European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 09, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Button s Roc up in arms Over violence by Vernon Scott or Hollywood reporter perhaps the most effective african Ameri can voice in Hollywood belongs to Burly sex armed robber and convict Charles Dut Tori who stars in the Fox to network series Roc. The Bald aggressive Dutton Speaks to Black and White viewers alike. Unlike Many no brainer Black sitcoms or upper class african american family series exemplified by the Cosby show Roc tells it like it is for millions of minority families # As producer and Star of Joc Dutton is doing what he can to boost self esteem and improve the lives of members of his race via his popular show. Last week s Roc episode on stateside to was titled Terrence got his gun the Story of a decent kid who arms himself with a pistol for Protection against cig Horwood hoodlums. The results Are violent and . The message is unmistakable and genuine. Roc Emerson a hard working Baltimore garbage Man trying to raise his family in a difficult environment unsuccessfully attempts to dissuade the youngster from confronting his enemies. In his offices at Hollywood Center studios the Beefy Dutton s enthusiasm for his work and his Mission Are inspired by his passion to Cut Down Youthful violence in Black communities. He refers to african american gang warfare and senseless killings As Black on Black genocide. This show concerns itself with How kids get guns and How and Why they carry weapons and bring them to school Dutton said. Terrence gets a gun to defend himself and the first time he pulls it on the hoodlums he becomes intoxicated by the Power it represents. That s a big High. When Roc finds the gun he sits the kid Down to talk sense to him. It s almost a generational discussion. The kid says he can t just Duke it out with the bad Guys be cause if you want respect these Days you be got to be strapped. Roc Straightens the kid out but there s a drive by shooting and murder. This is a hard hitting episode. It exceeds any thing in the half hour genre. I Don t consider Roc a sitcom anyway. We tackle issues no other to shows touch. You can t give hard cold answers in a half hour. But it s my personal plea to every fan of this show parents and kids to Stop the violence. It asks people to look for alternatives to communicate with each other. The Crew on tvs weekly Rog Charles Dutton Rocky Carroll Alexis Fields Carl Gordon and Ella Joyce. I recently returned from Baltimore where i buried my Only brother. During my week in town there were four violent deaths of kids from 10-17, that helped me decide to do this episode. We break the fourth Wall on the show. I talk directly to viewers telling them we Are doing what 400 years of slavery could t do basically wiping out a generation of Black  Dutton 43, knows the turf. He s hex Holdup Man who spent More than seven years in the Mary land state prison system for armed robbery and Man Slaughter. I understand the pressures of being a Tough Guy of wanting to be a Tough Guy he said. And i know the ridicule you get when you re not Tough. In my Day we lived by a code and used our fists. Now there s a genocidal code and guns Are used. Twelve year Olds Don t hit each other anymore. They kill each other the Only Way to Stop it is to get kids to look at their lives completely not just for the moment. They must see their lives in the larger sense. It s a begin Ning because they May get killed the next Day if the other Guy has a gun. I be noticed How schoolkids protect each other. Nobody squeals if they see a gun in someone s locker. This segment does t suggest continued from Page 7 Bawdy alternative network with a reputation for dropping its pants to earn an extra ratings Point. Yet Martin this time was primitive even for Fox. Second that the half hour was endorsed by Fox s standards and practices department for airing at All was bad enough. That it was on at 8 . And thus potentially available to Young kids galore made it an even greater abomination. Third although this episode s premise would. Have been just As inane had the characters been White asian or whatever the show s blackness ensured an especially noxious twist. It was Little More than two years ago after All that Anita Faye Hill made her allegations of sexual harassment against Clarence Thomas. Some Blacks were among those who loudly accused Hill then of evoking an ugly stereotype about Black males being oversexed and definable by their sexual prowess and genitalia. Whether you agreed or disagreed with it being tied to Hill s testimony the stereotype itself was no fantasy having roots in the centuries old anti Black Bias and ignorance from which much of this nation s history has evolved As Thomas himself said at the time this plays into the most bigoted racist stereo types that any Black Man will  a stereotype nourished by Martin. Written by co producer Cheryl Holliday this Epi Sode defined its sexually out of control protagonist in snitching. It s a plea for sanity. To violence does help perpetuate violence. It has to be Cut Down. If the country can mount a major successful Campaign to Stop smoking Why can t we do the same to Stop killing if enough is done in a saturated Way in the most powerful medium to maybe we can establish a toe hold to reduce violence and drug use. Take a poll in even the worst housing project. You la find the vast majority want a clean and decent environment. But a War zone element prevents if. Even Well intentioned people get involved out of fear or conditioning. I was like that. Hard Core to the Max. I killed a Guy. I was t vicious. I did t go looking for trouble. But it was out there. I was soft spoken but i had a Tough Karma. I understand the mechanics of violence the Cul Tural pressures and All that. But the key to this Epi Sode is for individuals to discover their own humanity. Sometimes it takes a minute sometimes 15 years. It eventually worked for me. Somehow some where i found my humanity. Even the worst Tough est Guys on Earth can find it  fio Cairs tuesday in Rota. Tuesday and wednesday in Iceland an Friday on an to tirely by his powerful libido. Although Gina lusted for the sack herself she was a slow simmer compared with Martin s mushrooming Cloud of sexual heat. So now we be nixed the rules making it All right to single out Black males As mindless sex machines meanwhile the commercial break that followed Martin included a spot for parfume de Coeur that began with a 20ish couple seated calmly on a Couch. But when the Gal whiffed the Guy s fragrance she at tacked and As the on screen Pitchman delivered his message to the camera the Young couple s feet were visible in the background wiggling above the Couch that hid their bodies. Obviously this was a Cologne for the carnally challenged. And another to quickie for the kids. Page 8 sunday january 9, 1994