Two Bronx public defenders made cameo appearances in a graphic online rap video protesting police violence, which urges black people to kill NYPD cops.
The video for “Hands Up,” shows black men holding guns to cops’ heads while rapping the lyrics like, “For Mike Brown and Sean Bell, a cop got to get killed,” the New York Post reported Friday.
The video, which was uploaded by the website WorldStarHipHop and features rappers “Uncle Murda” and “Maino” also included images of police brutality and images from the death of Eric Garner.
In the video a grieving mother is consoled by a lawyer in The Bronx Defenders office.
But the lawyer’s appearance in the video has outraged police and city taxpayers. The New York Post said The Bronx Defenders organization has pulled in more than $40 million in city funding in the past two years.
The Bronx Defenders organization also received major financial support from the federal government, raking in $1.5 million in grants from the Department of Justice since 2009, contracting data from USASpending.gov shows.
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“It’s reprehensible that the city and its taxpayers are essentially supporting a video that encourages the idea of shooting police officers,” a police source told The New York Post.
The video ends with a banner advertisement and with the website and twitter handle of The Bronx Public Defenders.
“This video goes well beyond the parameters for protected speech and constitutes a serious threat the lives of police officers,” said Patrick Lynch, president of Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, according to The New York Post.
In a statement The Bronx Defenders said it was not aware the final video would include images of cops with guns held to their heads and has asked for the video to be removed.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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