Earlier this week, musical comedian Robby Roadsteamer (aka Rob Potylo) confronted Boston cops with a song. Its subject? ICE detentions, including that of Tufts PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk. “Where oh where can my Ozturk be? The ICE took her away from me,” sang the performer. The intentionally abrasive parody of “Last Kiss” by J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers didn’t go over too badly. The officer left abruptly, however, when Roadsteamer started questioning the officer about cops helping ICE and Trump deport people. Singing to the police about the Massachusetts abduction might be an effective protest after all.
Boston Cops Hear Song From Robby Roadsteamer
Public response to the Tufts abduction of Rumeysa Ozturk has been loud, but not loud enough. Singing to Boston cops and otherwise making a necessary scene? That’s not new for Roadsteamer. The artist is known for attention-grabbing public performances. Human rights issues are a common subject in the comedian’s music, too. Ozturk’s abduction by ICE for co-authoring an anti-genocide op-ed? That’s worth a verse or two for sure.
A Reddit post by u/CantStopPoppin about the singer’s escapades shows Roadsteamer singing not only to the police but also to a tour group near the state house. Roadsteamer was blunt in his assessment of the lawmakers within.
As he told the somewhat bewildered crowd between bouts of song, “In this very spot right here you have a bunch of centrist Democrats that don’t care that ICE is taking away anybody who doesn’t look white.” The post about the performance received appreciative words from one commenter, who said,
i love this, this is sooo boston [Sic]
Boston is known by many for its spirit of defiance, dating back to the Boston Tea Party and beyond. Locals will need to harness that same energy and more if they’re serious about preventing disappearances. In the meantime, there’s one dogged comedian singing truth to power in Massachusetts.
