenshots taken from "Criminal Street Gangs Identification and Suppression."
Police think anyone listening to hip-hop is probably in a gang.
image credit: slideshare
Police think anyone listening to heavy metal is probably in a gang.
image credit: slideshare
Law enforcement claims, that white people listening to heavy metal and punk music are probably in a gang. Read the excerpt below, taken from page 54 of the "Urban Street Gang Enforcement" report.
"Today, law enforcement is increasingly concerned about the criminal activities of several types of gangs whose members are primarily Caucasian, some of whom are distinguished by their affinity for a particular type of music (for example, punk and heavy metal)."
To recap, police believe anyone listening to Latin music, rap, hip-hop, punk or heavy metal is a criminal.
The FBI also believes that gangs use the music business to launder money.
According to the FBI's 2013 National Gang Project, "Street gangs utilize legitimate businesses, such as music establishments and cash-intensive companies to conceal and launder illicit proceeds."
In what's become commonplace in America, police have to be forced, to stop using junk science to arrest innocent people.
“Los Tigres Del Norte has been one of the more prominent bands in Latin music for decades,” Owens wrote. “Since forming in 1968, Los Tigres Del Norte have sold 32 million albums. They have won five Latin Grammy Awards, and they have performed in front of U.S. troops serving abroad. There is no support in the record for the contention that enjoying their music is evidence of gang involvement.
Washington state's Supreme Court is worried police are arresting people based on their musical preferences.
“While this may not be the primary issue in this case, we felt that it was nonetheless important to take this opportunity to remind courts to exercise far more caution when drawing conclusions from a defendant’s musical preferences.”
Sadly, police across the country are allowed to use a person's musical preferences to convince judges and juries of a suspects' gangland affiliations.
image credit: Whisper sh
