CD party backs political prisoner Tarek Mehanna

“Separate and unequal, spent years under federal surveillance for uplifting his people, when the pigs got fed-up the brother got set-up,” Hasan Salaam rapped on May 28 during a CD-release benefit for political prisoner Tarek Mehanna. Another performer featured on the album, Jen Waller, sang, “I never hurt nobody, I never broke no laws, but if you struggle for freedom, better hope you don’t get caught.”

Rebel Diaz sang, “Cause if I spend my life fighting for what’s right, I expect to be convicted in a court full of lies.” These revolutionary artists’ lyrics rang especially true that night, as the audience thought of Mehanna.

Mehanna was arrested last Oct. 21 and officially charged with aiding terrorists abroad and planning attacks domestically. However, no credible evidence supports these claims; in fact, Mehanna has long been a proponent of peace.

A pharmacist from suburban Boston who also teaches elementary school, Mehanna is seen as a leader in the Boston Muslim community. The FBI’s charges come after years of police harassment against the entire Muslim community.

Mehanna was arrested after he continually resisted FBI coercion to act as a police informant in his own community. Denied bail and facing life in prison, he is currently being held in 23-hour solitary confinement in Plymouth, Mass.

The two-disc set, “Silence Broken,” was produced by Movement in Motion and the Tarek Mehanna Support Committee to bring attention to Mehanna’s political imprisonment and the FBI’s war on the Muslim community.

The release party for the second disc of “Silence Broken” included performances by many important movement artists, such as Spiritchild of Mental Notes, Rebel Diaz, Nana Soul and folk-punk singer Evan Greer. It also featured upcoming artists like Jen Waller and the R.E.A.L. Music Lovers.

Between the audience and the artists, the atmosphere was one of both celebration for the revolutionary gathering and somber thoughts for Mehanna. From the R.E.A.L. Music Lovers’ opening songs, until the late night performances by Hasan Salaam and Majesty, the performers kept Mehanna in mind by informing the audience about his case, talking about police brutality and surveillance, and honoring his heroic refusal to turn against his own community.

The event was more than just a CD-release party or a benefit; it was a coming together of creative minds with a goal to raise awareness about political prisoners and the attacks on Muslim communities. Everyone present, from the audience to the performers, was aware of the powerful energy that was created through unity and song to resist the racist, capitalist system that incarcerated Mehanna.