What exactly is going on between Public Enemy’s Chuck D and LA Weekly writer Dennis Romero? Since Romero’s reporting on the Occupy Skid Row event last Sunday, the two started a Twitter war which was still going on last time I have checked, and it was Wednesday!
Romero wrote a pre-event article saying that Public Enemy didn’t have a permit, and updating the article during the day, showing some skepticism about the process and even writing ‘Sounds like a lot of bullshit is emanating from the PE publicity camp’ regarding the permit.
Chuck D got mad at him and inundated his twitter account with tweets like these:
‘I totally have lost all respect for LAWeekly for having this cancer @dennisjromero on their staff.He presents a big disservice to all of us.’
‘this dude @dennisjromero is a cancer to the community with his lies about todays historic event. this is what we mean by DontBelieveTheHYPE’
Chuck’s main argument was that all this was a lie and that Romero was basically killing the action he was trying to start, i.e.turning the spotlight on the poorest and most ignored part of LA, and that any positive vibe emanating from the rap community would necessary be turned down by guys like Romero
Chuck had a Twitter assault against him, explaiining at length how good intentions can be thrown back at you.
This is true that I would have expected more support from the LAWeekly, but Romero was insisting his story was rather about the lack of permit rather than being about being negative about the event, although he accused Chuck D at one point to be promoting his book (‘Freedom Now: The Struggle For Housing Rights in the United States and Beyond’) rather than ‘giving back’ to the community.
Two days after the event Romero published an article in the Weekly, exposing his view of the event:
‘the lineup was dubious (Cypress Hill was on the bill but didn't show, for example), the connection to the Occupy movement was tenuous (Occupy L.A. was having a picnic elsewhere Sunday), and the corporate publicist for Public Enemy, who was apparently taking all media inquiries and actually intercepted my call to a co-organizer, basically lied when she said the event did have proper city approval.’
Romero continues to defend himself, saying he has always been a PE fan and hadn’t written a review of the events but was just reporting about the permit situation, even adding he had written extensively about the conditions on Skid Row before.
A Twitter war is sure to bring some attention, after all Chuck D has more than 82,000 followers!
But it is was like a conversation between deaf people, Romero pointing out the lack of permit, Chuck D talking social consciousness. To be fair the LA Weekly published another positive review of Occupy Skid Row, written by someone else, but I thought that Romero constantly updating his article in the hours preceding the event was indeed a bit detrimental and may have stopped some people to attend it.
I would stand on what I’ve said before, Chuck D did not give me the impression he was promoting anything personal, book or music, it was a genuine and courageous move, going to a place where nobody famous ever goes.