Over the years, various artists have written and recorded songs that pay tribute to an event, another artist, or someone close to them. It shows an incredible amount of support and respect for the deceased. The songs are available on iTunes and other music platforms for purchase. The proceeds are donated to disaster relief funds, families of the victims, or charities. For example, “We Are The World” was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie in 1985 that raised money to help end the famine in Africa. “Take The Weather With You” by Jimmy Buffet paid tribute to the victims that were lost, and raised money for relief efforts during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Most recently, artists have released songs that pay tribute to the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting that took place in Orlando, Florida. J-Lo released “Love Make the World Go Round.” The one major point all of these songs have in common is to raise awareness and unite the American people to show strength in numbers.
Recently, another song that aims to raise awareness is the new and improved Black Eyed Peas song & music video for their 2003 song “Where’s The Love?” The song was originally created in response to the devastating September 11th terror attack that took the lives of thousands of American citizens, firefighters, and police officers when the Twin Towers collapsed. The band reunited to make a new music video for the song that is focuses on gun violence and terrorism, which are the two biggest, and most talked about issues in America.
Throughout the black and white video, are pictures from riots, protests, and Syrian refugees fleeing the rubble that was once their city. The video also features celebrity guests such as Justin Timberlake, DJ Kahled, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Kahlifa, Kris & Kendall Jenner, among many others. Aside from all the familiar celebrity faces, there are also a few people who you might recognize from being in the news. Shown in the video was shooting victim Alton Sterling’s aunt, Sandra Sterling, shooting victim Philandro Castile’s mother, Valarie Castile, and Dallas Police Department’s Chief David Brown, who is in charge of the department where 5 police officers were murdered over the summer in Texas. It is important to realize that the police have a very intense and difficult job, which is to protect and serve the community.
However, it is necessary for an officer to also protect him or her self as well, especially in a life or death situation. This is not to say that the people who have died because of being shot and killed by an officer don’t matter. They do, because the loss of any human life is tragic. It’s not because of skin color or what they’re wearing. For example, the Michael Brown case in 2014, which was when the Black Lives Matter movement was recognized on a national scale for the first time. Protests and riots ensued in Ferguson, Missouri following the death of Brown; who was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson when Brown reached into his patrol car and tried to take the officer’s gun. From that point forward, it seems like each time there was a black shooting victim, there have been massive protests, riots, and burning down buildings and businesses in the respective town as a response from the black community. Yes, under the Constitution of the United States, we have the right to freedom of speech, expression, and protest. However, there are only protests and riots when an officer kills a member of the black community. But what about the numerous black lives that have been taken by the black community themselves? For example, this year alone in Chicago, Illinois there have been a total of 3,033 shooting victims. Of that, 517 were homicides. According to USA Today, “Chicago Police Department reported 468 murders in 2015, a 12.5% increase from the year before. There were 2,900 shootings in 2015, 13% more than the year before, according to Police Department records. Looking at these statistics, why is it that this movement only cares about the victims who have been killed by police officers? Across the country people think that police officers are murders and out to get people, which frankly is not the case. However, because of this newfound mentality, it has caused people to thinking that killing police officers is justifiable. Which brings me to Chief David Brown of the Dallas, Texas Police Department. Five officers were murdered in Dallas because of the uniform they wear and the badge on their chest. Including both Chief Brown and family members of those who were killed by police, has a very strong message. The Black Eyed Peas brought together these people from very different corners, but they all have one thing in common: they have both lost members of their community to gun violence.Maybe all the gun violence and death has woken us up. Fighting gun violence with more gun violence is not the answer. It is not justice. It does not solve anything. While the title of the song itself is valid and aims to unite us, a 4-minute song does not directly solve the problems of gun violence and terrorism. But the first step is admitting we have a problem. For one, we have a problem of citizens not respecting the police. Two, we have a problem of gun violence within major cities such as Chicago. According to the Chicago Tribune, “The city has passed 500 homicides for the year and is on pace to top 600 by the end of the year — a total not seen in 15 years.” Thirdly, the other problem is terrorism and devastating attacks around the world committed by the terrorist organization ISIS. The remake only acknowledges Syria and those who are fleeing. What the remake should have included is the San Bernardino, California attack and those who feared for their lives when they were having what seemed a normal day at work. The Nice and Paris, France attacks where people were run over and mass murdered at a concert, respectively. The Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida where 49 LGBT+ people were murdered because of their sexual orientation. The list of tragedies continues not only within the United States but also worldwide. It’s time to unite, stand strongly together, and end the senseless violence and killing.
