The San Bernardino Police Officers Association (SBPOA) has officially withdrawn its support from city council candidate Anthony Jones over music videos that depict Jones rapping about criminal or otherwise distasteful acts.
In a written statement, SBPOA President Steve Turner remarked, “This is unacceptable to us. Whether or not Mr. Jones actually believes the lyrics of the songs in question is not the issue. The fact that he would be a part of such videos shows an incredible lack of judgment on his part.”
“I ain’t worried about the haters,” says one line of the song featuring the 23-year-old candidate (see below). “(Expletive) my enemies, I put the 4-5 (.45 caliber gun) straight to their memory.”
According to the San Bernardino Sun, Jones stated that he was singing the rap song just for fun and to allege otherwise is both a distraction from the real issues and an “amoral” attack.
“I’m a young black man raised in San Bernardino. Perhaps Fred Shorett feels that’s something for which I owe an apology to this community,” Jones said in an email to the Sun and on Facebook. “So here it is. I’m sorry that I did not sing Mack the Knife. I’m sorry that the video wasn’t me covering Garth Brooks’ Papa Loved Mama (“Mama’s in the graveyard, Papa’s in the pen”). I’m sorry that I wasn’t acting out one of the nine murders committed in Hamlet, or any of the illegal acts portrayed by Robert Redford, Paul Newman and the rest of the cast of The Sting.”
Councilman Fred Shorett was apparently surprised by the allegations.
“This asking him to apologize for being a young black man I don’t get,” stated Shorett. “I don’t know anything about that. He’s doing ganster rap. … I don’t know if the voters want to elect a 23-year-old gangster rapper, but that’s for them to decide.”
Shorett received 48% of the vote—just shy of the 50% threshold needed to avoid a run-off race—while Jones garnered 31%.
Read more about Jones’ history with hip hop at the San Bernardino Sun.
“Who Dem Boyz, IE Anthem Part II” by Yah Boy Money (Anthony Jones) x LoLo can be viewed below (warning: contains expletives):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BY1cVrnO-M