St. Louis activist and hip-hop artist Tef Poe releases “War Cry” taking aim at Gov. Jay Nixon. Tef Poe along with Mike Brown’s parents and other activists have been in Geneva, Switzerland testifying to the UN proclaiming the death of Mike Brown and police violence in this country is a violation of human rights. Check out “War Cry” and Tef Poe’s open letter below.
Open Letter:
My city is on the brink of utter confusion and destruction. All of our elected officials have forsaken us. Since August 9th we have been attacked and assaulted by a militarized police force while pleading for justice for our fallen brethren. The entire city of Saint Louis is about to explode and we are crying out to the world to hear us.
I made this record, “War Cry”, out of a sense of desperation. Our backs have been forced into a corner up against a wall. There is no one to protect us from the state forces that occupy and attack our communities. There have been no consequences or accountability for their actions. We are trapped in the belly of one of the most immoral situations this country has birthed.
Darren Wilson is a murderer and yet we are hoarded up and treated like cattle for demanding his arrest. Vonderitt Meyers and Kim King are both dead and the police refuse to give us answers or names of officers. The Bell family still has not received a moment a clarity and honesty concerning the death of Carry Bell who was murdered over a year ago by St. Louis police.
The police in Saint Louis Missouri have decided to declare war upon people of color and Gov. Jay Nixon, alongside with many other elected officials, has decided to close his eyes to these atrocities. He has shielded and aided Michael Brown’s killer from prosecution. He has cosigned our community being brutally attacked by a uncontrollable force of wild cowboys.
Jay Nixon is blatantly standing on the wrong side of history with zero regard for the pain anguish our community is experiencing. His actions put him on the side that have used institutionalized racism to kill us. He is not our friend. He does not work for us. He does not represent us. He is not our comrade. He is not our Governor.
This situation has turned into a political game of cat and mouse and we are the mice. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party are both guilty of aiding and abiding in murder, racial profiling, and several other continuous hate crimes by allowing them to happen with no repercussions.
We, the people, believe in non-violent protests and have demonstrated our ability to hold organized non-violent protests for nearly 90 days straight. Our mission statement is non-violent protests and yet we have been met with military tanks, rubber bullets, and threats of live ammunition. We say this while we know for a fact that every police precinct in the metropolitan area is preparing to partner with the National Guard and attack us as if we are not tax paying citizens.
This is the same police force that left Mike Brown’s body in the street for more than four hours. They have clearly shown and proved to treat us more like straight dogs than human beings. We pray for peace but we are prepared defend our families. We are prepared to protect our children. We are prepared to let the world know our lives matter and our human rights deserve to be recognized and protected.
My heart is heavy simply because I feel helpless. My spirit is dampened by what is to come. I pray for the safety of my friends, family and loved ones. Jay Nixon’s friends and family will rest safely tucked away from the arms of danger. He will not be tear gassed or violently attacked by the police. He can afford to boldly go on television and protect his political cohorts. None of them will be in the reach of this treacherous militarized police force.
If I never record another rap record in my lifetime then so be it. I did this for Saint Louis and the countless victims of police brutality. This is my “War Cry” and I sincerely pray someone hears me before it is too late.