The United States is currently engaged in a national dialogue on racial profiling and police brutality; a dialogue sparked by the assassination of Michael Brown in August 2014. Ferguson: A report from The Occupier is at the forefront of the discussion, offering valuable insights from Ferguson residents for whom the burden of discrimination and injustice is a daily reality.
People outside of Ferguson will likely witness the aftermath of Michael Brown’s murder and the acquittal of the officer who pulled the trigger on television from the comfort of their own home. News reports were filled with images of street demonstrations, protests, looting and fires. From the outside, some in the United States may be surprised by the scale of the anger they are witnessing. But for many others who have witnessed similar crackdowns in cities across the country, the events were seen as a logical rallying call for change and accountability.
These oozing wounds are evident in the film’s opening sequence, when Ferguson residents meet with local government officials in the school gym. The gap between the perceptions of those responsible and the concerns of citizens of color could not be greater. “They don’t reflect the communities we live in,” one mother yelled at the mostly white officials. “Can you imagine your child being shot?”
As portrayed in the film, Ferguson’s culture of racism wasn’t always as obvious as a bullet in an officer’s gun; it was often hidden in plain sight. This is evident in a revenue-hungry court system that outnumbers citizens by 10,000 arrest warrants, the vast majority of which are issued to people of color. This is reflected in the story of one father who lamented being stopped by the police at least 3 times a month.
Not only is the film a poignant commentary on the factors that led to the unrest in Ferguson, but it also pays homage to a growing movement that now extends far beyond the city’s boundaries. Protesters from all walks of life have united in record numbers to try to dismantle a system they believe is still tainted by the remnants of slavery.
