Fruitvale Station tells a story all too well known in the United States of America, a young black man growing up in an impoverished community is murdered by a cop, while unarmed. The story of Oscar Grant, the young man gunned down by a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) officer on a subway platform in his hometown of Oakland, California drew national attention when the incident occurred on the first of January 2009. Later this tragedy was made into a movie of the late Oscar Grant’s life and death as portrayed by Michael B. Jordan. The film takes place on Oscar Grant’s final day and gives a portrait of the man he was. Oscar Grant was in many ways a product of his environment, he had previous struggles with law enforcement, he had little money, …show more content…
He, however never seemed satisfied with any of this, he did not want to remain poor, he wanted to work and he pleaded with his boss to rehire him to the grocery store in which he had just been fired from. Grant felt a desire and need to support his wife and his young girl. By all accounts he was a loving man, someone who seemed to care deeply about those around him, but like many poor black men in America, he faced a harsh reality, one of unemployment, economic insecurity, fear of crime, and previous run ins with the law. Many may be quick to judge his character for being an immoral or deviant person, but with the given context, it is clear Grant never wanted to sell drugs as he had in his youth and almost fell back into in his final days, he simply wanted to support for his wife and daughter, to make sure they had food on the table. This did not make Grant happy at all, ultimately he decided against falling back into a life of selling drugs on the street and would look for a better way to provide for his family. This struggle is not unique, in places like Oakland’s impoverished neighborhoods, there is little investment in the communities and few jobs, also a poor education system. Good people, like …show more content…
The officer in this case used not only physically force, but verbal intimidation, referring to Grant as the “N word” in many ways this appeared to give him a dominating position against Grant in which he could not do anything to physically or verbally defend himself. In a sense before the shots were fired he was dehumanized made into something less than a man. In the cops eyes he was not a man, he was a thug a criminal and the “N word” he was not worthy of life. This mindset is one deeply rooted in the structure of the United States. It allows for police officers to abuse, harass, and even kill black people and not face any repercussions. The ideology that a cop is inherently in the right and a black person is inherently in the wrong, allowed for the killing of Oscar Grant and the killings of many black men to go unabated. There is a sense of fear of black men in America, allowing for them to be stereotyped into being criminal. Oscar Grant was never innocent in the eyes of Officer Caruso, he was guilty and he never even had a chance to be proven innocent. This incident was in many ways a microcosm for the black experience with law enforcement in America. The rules of the constitution do not effectively apply to black Americans as if it is acceptable for an individual, like Oscar Grant to be hit, to be silenced, and to be killed and
The film starts with an uprising after a white storeowner kills a black teenager. This incident Highlights Prejudices. The teenager was labeled a thief because of the color of his skin and the unjustifiable murder causes racial tensions that exist as a result of the integration of the high schools.
Gaines is very blunt when it comes to racism in this novel, and he shows that through Jefferson’s struggle. The previous passage represents the theme immensely and is a very important part of the story. We don’t unambiguously know who Grant is on the inside until this part of the story. This passage is where Grant opens up the most he can and shows his faith in Jefferson, and really shows how much he is fighting through the thing he calls his life. In this passage, we learn that Jefferson is the
While Grant taught Jefferson to feel like a man, Jefferson gave Grant hope as well, both in black men and Jefferson himself. Grant didn't even go to Jefferson's trial at the beginning of the book because he knew that Jefferson will be convicted, despite being innocent. Grant told himself, "I did not go to the trial, I did not want to hear the verdict, because I knew what it would be" (3). As time passed and the two grew closer through Grant's trips to the jail, both of them learned. Jefferson learned self-respect and self-worth, and that he could have an impact on the black community. Grant learned to put his trust in Jefferson because he would follow through. Grant came to understand that death isn't the end for Jefferson, and that his memory and impact would carry on long after his death. He even told Jefferson this at the end, saying, "You have the chance of being bigger than anyone who has ever lived on this plantation or come from this little town" (193). Grant accepted his death better this way, knowing that he helped Jefferson to make a difference in the lives of the people he interacted
On New Year’s Day 2009, the police were called because a fight broke out on a train in Oakland, California. Oscar Grant and some of his friends were pulled off the train by former cop Johannes Mehserle. Grant struggled some with the officers while being arrested, but then he was restrained. Oscar Grant was lying on the platform when Johannes Mehserle shot him around 2 am. Granted had both hands behind his back and he was also unarmed when he was shot (Bulwa). The shooting made national headlines because bystanders videotaped it. These videos went viral and they made their way to the news (Cater).
