reflections
Damned by Drill: How British courts used music to convict 10 Black boys in Manchester by Molly Lipson
Image courtesy of Kids of ColourThe other day I read this eye-opening article by Molly Lipson, on the Manchester 10 case, where 10 young Black men were convicted, to varying degrees, of conspiracy to commit violence. This conviction happened in part due to participation in a shared Telegram group chat, which the prosecution said contributed to the notion they were in a gang together.
It is also of note that the rap and drill lyrics that some of the boys had on their phones or in handwritten notes was presented as proof of incitement to violence.
Suffice to say, it was a controversial ruling – with many questioning the reliance on circumstantial evidence, the creation of a ‘gang narrative’, and lack of direct links of the accused to actual violence. The whole affair seems to boil down to guilt by association and racialised charges against young Black men.
I confess to not knowing anything about this case before reading the article, only having vaguely heard of the Manchester 10 or ‘M10’. But the miscarriage of justice is quite clearly illuminated by Molly’s piece, pointing to a deeper societal rot when it comes to understanding and interacting with art and culture.
shoddy evidence
Song lyrics, especially hip-hop and rap, have been used as proof of wrongdoing in trials before. In fact, it’s more common than you might think.
I read about one case involving an aspiring rapper Vonte Skinner, who in 2008 was tried for attempted murder. During the trial, graphic rap lyrics that he had written down was used as a basis that he had “motive and intent” to commit violence. The words were read out in the courtroom as a form of indictment and Skinner ended up being convicted of attempted murder, sentenced to 30 years behind bars.
That was until 2012, when his conviction was overturned. It turns out the rap lyrics referenced in the original trial – which were not at all relevant to the crime that took place – shouldn’t have even been admitted as evidence. Who’d have thought??
This is not a unique phenomenon, just one I plucked at random by searching for times rap lyrics were used as ‘evidence’ in a trial. Seriously, you can take your pick of similar cases.
lyrics are not literal – underline it!
It’s a worrying trend that song lyrics are used as proof of intent or conspiracy to commit a crime. Music is entertainment, it is art – it is not reasonable to use lyrics as evidence. What happened to artistic license? Are lyrics meant to be 100% realistic statements of fact? I guess as far as the justice system is concerned, when it’s targeted at young Black men, anything goes.
It seems more reasonable to understand that songs, and artistic endeavours as a whole, are not literal representations of a person’s actions and behaviour. Sure they may contain parts of an artist’s opinion, but it’s a given that things are embellished. It’s creativity. This is especially true in rap.
As Molly articulates in her piece, drill lyrics read out sternly in a cold courtoom, devoid of context and a beat, are a different beast. It rips the soul out of the art and sterilises it. But worse, it criminalises the words, the feeling, the emotion behind those bars. In a sense, reading violent and uncomfortable lyrics out in a courtroom only serves to inflame the jury or prejudice the case instead of providing any direct verification of a crime.
This is a case study of how mere participation in Black culture is being weaponised and proscribed.
As Molly writes, “The M10 case is just one example of hundreds of similar instances of young Black boys being charged as gang members and Black culture being used at least in part as evidence of this.”
We can’t rely on the UK justice system, nor any other, to right this wrong – which they have reinforced and reproduced. Support networks and grassroots campaigns against injustice (such as Kids of Colour and Art Not Evidence) are our best defence against the attempts to illegalise culture and artistic expression.
For now, we wait for the appeal hearings in the M10 case on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th December with bated breath.
~ Tommy
smirk of the week 😏
shado in focus
My choice for an episode of shado in focus to listen to is Stammering in the intersections by Ella Sinclair, which focuses on the specific experiences of women of colour who stammer. An interesting look into a hidden inequality – stammering – and how this can intersect with others parts of your identity, bringing these challenges to the forefront. Listen to it on your next train ride!
one thing to watch:
Second Thought – Why is Elon Musk Like That? (YouTube, ~20 mins, sorry about the horrific screen grab)
This is a great deep-dive into everyone’s least favourite tech feudalist Elon Musk, from great video essay BreadTube channel Second Thought. It delves into why Musk’s endorsement of Trump, and associated other actions of questionable morality, did not come out of a vaccuum.
Without giving the video away too much, it’s basically Ronald Reagan’s fault, as well as the hippies of the 1960s who eventually became the techno-libertarians of the modern era – those who believe technology can liberate us from government tyranny (but only if they hold all the power instead).
I found it a useful reminder that talk of ‘liberation’ without discussing politics or capitalism is redundant at best, and highly damaging at worst.
one thing to groove to:
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