Local rappers join thousands to stand against police brutality and racial injustices

by Andrew Mason | June 6, 2020 | UNDRGRND Magazine

Photo from @connectthecoast on Instagram. 2020.

Members of “The 805”’s underground hip-hop scene have engaged in protests, live performances, and music release postponements in efforts to fight America’s continuing police brutality and racial injustice issues. This response from the rap world comes as local communities join the nationwide unrest following the inhumane murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minnesota last May.

Over the past weekend, sizable protests were held in Thousand Oaks, Santa Barbara, Ojai, San Luis Obispo, and other local towns. Chris Stanton, a 29-year-old rapper by the name of “Chris The Thr!llest”, was one of roughly 3,000 active participants at Santa Barbara’s Sunday rally.

“We took a march up famous State Street,” Stanton says of his fellow peaceful protesters, “straight to where there was a blockade of shielded police officers.”

In a video posted to Chris The Thr!llest’s instagram, the rapper, born in Moorpark but relocated to Santa Barbara, can be heard yelling “No Justice, No Peace!” with the crowd. The march included speakers from all racial backgrounds, and began outside the Santa Barbara Courthouse, according to the rapper.

A number of artists from the ConnectTheCoast group also played prominent roles over the weekend. Rappers D Banks, Central Coast G.I.A., and Lorde Sanctus joined a San Luis Obispo protest on Sunday afternoon. The rally was organized by R.A.C.E. Matter SLO, a grassroots organization with the mission to promote an anti-racist central coast.

“Almost all of the [west coast artists who] I know and am close with have been showing support and voicing their opinions,” says 24-year-old Grace Torres, also known as Central Coast G.I.A.

Torres and other artists carried signs with messages such as “Protesting Now So My Son Won’t Have To Later,” and “Black Lives Matter." The rally also included words from ConnectTheCoast leader Lorde Sanctus, who took the stage and microphone at Mitchell Park’s gazebo to rap about free speech and America’s parasitic racial history.

Even from home, “The 805”’s artists are making changes. Newbury Park’s Deo Cane is among many rappers who have postponed the release of new music.

“People let out their emotions through music and right now is not the time to release a trap [or] turn up song,” Cane, 22, says. “The world, especially black people, are going through a pandemic of their own.”

The highest profiled “white-on-black crime” cases have occurred outside of “The 805”’s boundaries. Still, artists are raising awareness of similar incidents that have occurred right here at home.

Stanton recalls the murder of Meagan Hockaday, who was killed shot and killed by Oxnard Officer Roger Garcia in March 2015.

“It may not always look exactly as cut and dry as George Floyd [or] Sandra Bland,” Stanton says, “but it happens here in ‘The 805.’”

Rap music speaks loudly, and has beautiful roots in anti-authoritative and anti-police sentiment, and for just reason. From N.W.A’.s powerful strives for racial equality, to however hip-hop artists respond to the injustices of today, rap music has important social and political impact. It is both a prevalent entity of African-American culture and a remarkable meeting point for racial integration.

Ventura County sits in an interesting position. With a white majority population, we cannot simply rely on black voices to do the talking.

While most musicians took Tuesday off from posting content in honor of the “Blackout Tuesday” online wave, I urge artists to now create. Put your thoughts and your emotions into your craft. Do as much as you can to not let the Black Lives Matter movement stay a roller coaster trend.

“[If] ‘The 805’ sees the solidarity in the music scene,” Stanton says, “I’m confident ‘The 805’ community will follow.”