Fruitvale Station-The Film

Fruitvale Station is about a 22 year old man named Oscar Grant who was shot in the back and killed by a police officer on New Years Day 2009 in Oakland, CA in a train station. There were many witnesses-some of which recorded the entire incident on their cell phones. Oscar's killer was ultimately convicted of manslaughter and served 11 months in prison.

11 months.

22 yrs of life. 11 months.

You do the math.

I have been moved to tears in a theater before. But no tears as emotionally draining as these. There were audible gasps of shock as Oscar spoke obscenities to cops that physically and verbally abused him and his friends.  The silence in the theater was palpable as he fought for his life. And as the closing credits came on, I found myself engulfed in an overwhelming emotional cocktail of grief, pain, and anger. The tears subtly fell down my cheeks-then quickly turned to an outward expression of my inner disdain. Suddenly, those tears weren't so subtle. My body shook-I took off my glasses and frantically wiped my eyes. My husband put his arm around me-and we sat there. 

It took me a few hours to process why I had such a strong emotional reaction to this film. Sure-anyone with a heart would feel some sort of sadness. But I was rocked to my core-I left the theater seeing this world through a different lens-and I didn't like my view. Sure-there are things Oscar Grant could have done differently. He could have silenced himself and never spoke a word to the police. He could have stayed seated and never stood up. He could have kept his cell phone in his pocket and been a more "cooperate" victim of police brutality. But to me, none of these things justify the loss of his life.

In the case of Oscar Grant, much like Trayvon Martin, one solitary gun shot ended a life. In the aftermath of Trayvon Martin, I find myself disgusted with the deep seeded injustice that lies in our "justice" system. I find myself terrified of the idea that my husband, my father, my brother, and my future son could be shot and killed for having the wrong reaction coupled with the wrong color skin. I understand that I will be forced with the burden and responsibility of teaching my children what it means to be Black in America. How do I teach them to love and respect everyone no matter their race, creed, or religion-yet explain to them the importance of yielding to authority, looking and acting the part-how do I explain that their mistakes have greater consequences then their fairer skinned counterparts?

The goal? Well I guess the ultimate goal is that one day these conversations with our children will be obsolete. But for now, they are essential to our survival. When I left the theater I felt somewhat discouraged-I felt like I was in a cage-a prison. And I wanted to beat against the walls of that cage with balled fists and bloodshot eyes and fight anyone who doesn't see the chains. But a person full of rage lives a dreadful, unfulfilled life. And a Black person with rage often ends up dead. So I channel this pain-this anger-this fear-this disdain for the evil in human nature-I channel it into something more powerful than any of that. I channel it into love.

Education and awareness paves the road to survival. We cannot be fearful of what awaits us. We can only make it our personal responsibility to prepare our loved ones for the realities of the world they live in. And in the meantime, we, like generations before us and generations after, must continue to fight. We must stand together not as separate races, but as the HUMAN race. We must stand against injustice of all kind-overt and covert. We must value each and every life equally irregardless of the physical characteristics of the the victim or the persecutor.  You don't have to be a politician or a public speaker to make a change. Start with your own family and friends-trust me, that's more than enough. Be the example in your own community. I am convinced that the only thing more powerful than ingrained hate and prejudice is love. 

I urge you to see the film.

Actual footage from a cell phone of the murder of Oscar Grant: