Worcesteria: Everybody polka with the WPD!
Worcester Magazine
EVERYBODY POLKA!!! Worcester residents may have noticed a new video making the rounds on Facebook, Pre-Crime Polka, taking aim at the Shotspotter Connect program which uses AI to analyze the data and create a crime forecast for an area. The musical puppet show features Police Chief Sargent, along with police back-up dancers, extolling the virtues of the new program while scolding the audience as potential criminals who are now under surveillance. Performed by artist Eli Ana, it is a catchy tune written by local songwriter and satirical pianist Nat Needle, an activist with Showing Up for Racial Justice. It is clearly a reference to what people of color deal with when interacting with police the assumption that you are or are likely to be a criminal. “When I heard this song, I had a eureka moment,” said Eli Ana. “It so brilliantly captured the attitudes of a lot of people.” According to them, poking fun at peop