Sage Francis "Conspiracy to Riot"

[Daddy]

www.conspiracytoriot.com

Free track for download.

On Sept 1, 2008 I received a voicemail from Sean Daley (aka Slug of Atmosphere) informing me that my longtime friend, Jared Paul, was sitting in a Minnesota jail cell. This was the first day of the National Republican Convention, a 5 day event that Jared was covering for a Providence publication. I thought to myself ââ,¬Å"Wellââ,¬Â¦that was quick.ââ,¬Â� And then the dark, disturbing feeling washed over me. Jared Paul is currently in a legal battle with the St. Paul, MN court system, along with hundreds of others who face trumped up charges thanks to the overzealous riot police at the Republican National Convention. Jared is one of many who does not have the appropriate funds to hire proper legal representation and the ACLU of Minnesota is so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of RNC arrest cases that they are unable to provide assistance. What Jared does have is massive support from music and poetry communities. As soon as news of his situation was made public people were in a frenzy asking how they could help out. When bail was granted, Slug graciously posted the fee and waited the entire day and night for Jaredââ,¬â,,¢s release. Iââ,¬â,,¢ve agreed to front the remainder of Jaredââ,¬â,,¢s legal fees while creating www.ConspiracyToRiot.com as a way to raise awareness about his situation and accept donations for our cause. This has less to do with a friend of mine possibly looking at jail time, and more to do with citizenââ,¬â,,¢s rights continually being trampled on. There are thousands of innocent people in jail right now because of their lack of finances. This is a principle thing as much as it is personal. Attorneys working with the National Lawyers Guild and the ACLU are identifying this yearââ,¬â,,¢s RNC as one of the most extreme examples of strategic, premeditated attacks on the First Amendment in U.S. history. The conventionââ,¬â,,¢s planning committee facilitated $50 million in Federal funds to the Ramsey County authorities, basically hiring out all local law enforcement available as the RNCââ,¬â,,¢s own private military contract force. An additional $10 million was then spent on an insurance package to cover legal fees specifically resulting from police misconduct. Authorities used extreme force and mass arbitrary arrests to target, intimidate, and jail dozens of major and independent journalists all week long. Their tactics not only kept non-Convention citizens away from downtown but detainees were kept as long as legally possible, preventing journalists from reporting on any event outside of the Conventionââ,¬â,,¢s main itinerary.

DETAILS OF THE ARREST

Was Jared throwing bricks through cop car windows? No. Was he picketing outside of the convention and yelling threats into a megaphone? No. Jared, along with many others, was enjoying the music being performed at the ââ,¬Å"Take Back Labor Dayââ,¬Â� Festival across the river from Harriet Island Pavilion. This is when hundreds of Riot Police stormed onto the scene and arrested everyone on sight. Jared was charged with Felony-Riot. This charge would later be reduced to a Gross-Misdemeanor, and then brought to Ramsey County Jail where he would not be released until the final day of the Convention.

FREE SONG AND DONATIONS

This past week I recorded a song called ââ,¬Å"Conspiracy to Riotââ,¬Â� and it is available here at www.ConspiracyToRiot.com as a free download. Feel free to pass along the URL of this webpage to your friends and family. If you have some extra money in your pocket and youââ,¬â,,¢d like to donate, please use the paypal option on this page. All donations will go toward offsetting the expenses related to Jared Paulââ,¬â,,¢s legal case. If weââ,¬â,,¢re fortunate enough to raise more money than we need, the excess funds will go toward Knowmore.org (a non-profit organization B. Dolan and I created to promote responsible consumerism.) I do understand that weââ,¬â,,¢re in a financial crisis so weââ,¬â,,¢re not asking you to break your bank if you donââ,¬â,,¢t have the means to donate. All we ask is that you stay involved with the struggle against oppressive powers. Learn to recognize them and practice resisting them. People who want to be heard shouldnââ,¬â,,¢t be made to feel like they are committing a crime when they speak up or speak out. People also shouldnââ,¬â,,¢t be made to feel like theyââ,¬â,,¢re on a soap box just because they have a bone to pick with the system. Thereââ,¬â,,¢s some sickness going on that makes people feel small, unimportant and disconnected. The only cure is to ignore that nonsense and make good choices in your life. Stay informed and stay involved.

[LCK]

downloading right now

[Daddy]

downloading right now

GOOD Y/N

[LCK]

BRILLIANT

[Daddy]

BRILLIANT

Seriously

Oh yeahââ,¬Â¦Iââ,¬â,,¢ve got a weapon of mass destructionââ,¬Â¦
Parked in the back and itââ,¬â,,¢s a vessel of gas consumption.
Rebels of rap production never adapted to nothing.
Imagine my laugh whenever ask me for something.
Like I ainââ,¬â,,¢t gave it my all.
You came fashionably late to the headbangerââ,¬â,,¢s ball.
After the mob scene lost steam,
And after we spilled pigââ,¬â,,¢s blood on the prom queen.
Iââ,¬â,,¢ve been told with old age comes wisdom,
But Iââ,¬â,,¢ve found with old age comes old age.
Weââ,¬â,,¢re stuck in our old ways like everything was done much better
in some forgotten era. Thumb sucking America.
I canââ,¬â,,¢t begin to nameââ,¬Â¦the ways Iââ,¬â,,¢d pin the blame
on an administration acting inhumane.
If itââ,¬â,,¢s killing season letââ,¬â,,¢s start within.
When the hunter becomes the hunted they outlaw hunting (ainââ,¬â,,¢t that something.)
Confiscate the ammunition!
Cuz thereââ,¬â,,¢s a wolf in sheepââ,¬â,,¢s skin. A pit bull with lipstick.
A pig in a blanket. Some lame duck President
privatizing profit and socializing debt.
Collapsed credit. Journalists get arrested.
Watch the Blackwater operatives go domestic.
Oh, thatââ,¬â,,¢s a problem? Well donââ,¬â,,¢t agonize.
Smoke ââ,¬Ëœem if you got ââ,¬Ëœem. A whole pack of lies.
Summer spring and autumn. Now bring the wintertime.
I donââ,¬â,,¢t protest snow. I shovel it with picket signs.