Cop-out on Bruce NYPD pulled Boss' Shea escort after '41 Shots'

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nydailynews.com/10-08-2003/news/gossip/story/124822p-111918c.html

An NYPD chief tried to show Bruce Springsteen who's the Boss - yanking the singer's police escort from Shea Stadium after he performed a song about cop-shooting victim Amadou Diallo.
Chief of Department Joseph Esposito got angry when he heard Springsteen sing "American Skin (41 Shots)" at last Wednesday night's opening show at Shea, a police source told the Daily News.

Esposito, the highest-ranking uniformed cop in the department, ordered the escort cut for Springsteen's next show, on Friday night, the source said.

The Boss did not play the song that night or the next - and the security detail was restored for the Saturday night finale.

[noonwitch]

1. I don't get why NYPD is so upset over the song

Good cops don't unload 41 shots into unarmed men. They should be as upset as anyone else that a fellow cop made them all look bad by his actions.

[DrWeird]

3. Apparently solidarity is more important than justice, to them.

nt.

[Vikingking66]

5. I think they misunderstood the song

The chorus goes "41 shots...kill the fucking cops"
It's meant to show the frustration and rage of African-Americans
dealing with these shootings, but I think the cops took it as a literal exhortation.

[DebbieCDC]

8. 41 Shots

Viking, I think you misunderstood the song...I've heard it again & again (both on CD and live) and I have NEVER heard "kill the f***ing cops" in the chorus. Unless this is something new that the Boss put in just for NY (and I don't believe he would do that), he sure as hell didn't sing it that way when I saw him do it live at other shows this past year. Was anyone at the Shea Stadium shows that can address this question?

[latebloomer]

9. No way in hell!

would he sing "kill the fuckin cops"! I That just isn't the way Springsteen deals with issues.

[Scairp]

11. I don't think so Viking

41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots....
and we'll take that ride
'cross this bloody river
to the other side
41 shots... cut through the night
You're kneeling over his body in the vestibule
Praying for his life

Is it a gun, is it a knife
Is it a wallet, this is your life
It ain't no secret
It ain't no secret
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living
In your American skin

41 shots
Lena gets her son ready for school
She says "on these streets, Charles
You've got to understand the rules
If an officer stops you
Promise you'll always be polite,
that you'll never ever run away
Promise Mama you'll keep your hands in sight"

Is it a gun, is it a knife
Is it a wallet, this is your life
It ain't no secret
It ain't no secret
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living
In your American skin

Is it a gun, is it a knife
Is it in your heart, is it in your eyes
It ain't no secret

41 shots... and we'll take that ride
'Cross this bloody river
To the other side
41 shots... got my boots caked in this mud
We're baptized in these waters and in each other's blood

Is it a gun, is it a knife
Is it a wallet, this is your life
It ain't no secret
It ain't no secret
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living
In your American skin



Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)

[Cha]

2. I guess they showed Bruce who "the boss" was.

wusses. can't take any reality checks..

And that police commissioner ..bernie..I just read one of his quotes that said ..paraphrasing..the only WMD he cared about was sadam..so bernie doesn't care about all the Soldiers and Iraqis who got killed in the process of crimes against Humanity.

[el_gato]

4. pigs will be pigs

[Voltaire99]

6. Fascism means never having to...

...endure others hearing songs you don't like.

Welcome to the Clear Channel police state.

[DinahMoeHum]

7. FDNY, Si !! NYPD, No !!

n/t

:kick:

[RazorNY22]

10. If you read the lyrics...

You'll see that the song doesn't specifically condemn the cops.

It infers more towards racial profiling. " you can get killed for living in your American skin".

I think the chief was being petty. I also heard that the next song Bruce played was "Into the Fire" which praised the rescue workers of 9/11.

[Lucille]

12. Wow. Somebody wants some attention.

I see this was written by George Rush, who is the NYDN's gossip columnist. His mission in life seems to be to keep tabs on all the unpatriotic lefties who criticize Bush. He and the scribes at the NY Post seem to long for the days when the "stars" were asked, "Are you now or have yoou ever been...." Clearly, he infers that Springsteen caved in order to get his police escort. Thing is, I remember several years back when the original controversy about 41 Shots broke. The PBA held a rally for their membership and over a THOUSAND cops vented their fury on that "scumbag" Springsteen. Mayor Guilliani, Bernard Kerik, and others held press conferences to condemn him. The head of the PBA demanded that he contact them, explain himself, and apologize. Editorialists and rw talk radio screamed at him. Springsteen performed the song anyway--and even--GASP--embraced Diallo's father.

My own inner Sherlock tells me that whoever the "police source" is that fed this story to the News' Walter Winchell-wannabe has his own agenda. Let's see...who would want to make it look like "the highest-ranking uniformed officer's" own brave, principled stand made this pampered, frivolous rock star finally abandon his own principles because of little discomfort? Maybe Springsteen was intimidated, but if a rally of thousands of officers screaming abuse didn't stop him, it's hard to believe that a little inconvenience would, especially since I'm sure the guy had other means of getting to where he wanted to go. He's a limousine liberal, after all!

It must really rankle these manly men that their attempts at bullying didn't work when he first performed the song at MSG. I recall at the time the tabloids reported that "police sources" claimed that Springsteen himself walked outside MSG and pointed out scalpers for them to arrest. Of course, the stories turned out later to be untrue, but not before another "police source" got the chance to tell the press how "hypocritical" Springsteen was for wanting scalper-free streets AND a world where police don't accidentally fill an innocent black men with bullets.

I see Mr. Rush remains true to his fascistic leanings: He's oh-so-scrupulous about pointing out that Diallo was hit by only 17 bullets.

And if this is true, it's just so pathetic:

"At Wednesday night's show, some cops were particularly peeved that Springsteen followed "American Skin" with "Into the Fire," which lionizes firefighters."

Actually, "Into the Fire" describes rescue workers in general, but never mind. To paraphrase the Stingster, How fragile they are.