Hip Hop with a Cop dance program is a hit with the Oxnard School District

By Senerey de los Santos, KEYT
Original article HERE

A new dance program was introduced to the Oxnard School District last week. It’s known as Hip Hop with a Cop and it’s not only a hit around campus, but the moves are also going viral.

William Venegas is the CEO at Hip Hop Mindset, a local company focusing on inspiring and motivating kids in the community through hip-hop and dance.

“I saw the Oxnard Police department tweet about Coffee with a Cop,” said Venegas. “I tweeted back what if we do Hip Hop with a Cop? They replied right away and they liked the idea.”

Hip Hop Mindset has dance programs with the Rio, Hueneme, and Oxnard School Districts. They teach nearly 1,700 kids a week. The program kicked off back in 2016, but last week they collaborated with the Oxnard Police Department and Hip Hop with a Cop was born.

“I didn’t know we were going to battle,” said Oxnard police officer Mascorro, “but once we were battling I figured it was my time to shine.”

“They surprised me,” said Venegas. “They got down to the ground and one of the officers threw himself on the ground and did a backspin. It was crazy. I didn’t expect that from them.”

The Oxnard Police Department is happy to be involved in the Hip Hop with a Cop program. They say it’s a chance to show officers in a different light.

“We get a chance to interact with the kids in a different way,” said Mascorro. “A lot of the times the kids see us as kind of scary, or someone that is going to take them to jail and that is not necessarily the case. We want to show them a good time, and want to show them to see we are people too.”

The video of the cops dancing with the kids has gone viral. It has received nearly 40,000 views on Facebook and over 600 shares. It looks like dance class might be beneficial not only for the students but also for our police force.

“I mean I thought I was ok,” said Mascorro. “There is room for improvement. Maybe a couple more classes I’ll be better.”