In the Ferguson article (2015), there was an example given about an African American man claimed that he was standing outside of of Wal-Mart, an officer called him a “stupid motherf****r” and a “bastard.” According to the man, a lieutenant was on the scene and did nothing to reproach the officer, instead threatening to arrest the man (p. 80). This demonstrates that the police in Ferguson had no respect for the civilian and even though the lieutenant was present, they did nothing. The officer was not suspended nor held responsible for this incident. By failing to hold officers accountable, it sends a message that officers can behave as they like, “regardless of law or policy, and even if caught, that punishment will be light.” (Ferguson, 86). This message serves to excuse officer wrongdoing and heighten community distrust. This is also to say that police can possibly get away with murder because they are higher officials and work for the
Recently, an Inglewood police officer was captured on videotape slamming a sixteen-year old boy on the trunk of a squad car and punching him in the face even though the youngster was handcuffed. A year after the King atrocity, two white Detroit police officers bludgeoned Malice Green to death with their flashlights tearing off part of his scalp. Three years later, five foot five inch-one hundred forty five pound Johnny Gammage was pulled over while driving through a predominantly white Pittsburgh suburb, only to be choked and beaten to death after allegedly attacking five white police officers. In 1997, a New York City police officer rammed a stick from a toilet plunger six inches into the rectum of Abner Louima rupturing his intestines (Troutt 6). To make matters worse the officer stuck the soiled stick into the victim's mouth. Two years later, Amadou Diallo and former pro football player Demetrius DuBose were murdered by New York City and San Diego police respectively. Diallo was shot by four white plain-clothes officers while standing in the vestibule of his own Bronx apartment building. According to the officers upon approaching the building Diallo stepped back inside as if to hide. When Diallo reached into ...
Grant hates the racist, white-dominated society in which he resides, but he disconnects from the black community and threatens to leave his hometown to escape from the vicious cycle of black men struggling among a white population. However, Grant’s love for his family and friends keep him from leaving when his girlfriend, Vivian, says, “You love them more than you hate this place” (Gaines 94). Although Grant cannot bear living in Louisiana any longer, he is similar to Jefferson in that he would lose purpose in his life without a family that cares about him. If Grant follows the cycle of black men abandoning their family to pursue other interests, it would be ironic because he decries the actions of the black men that came before him. Instead, Grant wants to reverse the cycle by remaining in his hometown to teach the black children in his school to live life as humans with equal status. Grant hopes that he will achieve freedom by helping his students discover their freedom, which is similar to Jackie Robinson inspiring black men around the country by breaking the color barrier. Grant’s belief in the future of his society is akin to that of Jackie Robinson when he says, “I believe in the human race. I believe in the warm heart. I believe in man’s integrity” (Robinson). As Mr. Robinson lists his beliefs, he shows hope for
Fruitvale Station is based on the true story of a young man named Oscar Grant III, who is murdered due to existing social issues such as racism. The movie displays the young man’s daily activities from waking up and getting his daughter ready for school, taking his girlfriend to work, celebrating his mother’s birthday and finally to the time at which he loses his life due to misjudgment of his character. Majority of the social issues shown throughout the film are based on the character of Oscar Grant. He is a young unemployed African-American man, who has recently been released from prison. Oscar suffers from social issues due to his past and is forced to live with the choices that he made when he was younger.
