According to Dallas Morning News, two gangs — one from East Dallas and the other from South Dallas — were at the El Angel nightclub on Sunday (July 16) to attend a birthday party and had agreed to put their rivalry aside for the evening.
An hour later, police say Lil Jon’s "Put Yo Hood Up" was played and the two gangs begun fighting, quickly emptying the club. The skirmishing between the two groups continued outside and guns were eventually pulled out.
22-year-old Lendl Carey and 20-year-old Kenneth Haggerty were shot and killed. The injured were rushed were to a nearby hospital where they were treated and released. "Put Yo Hood Up," which urges listeners to represent their neighborhoods via hand signs, has been linked to another murder in Arkansas.
When police reports associating the murders to hip-hop surfaced, Dallas based rappers and DJ’s responded by voicing their outrage. "It’s crazy that police would say something like that," Mr. Pookie told the Morning News. "When alcohol is involved and tempers flare, shit happens. A song can’t make somebody shoot someone." "Dallas police have no business calling ‘Put Yo Hood Up’ a ‘flashpoint’ for violence," said DJ Big Bink of The Beat. "When they make statements like that, it shows how ignorant they are toward hip-hop culture."
"The songs played, they have nothing to do with nothing," Marcus Francia, the brother of the man whose birthday was being celebrated at the club told the Associated Press. "I’ve been to a lot of clubs, and they play the same songs at every club. I don’t think that would prompt nobody."
Authorities are still looking for shooters.
How do you feel about this situation and who the police are blaming? Leave your comments and thoughts below.
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