Querido FBI

"Querido F.B.I." (English: "Dear F.B.I.") is a song from Puerto Rican urban group Calle 13. The song was recorded in September, 2005 and released through the Internet about 30 hours after the death of Puerto Rican Revolutionary leader Filiberto Ojeda Ríos in what appeared to be a botched raid at his house.

Background

While Calle 13 was in the middle of the recording of their first album, the leader of the Puerto Rican Revolutionary group known as Los Macheteros was killed during a raid at his house led by the F.B.I., on September 23, 2005. Ojeda Ríos was deemed a fugitive by the FBI (he had been hiding at various places in Puerto Rico over a period that lasted exactly 15 years) for refusing to submit himself to justice on charges issued in absentia after a bank robbery in Hartford, Connecticut for which he was labeled as a conspirator. Although Ojeda's group had not been held responsible for any criminal acts during the thirteen years prior to the raid, and local law enforcement authorities had given his case a low priority, federal law enforcement agents insisted in pursuing Ojeda. The raid's timing (which coincided with the anniversary of the Grito de Lares, the most successful event ever related with the Puerto Rican independence movement), led a considerable amount of the Puerto Rican populace to speculate that the event had the dual purpose of killing Ojeda and giving the pro-independence movement in Puerto Rico an exemplary punishment.

The song

Angered by the FBI's action, Residente (singer of Calle 13) wrote a song about what happened and asked his record label, White Lion, to allow them to release the single about thirty hours after Ojeda's killing, to the public via the Internet.

The song opens with an attention call addressed to people of all social backgrounds in Puerto Rico. Residente then describes his considerable anger against what had happened to Ojeda, and how that represents a humiliation to Puerto Ricans ("(A) nuestra bandera la han llena'o de mea'o", meaning "Our flag has been pissed upon") It also shows the political concerns of Calle 13, as evidenced by their allusions to 9/11, the U.S. government's involvement in the Ponce Massacre as well as in the Cerro Maravilla assassination of two members of the Puerto Rican independence movement.

The song suggests putting an end to U.S. military and federal-police intervention in Puerto Rico by involving the entire country of Puerto Rico, but particularly public housing dwellers, those residing in "caseríos" who normally battle each other on urban skirmishes related with crime, but who also happen to have federal law enforcement officials as a common enemy.

The duo was criticized by some who believed the lyrics promoted violence against U.S. authorities (such as "hoy me disfrazo de machetero / y esta noche voy a ahorcar a diez marineros" ("Today I'll dress up as a machetero / and tonight I'll hang ten sailors") Also, "Y por eso protesto (...) Y hasta por un septiembre 11." (And therefore I protest (....) and even for a September 11." Calle 13 stated that the song was not meant to be taken literally and merely symbolized his frustration with Ojeda's killing.

See also

• Filiberto Ojeda Ríos
• Puerto Rican independence

References