The outbreak of criticism in response to the acquittal of several New York City police officers in the shooting death of 23-year-old Sean Bell has prompted rapper/activist Immortal Technique to compile a list of stories showing the pervasiveness of police brutality across the United States.
 
“Police State Chronicles” will be a collection of experiences of real people from different ethnicities and socio-economic statuses—including Technique himself—across the country detailing police misconduct.
 
After the stories are compiling, Technique intends to distribute “Police State Chronicles” to the media, Congress, the Department of Justice and even the United Nations.
 
“The violation of people’s fundamental human rights, is not just a race issue, or an inner city issue, this is a national issue,” Technique said via statement.  “The state is taking people's most precious belongings, their lives, without any sort of due process.”
 
“Historically, the police in this country have been kept separate from the military so as to protect people’s civil rights, but as this police state becomes more militarized and its abuses grow, it is a harbinger of the fragmentation of our democracy.”
 
Technique also made an appeal to all readers and fans that have had an experience with police brutality to contribute.
 
“We would genuinely appreciate people's participation in sharing their stories,” he said. “Please do not think your story is too small or too insignificant to share.”
 
People interested should include their name, location and permission for Immortal Technique to use the name/story in the packet. E-mail stories to policestatechronicles@yahoo.com.
 
The first story, from Immortal Technique, can be found by clicking here.