The 15th annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, announced that on April 21 2016 the winners of its competition went to Dean, Junction 48, and Do Not Resist.
Filmed over two years in 11 states, the Do Not Resist examines the increasingly disturbing realities of the rapid militarization of police forces in the United States. The Tribeca Film Festival winner (list) for Best Documentary puts viewers in the center of the action – from a ride-along with a South Carolina SWAT team and inside a police training seminar that teaches the importance of “righteous violence” to the floor of a congressional hearing on the proliferation of military equipment in small-town police departments – before exploring where controversial new technologies including predictive policing algorithms could lead the field next. (Written by Katie Atkinson)
Starting on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, as the community grapples with the death of Michael Brown, DO NOT RESIST– the directorial debut of Detropia cinematographer Craig Atkinson – offers a stunning look at the current state of policing in America and a glimpse into the future. The Department of Homeland Security under Obama created a $39 billion dollars fund, so that the US police force can buy their own military equipment from private suppliers – more than the entire defense budget of Germany
Dutch public broadcaster VPRO, 2Doc aired an altered 53min version last night on regular television. You can watch the full doc here via the link below, this till Feb. 10th 2017.
to watch the original. Go here, via Vimeo on demand, or Itunes
With almost 10 million views, english comedian, political commentator and television host of He is the host of HBO’s Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show Last Week Tonight focused as well on this topic. In the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, John Oliver explores the racial inequality in treatment by police as well as the increasing militarization of America’s local police forces. Watch the brilliant piece below;
“It teaches them to see everyone, not as a citizen with rights, not as somebody they’re supposed to be serving, but as a potential threat. “ Radley Balko, Washington Post reporter.
US police forces are increasingly using military-style tactics to carry out even the most routine daily operations. It teaches them to see everyone, not as a citizen with rights, not as somebody they’re supposed to be serving, but as a potential threat. Radley Balko, Washington Post reporter The number of SWAT teams and SWAT-style raids across the county have skyrocketed in the last few decades. SWAT raids occur at an estimated 50,000 raids per year and a majority take place for low-level crimes. It is a trend that is being propped up by billions of federal dollars in Homeland Security grants and access to free military equipment through the Department of Defense for civilian law enforcement agencies. In the past, police SWAT teams were only used in extreme circumstances; today, they are increasingly sent out to perform routine tasks. Nowadays, there are tens of thousands of military-style police raids every year. But only the worst cases make the news. Fault Lines travels to California and Tennessee to look at the effects of the increasing militarisation of US police departments. Watch the brilliant piece of investigative journalism below.
President Obama announces the creation of the meeting on December 18, 2014.
The COPS Office is supporting national efforts to implement the recommendations outlined in the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing Report. The Task Force recommendations provide meaningful solutions to help law enforcement agencies and communities strengthen trust and collaboration, while ushering the nation into the next phase of community-focused policing. Read the full One-Year Progress Report right here
More.
- “Do Not Resist” and the Crisis of Police Militarization – The New Yorker
- The Wars on Drugs and Terrorism Intersect: Do Not Resist’s Craig Atkinson on Police Militarization – “They need to stop giving these boys these toys, ’cause they don’t know how to handle it.”
- Films critique modern warfare—abroad and in U.S. cities People’s World | Bill Meyer
- IndieWire | Eric Kohn – Tribeca Review: Prize-Winning Documentary ‘Do Not Resist’ Will Change Your Perspective on Police Militarization
More: donotresistfilm.com
Photo credit: VANISH Films/President Obama’s 21st Century Policing Task Force. Cincinnati, Ohio, January 2015.