T.H.U.G.
The movie I decided to watch for my Media Blog 2 post was The Hate U Give directed by George Tillman Jr. The movie was about a young black teenage boy who was shot by a white police officer. The whole movie basically showed what our world is like today in terms of race and crime.
The movie began with a black teenage girl named Starr. Her black friend was shot after they had left a party where there were gunshots at. They got in the vehicle after leaving the party and were pulled over by a white male police officer. The male police officer pulled them over for no reason and made Starr’s friend Khalil get out of the car when he proceeded to shoot him. Starr was taken to the police station after being handcuffed, watching her friend Khalil die. She told the station his badge number which was 115. The investigators questioned Starr on what had happened, and accused Khalil of being involved with drugs, basically ignoring the fact that he was shot for no reason. Later in the movie, Starr returned back to school and riots were broken out for the murder of Khalil. Starr began arguing with her friend when her friend mentioned that all lives matter, and brushed it off as it was nothing. In the end of the movie, more riots took place where Starr spoke out about being a witness in Khalil’s murder. The black community came together during the riots and mourned over the death of Khalil. The white male officer never got in trouble for what he did.
In class we talk about how race plays a big part in crime and how statistics show that more black individuals get shot by police officers. One issue we talk about in class is the George Floyd case. This movie pertains to the case because it is a very similar situation. George Floyd was also an innocent black man killed by a white male officer. The Hate U Give, was similar where riots broke out and the black community came together to try and make a difference. This movie shines a light on the insight of what happens to people of color and the people close to them when a crime was wrongfully committed against them. In class, we discuss a lot about how black individuals are more susceptible to police brutality and how in many cases black people are wrongfully killed or persecuted for crimes that they did not do. In the movie, the officer that shot Khalil did not get the justice he deserved, just as many cases in today’s world.
Another similar case that we discuss in class is the case of Breonna Taylor. She was also wrongfully shot by an officer. Breonna Taylor’s case also mentioned drugs, just as Khalil was accused of selling drugs in The Hate U Give. Both Breonna Taylor’s case and Khalil’s murder were trying to be justified by drugs being the issue, instead of the black person being killed. Breonna was wrongfully shot just as Khalil was in the movie and the cases both used drugs as a scapegoat to justify the murders. Both of these tie into the idea of racism and crime, just as we discuss in class everyday.
This movie really gave me insight on what it’s like to be a black person and experience the injustices that they go through. I feel as though someone should watch this movie to better understand what it’s like to be a black person in today’s society. In the movie, Khalil was wrongfully shot by a police officer where no action was taken on his murder. This is very similar to what happens in many cases today, just as we discuss in class. In class we talk about how black people are more susceptible to being pulled over and racially profiled. In the movie I watched Khalil and Starr get pulled over for no reason. I personally have never feared getting pulled over and could not imagine being in a black person’s position to be scared of being pulled over by a police officer, let alone being shot for no reason. I feel as though someone should watch this movie to better educate themselves about racism and crime and how in many cases black people are wrongfully murdered. As a white male individual, I personally have never experienced what a black individual has gone through, when it comes to police authority. In the future, I would like to become a state police officer and this movie has given me a lot to think about and a new perspective on racial injustices.
Anonymous
December 5, 2020 @ 4:16 am
You do a great job at explaining this film. I always saw snippets of it and wanted to want it but I never got the time to. As mentioned this is sadly something we see in today’s day and age. Black/ African Americans get pulled over and are wrongfully accused and before they get to even explain themselves they are badly injured or are dead. You would think that innocence mean something to those type of police officers but in reality there is no such thing as innocence in their eyes. The only way a police officer see an innocent person is if it is them being charged for the murder of an African American. In class we talk about the power of being bias. Law enforcers have no space for being bias but find a way to squeeze it in somewhere like things aren’t bad enough. The fear that is instilled in a black person when it comes to police officers is unbearable at times but African Americans continue to move on walking through life on egg shells . It is essential to watch this movie because you can see the raw emotion in this film and I agree it is extremely important to educate yourself when it comes to situations like this