Officers are trained and taught different polices that require them not to be biased towards any gender or race. Such officers include Sunil Dutta, if you don’t want to get shot, tasted pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground, just do what I tell you.” (Dutta) uses policies to their advantage. Lack of African-American officers, mainly in communities with citizens of color, can lead to an inquiry that there is a bias in law enforcement agencies and their policies. With recent events in the news displaying the misconduct of officers in an African-American communities like, in July of 2014, where the death of Eric Garner because of “chokehold” by a police officer hit home for many African-Americans and made them question the legislative decisions on policies causing a distrust and lack of confidence within the police departments, shying away citizens from
The movement BlackLivesMatter have outed hundreds unlawful officers and victims that never got the justice needed. The same characteristics (color and style) that emulates strong, noble people can backfire. Black people in this country who actively resist dehumanization makes a call to action and a response to anti-Black racism in our current society. (Cullors, 2015) The growth of the movement has moved country-wide, first starting in the south; the south had always had history of racism and anti-black impulses. This movement is continuing to carry up north and west, and is projected that any officer can be the next one to unlawfully kill another black individual. These immoral police officers are no different from the rest of the police force, their uniforms are no different color or style they do not have different titles, there is no distinction between the these two types of officers. African Americans are persuaded to be more cautious and angry towards police officers; anyone with a cop uniform can be considered a threat to their life. Innocent cops were murdered in retaliation to the unfair judicial systems that are not punishing these cops. Once a police-like uniform is worn it not only once symbolizes honor and power, but t too many communities
Police brutality is one of the most serious human rights violations in the United States and it occurs everywhere. The reason why I chose this topic is because police brutality happens all the time in the United States and still remains unrecognized by many. Additionally, the public should be knowledgeable about this topic because of how serious this crime can be and the serious outcomes that police brutality can have on other police officers and the public. The job of police officers is to maintain public order, prevent, and detect crimes. They are involved in very dangerous and stressful occupations that can involve violent situations that must be stopped and controlled by any means. In many confrontations with people, police may find it necessary to use excessive force to take control of a certain situation. Sometimes this makes an officer fight with a suspect who resists being arrested. Not all cops in communities are great cops. At least once a year, the news covers a story about a person being beat by an officer. The article “Minority Threat and Police Brutality: Determinants of Civil Rights Criminal Complaints in U.S. Municipalities” by Malcolm D. Holmes from the University of Wyoming, uses the conflict theory to explain why officers go after minorities sometimes causing police brutality. It explains the police’s tension with African American and Latino males. Those minorities are the ones that retaliate more against police officers which causes the officer to use violent force to defend themselves.
Fruitvale Station was a powerful, strong, and saddening movie for viewers globally. In January 2009, Oscar Cruz, was killed execution style by a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) officer, when he was both un-armed and handcuffed. The film displays a day in the life before, and the moment Oscar was killed. Oscar was a young, African American male whom was a son, boyfriend, and father. The movie displayed the positive, and negatives aspects of Oscar’s choices in his life. He was not a saint; however, he had a big heart. The movie showed Oscar going through the struggle of losing his job at a grocery store, and contemplating selling drugs again. Oscar has a flashback of when he was in jail, and throws a bag of weed into the ocean. He and his girlfriend are arguing, fighting, and then making up. They take their daughter to a party, and he picks up his mom a birthday card. Essentially, the movie displays that Oscar Grant is a real person, who faces the same struggles many of us do regardless of our race. He loves his family, argues with his significant other, makes up with significant other, cherishes his daughter, loses his job, struggles with money, give stranger’s advice and is continually looking to change for a better, happier life. In this portion of the movie, there is a keen focus on showing viewers who...
The movie Crash is in the streets of Los Angeles. If you notice all of the characters seem to play the victim and accuser in different racial situations. There is a story behind each character over a two day period. There is the detective who is prejudice against his own race whose younger brother is a criminal. There is Jean who is prejudice against black people after getting robbed. John is the cop who is racist against all black people and sexually assaults Christine in front of her husband. This movies show’s so many of the social psychological principles through the story of each individual.
This movie takes place in Los Angeles and is about racial conflicts within a group of people which occur in a series of events. Since there are a wide variety of characters in this movie, it can be confusing to the viewer. In the plot, Graham is an African-American detective whose younger brother is a criminal. His mother cares more about his brother than Graham and she wants Graham to bring his brother back home, which in turn hurts Graham. Graham?s partner Ria is a Hispanic woman who comes to find that her and Graham?s ethnicities conflict when she had sex with him. Rick is the Los Angeles district attorney who is also op...
Noah is the one of the main characters of The Notebook. He is the hero of this novel. Noah represents true love and true loyalty. In a way, The Notebook is similar to every modern day romance movie, and Noah represents the “dream man” that all the girls always imagine of having. The characters in movies are used to symbolize ideas, and in this novel, Noah represents true, faithful, committed love. Noah remains loyal to Allie even in the situation where he is unsure whether they will ever meet again or not.