A powerful film

We went last evening to see “Fruitvale Station,” a film that was first shown at this year’s Sundance Festival and received fine reviews. It retells an incident that took place in the early hours of January 1, 2009, using some actual film footage captured on cell phones. A young unarmed man, along with some friends, were stopped by the Oakland, California, Bay Area Rapid Transit police. During the commotion that ensued, he was shot in the back by one of the officers. Tragically, he died in a local hospital shortly after he was wounded. The BART police officer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, claiming that he thought he had pulled out his Taser rather than his gun, and served one year in prison.

I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that, unlike Barry, I was not familiar with this event, and had not read the reviews before going to see the film, a somewhat last-minute decision on our part. It was an incredibly powerful movie that seemed to be a realistic portrayal of a young man who admittedly had his share of problems but was sincerely trying to pull his life together and be a father to his young daughter. Because I did not know exactly where the story was going, I am in a good position to say that the movie did an excellent job of building the feeling that this young man’s life would not have a happy ending.

There has been much discussion during the ongoing New York City mayoral campaign (we are being bombarded with commercials, and the primaries are still a few weeks away) about a New York Police Department practice known as “stop and frisk.”  Many people believe that the policies put in place over the last few years have been largely responsible for the drop in major crimes in The City. But recent reports have indicated that only 10% of the people who are subjected to “stop and frisk” are actually arrested for crimes. That seems to suggest that many completely innocent people, who perhaps are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, or have similar characteristics to an actual perpetrator of a crime, are being stopped and frisked by the police. It is difficult for those of us who are not the objects of such things to relate to how this must feel. This film felt up-close-and-personal, and although I certainly appreciate the kinder and gentler New York that allows us to enjoy The City without the fear of rampant crime, learning of this incident is giving me pause.

Not wanting the entire evening to end on such a troubling note, we went over to Noi Due for dinner. There is nothing as comforting as delicious spinach lasagna!

Glorious weather is predicted for Sharon this weekend. We look forward to spending some time outdoors with the grandchildren.

Be well, all!  

Love,

Rebecca