It was only a matter of time before the main stream media began to point the finger at Hip Hop artists for any incident that could remotely be tied to the culture.

This past Valentine’s Day, the media reported that a mini riot broke out at Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington during a dead prez concert.

It was reported that dead prez began to chant “fuck the police,” after a concert attendee was arrested. In the aftermath, one police car was destroyed, and Evergreen State College, dead prez and Hip Hop were thrust back into the national spotlight.

A quick Google search on the incident turns up the following sensationalized headlines: “Evergreen Students Riot Over Dead Prez”, “Riot Erupts on Evergreen College Campus”, and “Fools at Evergreen Go (Extra) Dumb at Dead Prez Show.”

Here’s what wasn’t reported.

An eyewitness account has been posted on Davey D’s MySpace blog, which offers an alternative to what the main stream (and many Hip Hop sites) have been reporting.

“During prez’s set, Olympia Police came in to the venue and arrested a black male, who was being accused by a white male of punching him and his friend during a fight outside the venue approx. 30 minutes earlier. I didn’t see the fight, I just heard about it. I was told by another student that the white male started it.

Except for this incident, the actual show was completely peaceful!… The local media, specifically [FOX affiliate] KCPQ-13, and [Cox Television affiliate ] KIRO-7 has been claiming on television that Prez told the crowd, in essence, to attack the police. THIS IS A LIE and A MAJOR DISTORTION!… KIRO-TV in particular couldn’t even get the group’s name correct, let alone give complete and accurate details of what really happened.”

The report also conflicts earlier accounts that it was dead prez who encouraged the crowd to attack the police.

M1 of Prez specifically told the crowd, who were already shouting “cops are in the building” and “[fuck] the police” on their own, to “make sure the brotha was safe” and to “handle the situation responsibly”. They then went back to doing their set.

What has largely been ignored is the already strained relationship between students at Evergreen and local police.

Last year, Evergreen students organized a protest against the Iraq war and to block a shipment of weapons from getting to the Port of Olympia. Protesters were subsequently arrested and pepper sprayed.  

A press conference concerning the incident is scheduled to take place Tuesday.