FBI out of line

  
      A California congressman blasted the Federal Bureau of Investigation for
 violating its charter after the bureau took an official position on the
 controversial rap song "Fuck the Police", by NWA (Niggers With Attitudes), a
 group from Compton, California.  The congressman's move came in the wake of
 an FBI letter sent to NWA's label, Priority Records, that condemned the song
 for "advocating violence and assault" against police.
      "This smacks of censorship, and the FBI shouldnt be in the business of
 censorship", said Congressman Don Edwards, Democrat of San Jose, California,
 who is chairman of a House subcommittee that monitors the bureau's
 activities.  Edwards -- a former G-man himself -- contacted the FBI on
 October 10th, objecting to its letter about NWA and demanding a full
 explanation.  In addition, the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington,
 DC, protested the FBI's action and called on the Justice Department to
 retract the letter.
      Members of NWA would not comment on the issue, although group member and
 songwriter Ice Cube previously called the track a "revenge fantasy" stemming
 from what NWA views as repeated police harassment of young blacks. Priority
--More--
 Records chief Bryan Turner said, "We dont advocate violence in any way, shape
 or form, but we do advocate freedom of speech."  Turner recently returned
 from the Soviet Union, where he lined up a Russian distribution deal for
 Priority albums that could include "Straight Outta Compton", which contains
 the inflammatory tune.
      The FBI's letter, signed by assistant director and bureau spokesman Milt
 Ahlerich, claimed the angry rap number "encourages violence against and
 disrespect for the law enforcement officer", describing the "unprecendented"
 surge in violent crime and detailing statistics of police murders during
 1988.  Concluding that "music plays a significant role in society", the
 letter ended on an ominous note, warning Priority "to be aware of the FBI's
 position relative to this song and its message."
      Earlier this year, the song became subject of an intense fax campaign
 among local police departments, with the lyrics transmitted to cops in cities
 where NWA toured.  The number was deliberately excluded from the tour's
 regular set list, but when a few lines of "Fuck the Police" were chanted at a
 Detroit concert, a scuffle broke out, and group members were later briefly
 detained by local authorities.
 - Jeffrey Ressner, Rolling Stone Magazine