FORD: FRIEDMAN
February 28, 2020
Senator Bernie Sanders
C/O Bernie 2020
PO Box 391
Burlington, VT 05402
Re: Creating Division within Public Enemy through Appropriation of Likeness
Senator Sanders,
We have been retained to represent the interests of William Drayton p.k.a. Flavor
Flav concerning recent false reporting of Public Enemy's endorsement of the Bernie
Sanders campaign as well as the unauthorized use of his likeness, image and trademarked
clock in promotional materials circulated by the campaign and its network of online
operatives in support of Bernie’s upcoming rally.
We have become aware that Flavor’s bandmate and Public Enemy co-creator,
Chuck D, has endorsed Bemie Sanders’ cardidacy for President and plans to perform at
an upcoming Sanders Rally. While Chuck is certainly free to express his political views
as he sees fit — his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy. The planned
performance will only be Chuck D of Public Enemy, it will not be a performance by
Public Enemy. Those who truly know what Public Enemy stands for know what time itis,
there is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav.
It appears the Sanders campaign has been content to sit back and allow the media
to promote a false narrative to the American people. Sanders has promised to “Fight the
Power” with hip hop icons Public Enemy ~ but this Rap Icon will not be performing at
the Sanders Rally, To be clear Flav and, by extension, the Hall of Fame hip hop act
Public Enemy with which his likeness and name have become synonymous has not
endorsed any political candidate in this election cycle and any suggestion to the contrary
is plainly untrue. The continued publicizing of this grossly misleading narrative is, at a
minimum, careless and irresponsible if not intentionally misleading,
Flay is reaching out, not in the spirit of division, but for the sake of unity in the
hope of preserving the integrity of the Public Enemy Movement and the faith and trust
his millions of fans around the world have placed in him. Over more than 30 years in the
public spotlight - whether on television or radio ~ Flav has always delivered his authenticself. That authenticity compels him to speak out to ensure voters are not misled and that
Public Enemy's music does not become the soundtrack of a fake revolution.
This is hardly the first time the establishment has tried to define Flav and Public
Enemy. They claimed he and his bandmates were drug dealing gang members — they
weren't, They were artists using their music and platform to fight injustice, advocate for
their community and strive for truth and transparency against an establishment which
wanted to keep people in the dark. With songs like 9// is a Joke; Fight The Power;
Harder Than You Think; and Don't Believe The Hype Flavor Flav and Public Enemy
didn’t just talk about revolution - they started one that brought about real lasting,
systemic change. The Public Enemy Movement cannot allow its cultural identity,
likeness and life’s work to be misappropriated by political operatives in support of a
fictional revolution - Don’t Believe The Hype!
It is unfortunate that a political campaign would be so careless with the artistic
integrity of such iconoclastic figures in American culture. Sanders claims to represent
everyman not the man yet his grossly irresponsible handling of Chuck’s endorsement
threatens to divide Public Enemy and, in so doing, forever silence one of our nation’s
loudest and most enduring voices for social change. Pethaps Sanders didn’t intend to sow
these irreconcilable differences but, by and through his disregard for the truth, he has
nonetheless. If Bernie allows this deceptive marketing to continue without clearly
correcting the messaging to reflect the true nature of this endorsement which should
accurately read: “Chuck D of Public Enemy” ~ Senator Sanders will himself have played
a part in whitewashing a key chapter in American History.
Bernie, his name is Flavor Flav and he does NOT approve your message!