Sound of the Police

This movie was upsetting, painful, and too important to be turned off by "inconvenient" truths. The stories were frighteningly close to home, in no small part due to examples from every corner of our great nation.

I had previously chosen not to watch much of the body cam, or other footage; of the violence against, and many murders, of people of color in these United States.

The truth is so powerfully stated by one interviewee who asked (paraphrased) who are the police serving? Who are they protecting? After watching this, I am even more convinced it is, unfortunately themselves, their "brothers in blue", and most despicably, the status quo.

As "Sound of the Police" (2023 release; 85 min.) opens, it is "Minneapolis, February 17, 2022" and the MSD is seen executing a "no knock warrant" onto Amir Locke, a young Black male. Nine seconds later, Locke is shot and killed at close range. We then go back in time to the early 1700s, when slave patrols hunt down slaves who have crossed a property border. At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from writer-director Stanley Nelson ("Attica"). This documentary is deeply unsettling and infuriating at the same time. Watching all this footage of police brutality directed at one segment of the population will make your stomach churn. And as the scholars and historians amply demonstrate, this has been going on for centuries. Lynching, slave catching, racial profiling, the never-ending killing of unarmed black men, it all points to a complete failure of a police system. Yet still there is no fundamental reform on the horizon. As one of Locke's parents laments: "How many more?" PLEASE NOTE: this documentary has received nearly universal critical acclaim since its release. The overall low rating for this film here on IMDb is undoubtedly the result of massive downvoting by people who have not seen it. Almost certainly the same people who think it's an excellent idea that a certain disgraced ex-president, twice impeached, four times indicted, convicted of sexual assault, and likely much more to follow, retake the White Office, whether legally or otherwise. For shame.

"Sound of the Police" was recently released on Hulu. I read a so(m)ber review of it in the NYT, and made a mental note to check it out. I watched it last night. Did I mention unsettling and infuriating? If you have any interest in social justice and the very problematic relationship between the police and the Black community, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

There is an always has been a problem in this country regarding police brutality. This eloquent documentary was able to elaborate on the issue by explaining its foundation and evolution to what we see today in society. I thought that it was very well put together. I wouldn't be surprised if the current 4.0 rating that the documentary received was due to the subject matter rather than the quality of the documentary. I'm sure this documentary stirred up emotions from both sides of the debate. There are those who feel that it is spot on and those who may feel that the show unfairly depicted law enforcement. Nevertheless, the show is absolutely a must watch!

I learned so much from this documentary and it really hit home as a Minneapolis-Saint Paul resident. I live in an over-policed community that is majority Black and people of color. This documentary not only tells the story of the history and reality of current police violence but sheds a light on public policy and statistics. I wish I learned more about these things in the public school system, but of course I know why I didn't. If you want to understand more about the development of the policing system, the connections between historical and current police violence, and the system that upholds violence against Black people, watch this film.