‘Unapologetic’ tackles police violence and prison industrial complex

16th November 2020   ·   0 Comments

By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer

Now playing as a part of the New Orleans Film Festival’s virtual lineup, the documentary “Unapologetic” addresses the timely topic of police violence and mass incarceration in American cities.

The documentary follows two Chicago-based abolitionist organizers, Janae Bonsu and Bella Bahhs, as they work with the Movement for Black Lives to seek justice for the deaths of Rekia Boyd and Laquan McDonald at the hands of the police.

Boyd was a 22-year-old Black woman killed in 2012 by Dante Servin, a Chicago police officer. Police claimed one of Boyd’s friends approached Servin with a gun, but no weapon was ever recovered from the scene. Boyd’s family stated the item was a cell phone, not a gun. Servin was charged with involuntary manslaughter in 2013, but cleared of all charges in 2015 in a directed verdict (where the judge directs the jury they must reach a certain verdict). The city of Chicago paid $4.5 million to Boyd’s family. Servin resigned from the police force in 2016.

Laquan McDonald was a 17-year-old Black man killed by Officer Jason Van Dyke of the Chicago Police Department. The police claimed McDonald was carrying a knife and acting erratically. However, dash cam video later revealed McDonald was walking away from Van Dyke when he was shot. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder, but was eventually convicted of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm in 2018. The city also reached a settlement with McDonald’s family for $5 million. In a bench trial, three other Chicago police officers were acquitted of charges of conspiracy, official misconduct, and obstruction of justice relating to the McDonald case.

McDonald’s killing prompted the U.S. Department of Justice and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to investigate the Chicago Police Department. The subsequent report said the Chicago Police Department had a culture of excessive violence, particularly against minority suspects.

Ashley O’Shay, who directed and produced “Unapologetic,” said the primary goal of her film was to reach young Black people in the 18-35-year-old demographic and galvanize them into positive action in their communities.

Morgan Elise Johnson, a producer of “Unapologetic,” said the film will also stand as a historical document portraying the efforts of Black feminists like Bonsu and Bahhs to achieve structural, systemic change regarding policing and incarceration. She said that figures like Martin Luther King Jr. are widely respected now, but were viewed as dangerous radicals by many when they were alive and it’s important to remember that when considering today’s activists.

“It’s important for films like this to exist for the sake of history,” Johnson said.

The movement covered in “Unapologetic” asks viewers to consider the root causes of criminal activity, whether those causes be lack of employment, lack of housing, lack of mental healthcare, lack of equal educational opportunities or other causes. The argument is that resources being devoted to policing and incarceration should instead be devoted to areas that can prevent people from reaching the point in their lives where they commit crimes.

“What are they lacking in their lives leading them to act this way?” O’Shay asked.

A lack of accountability for violent police officers is a major source of outrage depicted in the film. The lack of accountability then leads to a lack of trust within the community towards both the police force and city government officials. O’Shay said one step that could help remedy this issue is to create civilian councils to review cases of police violence instead of having law enforcement investigate law enforcement. This way, people who live and work in that community can be true participants in these situations, as opposed to simply receiving lip service from government officials.

O’Shay added that the secrecy that takes place during such investigations is another serious problem that should be addressed.

“There needs to be a civilian-appointed police board,” O’Shay said. “There needs to be transparency every step of the way.”

“Unapologetic” also focuses on the racism and failures of America’s prison system. Johnson said that mass imprisonment has not reduced crime on the streets of Chicago or anywhere else. She said imprisonment just perpetuates violence in the community without addressing root causes.

“They (prisoners) are not being rehabilitated in these institutions,” O’Shay said.

The filmmakers said they hope young people are inspired by the activists in “Unapologetic” and help expand the work of Bonsu and Bahhs and the other Black feminists who came before them.

“Young people are more civically engaged than we ever give them credit for,” Johnson said. “They are trying to reimagine and reshape public policy that will make their lives better and improve the lives of everyone around them.”

“Unapologetic” can be screened via the New Orleans Film Festival through Sunday, November 22. Visit www.NewOrleansFilmSociety.org for more info.

This article originally published in the November 16, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.