Detroit

I went to see the movie Detroit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5390504/ today.  It was a very brutal movie, about a very brutal time in our history.  However, I am a firm believer that we need to know and understand our history because it can help us to improve our future.

I remember the news stories about riots across our country when I was a teenager.  The horror, the senselessness, the destruction.  I learned about the rage of black people who had been subjugated for years and years. As I watched the movie, I recalled the news about the Algiers Hotel.

I was raised to respect police, and not until I was well into my adult life did I realize or accept the fact that police and authority figures in this country could be just as unlawful and vicious as criminals.  I should have known better. But I was too gullible and accepting.

I am glad that in this day and age, with body cams, cell phone videos, street cams and other security surveillance, we have information about how people behave in public, including the police. We have information about police being inappropriate, and we have information about police having to make impossible split second decisions that involves deadly force.  Policing is a very difficult career, and we have to allow them to do their jobs, but criminal behavior by police is still criminal behavior.  I think that was brought home very clearly in this movie.  

I do not find it ironic that this movie was produced during this time of high scrutiny of police behavior and possible misbehavior.