Wednesday, May 23, 2007

New York, New York

New York, New York the big apple with attitude
If I lived in this rat hole
I would have attitude
but I would be humble
not arrogant
after nine eleven
you ain't all that and a bag of chips
you got two black eyes
ain't no gansta to me
just a big chump
lookin fa a fight
throw in da towel
new york new york
riker's island is full
broadway is clean
homeless tucked away in the bronx
neo-colonials invade harlem, brooklyn
diaspora Africans are pimped, yeah,
like nappy headed hos.
but you got attitude
new york new york
better be humble
with two black eyes
yo skyline naked
merchant bloodsuckers
of the poor, the righteous
come up from slavery
the wall street mart
hit 13000
so what so what
34 down at Virginia Tech
200 down in Iraq
Baldwin told you
murder of my child
will not make your child safe.
new york new york
funky apple
racoon
get some manners
mexicans say
por favor por favor
you never heard please
only attitude with funk
don't nobody owe you nothing
cause you in da big apple
riding subways in a rat hole
goin nowhere fast
get a life
new york new york
don't say same thing twice.
--Marvin X
Brooklyn
4/26/07

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Marvin I know you have been trying to grasp what is going on in New York City, and putting it into context in regards to what happened to you and Black Arts Movement East. The best example of what is really going on in Harlem can be exemplified with the case for Alton Maddox and justice. The movement here is divided, and as it was stated in the film Malcolm's Echo "A Movement that is not moving". For the past 17 years Alton Maddox has not been able to get his license reinstated. Last night he spoke at the Harlem State Office building regarding the State of Affairs. What is really going on in NY is very sad and disturbing. There is a whole matrix, a trick cadre of folks here Negros, Negro revolutionaries, artist, cultural folks, etc. the list is long that are the buffers for white supremacy and racist leftist in this city. They are the new poverty pimps but they are more than pimps they are more like a force or an elite guards on patrol. They talk black talk but aspire to be included into white supremacy materialist culture. You saw on Saturday how long it took for the speakers at the Schomberg to even mention works that related to injustice like White Supremacy and even longer to even mention Sean Bell.

Before you leave NYC I hope that you will be able to hear Alton Maddox's side of NYC, the hurt and betrayal. When you understand what happened to Alton you will understand what happened to you and the Black Arts movement and the suppression of fighting real issues in their totality. You will also understand why you have had difficulty getting venues in NYC.

There is no respect for Black people in New York City in spite of all the black creativity and culture that is here.

You can real Alton Maddox's column in the Amsterdam News every Thursday. Many people will tell you that Alton needs to shut up and move on, but the case and the reality that Alton represents not only racism, white supremacy and abuse and attempted murder but the disenfranchisement of us having any legal platform to work from.

I am also sending a copy of this email to Alton Maddox. The event last night was video taped maybe you can get a copy of it.

Sincerely,

Linda