The Blood Is at the Doorstep (2017)

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The Blood Is at the Doorstep was released on March 13, 2017, in the USA. The documentary was produced by Baby Plane Productions and September Club. Erik Ljung was the director of the film. The film is displaying how Dontre Hamilton died due to the police brutality despite his innocence and Dontre's family journey in embarking the justice[1].

Plot

The Hamiltons Family[2]

Dontre Hamilton, a schizophrenic black American, was dozing off in a public park. However, Christopher Manney, a police officer, forced him to move from his seat and eventually shot him 14 times. He said that Dontre was beating him with batons. However, there was not any evidence on Manney's wound, the surroundings saw Dontre did nothing, and even officers who came before Manney did not see Dontre as a threat. However, the family was notified nine hours after the tragedy and police said that they would have seen the news of Dontre's death. The MPD chief, Ed Flynn, believed that his death was due to mental illness prejudice, not racial issues, yet the statistics showed that most who died innocently by the police brutality were black Americans. Dontre's family emerge as civil rights activists where Nate, Dontre's brother, co-founded the Coalition for Justice. Dontre's mother, Maria, spoke up against the police's ignorance of treating innocent and mentally ill people across communities. The Hamiltons family has stood up for their rights through demonstrations, legal battles, and aspiring people to be aware of the prejudice and bigotry. Ultimately, Manney and Ed Flynn were dismissed from their job though Manney still obtained a massive monthly pension[3].

Black Empowerment

Dontre's death shows an innocent man who died by police brutality is mostly black people. From there, the tragedy has provoked the officials on the urgency of justice and indiscrimination against black Americans. The Hamiltons emerge from the victims of police brutality to civil rights activists. Nate, Dontre's brother, co-founded the Coalition for Justice, an organization to address police brutality and ruthlessness, and would protest against the police on serving justice equally for everyone especially African Americans. The film reveals the footage of the Coalition for Justice protest on Christmas. The Coalition for Justice would hold a lighting ceremony and protest nonviolently in the downtown of the city. The Hamiltons have set their holidays to be a peaceful protest in fighting for their rights and reminding the unwarranted death of an innocent man[4]. While Maria, Dontre's mother, met many various mothers whose kids were victims of police brutality. The gatherings were intended to discuss how they could change the prejudice, regulations, and asking for their rights. Their fight has evoked many families to uphold impartiality and justice. Hamiltons have stood up not only for their rights but also the rights of many black Americans whose family member died innocently by the police brutality. As James Baldwin says in the opening of the film "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced"[5].

Controversy

Dontre Hamilton, a 31-year old African American man, died and got shot 14 times by Christopher Manney, a police officer, while he was schizophrenic and unarmed. The other cop who was there before Manney did not do something horrific since Dontre did nothing wrong. Furthermore, Dontre's family was not contacted by the police for nine hours, and when they came, the police said "we thought you would've seen it on TV". The police and DA defended the officer despite the clear evidence that Dontre was not harming anybody[6]. Ed Flynn, the chief of the Milwaukee Police Department, says that Dontre's case does not narrate with the race issue. Yet, the innocent black Americans die by law enforcement hands rise. His statement had provoked the relationship between black Americans and the police while Milwaukee is one of the most segregated cities in the USA[7].

References

  1. The Blood Is at the Doorstep (2017). IMDb. Retrieved January 29 2021
  2. Blooddoorstep Milwaukee Record. Retrieved January 29 2021
  3. Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. The Blood Is at the Doorstep Spirituality and Practice. Retrieved January 29 2021
  4. Argun Ulgen. In 'The Blood is at the Doorstep', a Family Suffers From an Intransigent Criminal Justice System PopMatters. Retrieved January 29 2021
  5. Matt Wild. ‘The Blood Is At The Doorstep’ is a vital Milwaukee film Milwaukee Record. Retrieved January 29 2021
  6. Sheri Linden. ‘The Blood Is at the Doorstep’: Film Review | SXSW 2017 The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 29 2021
  7. Syreeta McFadden. ‘The Blood is at the Doorstep’ is a complex look at the quest for justice for Dontre Hamilton MIC. Retrieved January 29 2021