T.I. shines a different light on police shootings and racism in new ‘Warzone’ music video.
People are speaking out against injustice and the questionable behavior of law enforcement. Although the conversation has just begun – the topic has been around for years.
The genocide of black people has graduated beyond police brutality, some would say.
On September 16th, Atlanta rapper T.I. released a music video for the song “Warzone”. A video addressing societies’ opinion of the police shootings. On the same day, officers from the Tulsa, OK police department shot and killed Terrence Cruthcher, an unarmed man. A few days before that, a police officer shot and killed, 13-year-old, Tyre King.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the two shootings, however, it’s difficult not to compare the deaths of individuals from before. The opinion’s and facts surrounding these police encounters have essentially divided the country. Leaving a sector of black people in America feeling like white people do not empathise with their frustration. In spite of video evidence of police wrongdoing, some white people still deny the obvious.
What if the black experience was reversed? What if the majority of the police shootings involved white victims?
T.I.’s music video “Warzone” flips the script. Showing reenactments of Tamir Rice, Philandro Castle, and Eric Garner‘s deaths – only this time, the victims are white.
“Can’t you see we livin’ in a war zone? guess you don’t notice when you livin’ in it – like every weekend it’s a man down, ain’t got no pity for the innocent so I’ma represent it” raps T.I. on the hook. Towards the end of the song anti-racism, activist, Jane Elliott asks if white people would trade places with black people in our society.
The video ends with a listing of people killed by the police, followed by a quote saying “The new racism, is to deny that racism exists”.
