New York City has been one of America’s central cities for both riots and peaceful protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. During the unrest, people have been stealing New York Police Department radios and playing music through them, including Judas Priest’s anthemic “Breaking the Law.”

According to the Twitter account US Protests: News & Updates, protesters have been stealing radios from the NYPD for three straight nights. Last night (June 5), “Breaking the Law” could be heard on an NYPD radio frequency:

The lyrics to “Breaking the Law” are eerily representative of this current era of social dissonance:

There I was completely wasted, out of work and down
All inside it's so frustrating as I drift from town to town
Feel as though nobody cares if I live or die
So I might as well begin to put some action in my life

Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law

So much for the golden future I can't even start
I've had every promise broken, there's anger in my heart
You don't know what it's like, you don't have a clue
If you did you'd find yourselves doing the same thing too

Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law

You don't know what it's like

Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law

In other cities, songs such as N.W.A.’s “Fuck tha Police,” Wesley Willis’ “Rock n Roll McDonalds” and Tay Zonday’s “Chocolate Rain.”

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