Filed under: News, Politics, Race and Civil Rights
Spring Break.
As innocent a phrase as that may sound, for millions of college students around the world Spring Break is a rite of passage that involves heavy drinking, nonstop parties and random hook-ups. Now, imagine all that debauchery times 10, and you have Freak-Nik in Atlanta, Ga.
Freak-Nik, named after the hit song 'Super Freak' by Rick James, began as a small picnic sponsored by the DC Metro Club at Spelman College in 1982. It soon morphed into a hyper-sexed, violent den of frantic college hormones... on steroids.
Not only did an estimated 300,000 college students descend upon Atlanta at the height of the event's popularity, but the fringe characters that frequently lurk around the Atlanta University Center were able to achieve anonymity in a crowd where you didn't have to know anyone's major or extracurricular activities to have a "good time."
Freak-Nik soon became the crème de la crème for collegiate debauchery and remained so until after the 1996 Olympics, when Atlanta officials took aggressive steps toward erasing Freak-Nik from the city's cultural landscape. Even still, for several more years, Freak-Nik refused to die.
Finally, in 1999, it moved to Daytona Beach, Fla., and was the end of an era.
In 2010, there was a renewed interest in bringing back the iconic event to Atlanta, but Mayor Kasim Reed wanted no part of it. Reed warned college students that the Atlanta Police Department would be out in full force and that no outdoor events would be permitted. He also promised to sue organizers if things spiraled out of control.
After the "Weak-Nik" of 2010, people were sure that the event would retire to its proper place in history, like Woodstock, but no such luck.
It's reportedly being revived yet again.
Freaknic Nation, which claims to be the official Freak-Nik celebration, and its competitor, Ifreaknik2011, are both planning events for April 15-17. In an attempt to resurrect the '90s, these two groups want to revisit an event better suited for a back alley or strip club, while ignoring the consensus from the rest of America that Freak-Nik is over.
According to ajc.com, a spokesman with Mayor Reed's office said the city has received only one Freak-Nik-related permit application, and it is still under review.
"No permits have been applied for at Grant Park as has been rumored," spokesman Reese McCranie said. The deadline for applying is 30 days before the event, so even if one was sought, "it would be too late," McCranie said.
Metro Police Prep for Freaknik Events: MyFoxATLANTA.com
I have experienced Freak-Nik twice in my life. The first was when I was a 16-year-old high school student visiting my cousin at Spelman. Walking innocently through the crowd of college students, like I was a cast member in Spike Lee's 'School Daze,' I remember staring in awe at how much fun everyone was having.
That is, until shots rang out and everyone started running.
Luckily, I was moved to the side by a concerned brother who noticed I was standing there like a deer in headlights.
My second experience was even more horrible than the first.
As a freshman at Clark Atlanta University (CAU) in 1998, I had a renewed excitement about the event that had become a black cultural phenomenon. What I wasn't expecting was the outright lewdness that was on display for the world to see.
I remember distinctly stopping at a gas station, where several guys jumped on the hood of this young lady's car to stop her from moving. She was obviously terrified, and they obviously thought her fear was hilarious.
It was then that I knew the hedonistic vibe of Freak-Nik had overshadowed anything fun it once was, and it was time for it to go.
Frankie Bauldrick, a freshman at CAU in 1997, recalls her experience during her first and only Freak-Nik and insists it should not return:
"While some may have had fun times fraternizing with belligerent, drunken, naked, overly freakish folk, I felt disrespected. I also felt violated, and that my safety was in jeopardy. It created an 'all systems ago' mentality, and for those who are partaking in an event of this type for the first time, it can catch you completely off guard.
"Even though I was with my freshman Morehouse brother, I was still almost tackled to the ground by a half-naked dude -- and I always wondered what would have happened if he had succeeded with his attempt to get me to the ground, and if I didn't have male support."
The concept of black college students getting together to experience the rite of passage, which is Spring Break, is understandable. However, when an event brings out the worst in our communities, this needs to be acknowledged.
In 2010, T-Pain executive produced 'Freak-Nik-The Musical,' featuring the voices of such hip-hop stars as Lil' Wayne and Snoop Dogg. The "musical" opened with the perfect example of what Freak-Nik had become:
"Freaknik is back in town/B****es and h**s going to get down," said T-Pain - scantily clad strippers sliding down poles and cars with oversized rims made the coonery complete.
Shown on Adult Swim, once again our culture was put on display as a grotesque caricature of itself. Yet here we are, one year later, and people are still trying to awaken a sleeping monster.
This is 2011.
There is no need for a weekend of unprotected sex, endless drinking and raunchy escapades.
We can do better, people. The two groups who want to revive Freak-Nik need to think outside the box and stop pandering to the worst of our young people's instincts.
Or is lining their pockets with the money of the impressionable always going to be more important?
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