Free ____

Breaking News: Lil Boosie has been indicted for murder; prosecution may seek the death penalty.
Hence forth Boosie will be referred to by his given name, Torrence Hatch. Mr. Hatch has had his encounters with the justice system before. In 2009, he is incarcerated on drug and gun charges only months following his album, Superbad, was released. Before he was sentenced for this act, it is said that he violated the terms of his probation thus increasing his stay behind bars. Since then, Hatch has been connected with a conspiracy to smuggle and distribute narcotics within the prison in which he is being housed. The breaking news above details Torrence's latest contribution to the ticker tape.
Now in the wake of Hatch's sentencing, the FREE BOOSIE movement set itself into motion as so many others did before. In studying the history of such movements, I found FREE WAYNE, FREE PIMP C, FREE DURELL, and my favorite, FREE HUEY to name a few. I can respect the latter through my sympathy with the Black Power movement of the 70's and the fact that mainstream America regarded the movement as an act of aggression to be resisted. As for the other two and Mr. Hatch, if you did the crime with honor and was found guilty as such in a court of law (as fucked up as the law may be), do the time with honor.
There are those, including myself that recognize that the laws in this great country of ours may be corrupt to some extent. For example, some drug offenses are subject to harsher punishments than others. It has been noted that this stems from certain drugs being used by certain people. Same is true with guns law. To be honest, criminal law has been pretty much discriminatory throughout history. It is the way that society seeks to conform and reform everyone into similar thinking. If it was cool to rape and plunder, and the law severely punished those that didn't support the actions, you would be raping and plundering.
The key is knowledge and acknowledgment. I know that certain actions are deemed unsavory by the mainstream (watching porn). I also acknowledge that I may still be interested in carrying on such actions and there are consequences to hinder my execution of them (morality laws that prohibit the sale of pornographic materials). Some obstacles may be subtle but other very blatant. I saw a billboard that read: "Buy a gun for someone who can't and you buy yourself 20 years." You can't get to the point any better than that.
To all those that choose to live the life that society deems as unsavory, I respect you. I give you the benefit of the doubt that you have knowledge and acknowledged the fact that there is a possibility that you may be "commended" of sorts for doing your job well. The commendation may be even greater if you say are in an industry that glorifies you for living and reporting on your "conventional" form of living. I can appreciate the fact that one may be the product of his or her surroundings and that society can be invading. At the same time, an individual and his constituents must know that discretion is the key to survival and abstinence once the spotlight has been shone on the actions. Meaning this, Hatch was indicted on charges in 2008 and from that time until his sentence it was said that he violated the terms of his probation. An outsider would view his actions as deviant and could not understand the idea of setting him free before his time served.
DISCLAIMER: As a fan of rap music, I am saddened by these developments and in no way would I like to see the desires of the prosecution come to fruition. I can understand the seriousness of this accusation and the due process that must occur. I can also relate to the life of Black men being that I am one and the options (or lack there of) set before us. Although, I never had strong enough of an urge to follow the path Mr. Hatch has blazed, I am and have been acquainted with individuals making such decisions. I am not a judge of character or actions, and I respect every man's decision to live his own life as he sees fit. To make my point follow me on the day that could have changed my life:
In April 2005, I had just return from what I deemed as my life trial, a seven month service in Iraq which began when I had 11 months remaining on my military contract. I had also graduated college in the months preceding my departure. I was home and free from my obligation to serve my country. It was a new beginning of sorts.
During my time in the region known as the Cradle of Civilization, I came to realize that as a nation, especially the South, we seem to fight for and abridge entitlements for the dumbest of reasons. Disagreements, I supported, should be resolved with civil discussions and interventions if necessary. I also thought that heated, emotional arguments really did nothing but brought deeper issues to the surface; the final step to resolution, when one side refuses to cooperate, should and must be force to some extent. This is what an unoccupied mind can conjure up.
Getting to the point, I was having a misunderstanding between myself and property manager as to the conduct that was expected on the property that I was renting. I also felt that I was unknowingly being chastised because of exclusion practices (the guest on the property that came to visit someone was playing loud music so he MUST have been visiting me). I decided to read the accusations against me and dispute those that did not apply. I fully accepted anything that was my fault and would have dealt with the consequences.
I made my way to the office to meet with the manager and discuss the matter. Our entire discussion was surprisingly one-sided and defensive. I was accused several times of other actions that I had no idea were occurring. One was that my "guests" were parking in resident parking and not guest parking; my counter was that there was no marker that distinguished guest parking since the sign had been removed and was resting against my building. The discussion went back and forth with my opponent of such never accepting any of my points. The coup de grâce being the statement: "We don't live like that around here." I took that as my cue to end the conversation, especially since we were "arguing like second graders."
I felt there was no one to intervene and it was going to be my word against the manager. I took all of that into account as I walked back to my apartment and determined that I must go to the final step, force. I knew that in my trunk I possessed a bat. I knew that I could return to the office and force the manager to comply or not without her ever getting to her phone to contact law enforcement. I also knew that doing so could cause me to be evicted as well as jail time so I decided I shouldn't risk that and just terminate her. She didn't appreciate life enough in my mind. I was the one who had witnessed roadside bombs and random mortar attacks just because I was American and not because I couldn't control my "guests".
During these thoughts my cousin, Tiana, returned my call from earlier. She eventually calmed me to the point that I went home, prayed, and went to sleep. My relationship with the property manager never turned around. I discounted every attempt to reprimand me for my actions, some of which were deliberate. I conspired to cause a face to face confrontation between the two of us because it would eliminate premeditation from any accusation. As devious as it may have been, I had knowledge and acknowledged that I was not in a winning position being that I was not paying fines or late fees. Welcoming the roll of the wicked, I eventually abandoned the relationship and moved to a better situation.
In the case of Torrence Hatch and those that are living the life considered to be atypical, I say live on. From one deviant to another, be prepared to deal with the feedback that the populace will throw back at you. In managing your existence, make sure to do so in a way that you can go undetected but know and acknowledge the cost of detection. In light, I support you and respect you, but I do not and will not support your time being shortened or ignored. RESPECT THE SYSTEM.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry