brooklyn, New York—No whites allowed at the Slave Theater, in Bedford-Stuyvesant. I’m admitted only after presenting press credentials and undergoing interrogation by the Fruit of Islam, Louis Farrakhan’s private security force. It’s a hot July night and Spike Lee’s new movie opens tomorrow. Right now Lee—auteur and star of Do the Right Thing—and his pals, the popular rap group Public Enemy, are getting their First Amendment rights trampled on—at least according to Reverend Al Sharpton and radical lawyer Alton Maddox, who are here to do something about it.
Public Enemy provided the theme song and leitmotif for Lee’s movie with the rap tune “Fight the Power.” They are currently at the zenith of a high-visibility self-destruct curve, which began when a member of their private security force gave an anti-Semitic interview to the Washington Times. But this talk of black anti-Semitism is just “a tactic,” Sharpton tells the packed theater. “This ain’t no promised land!” Sharpton cries out. “This ain’t no haven of justice! Spike Lee told the real deed . . . and he won’t apologize for telling the truth. Public Enemy put the message to music! Public Enemy had music to inspire!” Sharpton gets a standing ovation. Within 24 hours, he will be indicted on 67 counts of fraud and larceny.
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