Mayor Menino “Hip Hops” While Boston Burns
           In a city plagued by the worst violence in a decade and the revelation that a number of his cops and public officials are corrupt, Mayor Menino presided over the fourth annual “Hip Hop” conference over the weekend.
           Some 400 inner-city youth showed up to rap, break dance, and “spit their rhymes.” The Mayor himself, who was bestowed with the street name “T Mizzie” attended with his “Homies and Beyotches.” (i.e. staff).
           Many believe that Menino’s endorsement of the conference and the creation of his “Hip Hop Roundtable” are meant to distract citizens from the root causes of violence and crime in the city.
           Even those heading up the event acknowledged that the youth weren’t quite getting the message at the outset.
           "All the kids were talking about shooting people," said one. "And it is like, `Wait a second. Hold up. I don't see your car, and your rims, and your diamond earrings. And I damn sure don't see your gun.' "
            During a panel discussion during the conference, some teenagers said that the city is going after the wrong audience.
           "Some of the kids are behind the killings, but the older dudes are behind them, too," said Jasmine Grant, 17, of Dorchester. "We need some older people in here, as well as the youth."
           Despite the preponderance of violence and disturbing imagery of the rap culture, the two heading up the event think that Hip Hop can be used to inspire youth to something positive.
           Menino’s other initiative at curbing violence was a gun “buy back” program in which guns could be exchanged, no questions asked, for gift cards for $200 to Target. It was thought that by utilizing gift cards, the nagging question of whether the reward given for the guns might be utilized for either new guns or drugs would be allayed. However, the revelation that the bad cops in the Boston City Police who were running cocaine and prescription drugs were dealing in stolen department store gift cards for cash cast a long shadow on the Mayor’s program.