S.O.N. Promo

                                                                                                                                    2/20/2014

Fam,

            A friend of mine, Jayne Lisa, with Tha Fly Boyz Promotion and Entertainment, sent me some questions to help promote The S.O.N. I haven’t written you guys in minute (sorry, been buried in S.O.N. related work) so I just thought I would share these few Q’s and A’s with you. Expect more from me very soon. I love you and thank you for all your love.

Los

1.)    Son of Norma is dropping June 17...your fans are ready...Is Carlos Coy ready?

A.)  I’m just happy for all the fans. For many people, this music is medicine. As for me, it’s just another day at the office.

2.)    I’m sure you have plenty of people/fans who write to you...Is there any one person who stands out the most? And why?

A.) All the fans are very special to me, and I wish I could write each person the letter they deserve. Of course, that’s impossible with so much mail. But I read every letter, and thank God for my people’s amazing love.

3.) Is your music based on the life of Carlos Coy? Real events?

A.) Always.

4.) Has it ever sunk in that you are an underground legend?

(and yes you are)

A.) The truth is not popular, or I’d be a radio legend, too.

5.) Your music is very different from what is played now-a-days...What noise do you hope Son of Norma will make?

A.) Man, it’s just a blessing straight from heaven. That’s what it is because this music don’t go no where. It will be here long after I’m gone, and I hope people will strengthen and not weaken. I remember a person saying, “Man, me and my boys be puttin in work while jammin your shit.”

That person was talking about gang-banging, and I’m, like, “No, baby boy. That ain’t how you do it.”

6.) Is there a certain song that stands out to you more in this album and why?

A.) I like stories, so I’m torn between “My Homegirl” and “If It Were You.”

7.) What would you like to say to your fans?

A.) Fuck these hatin bitches, let’s swang on these hoes!

8.) What music advice can you give to local underground artists to ensure some type of success?

A.) Always be polite. And there’s no better time to be polite than when it really counts. And that’s when someone is coming at you sideways. Getting out of shape about shit is a sign of weakness. Niggas that stay calm and polite radiate power.

(Therefore, scratch answer #7. lol!)

9.) What quote does Carlos Coy live by?

A.) We don’t live in heaven so you can’t expect shit to always be or go right.

10.) When can we expect Carlos Coy home?

A.) I come up for parole in 10 years, but I believe God will get me home sooner.

Weekend Reading 82.5

Some tracks for purchase by G-dub, featuring SPM & several members of the Dope House family: http://sosouth.com/detaildownload.php?ID=11127

Weekend Reading 82

From November Mario:

"This is an ad Dopehouse ran back in Nov 2006 for When Devils Strike.

It was in a magazine I use to collect called "XXL" which was the best hiphop magazine at the time."

If you haven't already, go check out his website at http://www.novembermario.com/ .

S.O.N. Release Date June 17

With a release date for The S.O.N. finally announced, we now have a great opportunity to increase awareness of Coy’s case; I thought it might be good to take a minute to talk about what you can do, and what to expect.

Education is hugely important to this effort; this can be as simple as bringing up things you know about his case that you weren’t aware of a couple of years ago. The Houston DA’s shaky record of Brady violations, the complete shut-down of the crime lab, the CAC nurse whose work came into question because she was more interested in gathering evidence for police than engaging in best practices to care for potential abuse victims. These are verifiable, sobering facts that a lot of people just aren’t aware of.

Know the circumstances backwards and forwards; don’t exaggerate, and try not to guess. If you’re unsure of your facts, be honest about it. “I may not be remembering exactly right, but I believe there’s been between 20 and 30 exonerations in Texas over the last five years.” Then you can go back to the Nation Registry of Exonerations and show them that there’s actually over 50.

This is a real opportunity; the album needs to be publicized, and the story of Coy’s trial needs to be spread. Furthering one goal will necessarily further the other. I will probably be talking a little more about this in the coming weeks because I want you to be prepared.

http://www.texastribune.org/2014/02/04/report-texas-leads-nation-2013-exonerations/

http://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/browse.aspx?View={b8342ae7-6520-4a32-8a06-4b326208baf8}&SortField=State&SortDir=Desc

Letter to Devon Anderson 6

Time for another letter to the DA; as always please feel free to copy this one, write your own, or send one of the extremely awesome flyers in the toolbar to your right. Every letter helps.

The Honorable Devon Anderson

1201 Franklin Street, Suite 600

Houston, Texas

77002-1923 

Ma’am,

I’m writing today about the case of Carlos Coy, 908426.

The Texas Tribune recently published a fascinating article about Texas’s dubious distinction as the number 1 state for exonerations in the nation. While the plethora of releases highlights the great steps we have taken to right past wrongs, it also illustrates our deeply flawed criminal justice system.

The report quoted in the article found that the percentage of exonerations based on DNA had dropped; wrongful convictions that hinged on Brady violations, inadequate representation, and faulty forensic evidence are being questioned and, in some cases, overturned.

Ma’am, you have greater access to Coy’s case than we do, but even with the limited information I can find I am convinced that something went very wrong during the investigation into the allegations. The testimony allowed during his trial changed from day to do, from person to person.

I urge you again to investigate this trial. I believe that eventually the issues I see will be brought to light; as you have devoted your life to justice, I would love to see you leading this effort. 

Me, my address, etc.

Weekend Reading 81

New music, Lucky Luciano featuring SPM:

For those that can't load the video:

http://youtu.be/fKqX21f0qa4

Thanks to Marcos Garcia!

Recall

There’s been a lot of noise about Dallas PD’s new policy of requiring cops involved in a shooting to have a three-day ‘cooling off’ period before making an official statement.

This was after police shot a man who was standing with his arms at his sides, eight seconds after the officers left their car; the shooter’s partner then gave an official statement that the victim had charged towards them with a knife.

This turned out to be slightly not true, as was later proven by video tape taken from a neighbor’s surveillance system. Oops. This memory lapse was blamed on the stress of the shooting, and Dallas’s Police Chief changed the policy prohibiting the officer from making an official report until at least 72 hours have passed.

There are a couple of reasons why this is so controversial; the first, obviously, is that this courtesy is not extended to the rest of the population. If you shoot someone, they’re not going to give you a few days to think about your statement, they’re going to haul your ass in to the station and start grilling you.

The second reason is, the policy change was ostensibly based on the rational that officers would remember incidents more clearly after a few days had passed. This goes against common sense and observable human ability, as well as multiple studies on recall.

So...why does any of this matter? What does it have to do with the case? You may recall that Jane Doe was not interviewed about her accusations until six days after the supposed assault. After this interview, during which the mother’s written statement was discarded, there was a period of three days, and then she was re-interviewed at the CAC (soon-to-be notorious for employees generating evidence to support police investigations, as opposed to helping child victims).

For the same reason that it’s foolish to allow a shooter to have three days to get his details straight, these delays in Coy’s case were not good practice. The gaps between accusation, interview, and then the second interview negated any chances of collecting physical evidence, and allowed time for memories to sharpen, level, and distort. If details were added to her story, it was during these times. Remember that her accusation evolved from touching to full-on oral sex, even though Officer Heidi Ruiz swore that both interviews were identical.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/dallas/Chief-drops-charge-against-mentally-ill-man-shot-by-Dallas-officer-228391301.html

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1987.tb00127.x/abstract

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_memory_biases

Dope House Update

Via the Dope House Twitter account, there's going to be merchandise sales and give-aways tomorrow from 12 to 5 PM on the front dock. If you're in Houston, you might want to stop by.