Greetings. My name is Jomo K. Johnson. As an urban pastor I have witnessed firsthand the effects of crime in my city of North Philadelphia. In the first 23 days of the new year of 2012, there have been 25 murders. Many other major cities such as Chicago, are experiencing a rampant increase in violence. The demographic for these victims is always the same. Younger urban minorities; Black and Hispanic, ages 26 and lower, account for majority of these victims. While many people talk about how to curb the violence, no one has been able to pinpoint a key factor in the rising murder rates of the last 10 years.
Based upon study and scholarly reports - I believe that we are seeing such a spike in violence because of a hidden social-conditioning factor. This factor is the rise of "neo-misogynistic and ultra-violent" rap music that has been commercialized and distributed through mainstream media. This type of music, far from artistic expression or urban communication, is an extreme glorification of rape, sexual abuse, racial genocide, and the rejection and ridicule of religious beliefs and values. Examples of this "Neo-Rap" are "Young Money Records, Tyler the Creator, and Lil' B."
Studies have shown that this type of music is having an extremely negative effect on young and urban youth. The latest and most substantial being led by Dr. Ralph D. Clemente of Emory University.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447759/ I myself have written a book on this topic which predicted the trends we are seeing today.
http://www.deadestrapperalive.com/ Exposure to this obscene "Neo-Rap" has been shown to double the likelihood of violence, arrests, drug usage, and sexually transmitted disease. Therefore, when the music is unlawfully disseminated in places of business, communicated audibly through car stereos, or played loudly by neighbors, or to minors - an atmosphere in which crime can and will happen is passively produced.
This petition does not seek to control what individual citizens have the right to listen to. But it does seek to have the current Federal Obscenity law [47 U.S.C. § 223(a)(1)(B)] upheld by individual states; especially those that are seeking increases of violence acts perpetrated in urban or suburban settings. And in doing so, children, minors, and youth will not forcefully be exposed to this particular brand of vulgarity, thus decreasing the likelihood of violence in the urban setting.
Pastor Jomo K. Johnson
