WHEN ART TWISTS LIFE

When Art Twists Life
By: Chris Amos

The other day my wife and I went to a movie. As expected, there were the typical 30 minutes of movie trailers. I usually can’t remember most of the trailers I saw by the time the movie is over. However, on this particular occasion that would not be the case. Two of the movie trailers had law enforcement themes. Both were eerily similar. Does anyone want to guess the lens through which the police officers were viewed? Let me give you a quick rundown as portrayed in the two-minute trailers.

The first, Black and Blue, is set in Detroit. Apparently the star, a black female rookie cop, witnesses a group of crooked cops, white and black, murder an informant. One of the cops then turns his gun on the rookie cop and shoots her. She falls about 20 feet before finding a soft landing. The remainder of the movie will be a race to see who gets her first, the gangs or the cops. You see, thanks to her body cam, the initial murder was caught on tape as was her own shooting. In their desperation to catch her and conceal their crime the crooked cops join forces with Detroit’s finest gang bangers, drug dealers and all-around thugs to insure she is captured, preferably killed, before she can expose the corruption. 

The second, 21 Bridges, is a much more subtle approach that comes to the same conclusion. In 21 Bridges, the trailer begins by vividly portraying the murder of eight uniformed cops who respond to a robbery call at a business. The police department, shaken by the deaths, sets out to catch the suspects. At some point during the trailer, it becomes obvious that high-ranking police officials are behind the initial robbery that left eight of their fellow officers dead, all in their pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Now, both are just Hollywood movies and Hollywood movies depicting crooked cops are as old as Hollywood. But, what is different about these offerings seems to be the portrayal of not simply a cop or two or three, but of entire departments or many if not most of the officers therein. Are these movies intended to entertain or fan the flames of the existing false narrative that cops are crooked, corrupt, racist, thugs deserving of any violence that comes their way? 

Might I share an observation I have made in recent years? Before sharing I offer this warning: It’s political. Looking back at Vietnam, and having worked with several Vietnam veterans who went on to become police officers, it is undeniable that many felt a tremendous backlash on their return to America. I know men who were spit on and men who were called murderers, rapists, baby killers, etc. Did these men do anything wrong? No, their only “crime” was in answering their nation’s call and not fleeing to Canada. Why the backlash? I suspect it had much more to do with a hatred of President Nixon than it did Private Jones. Unfortunately for Private Jones, he was a little more accessible to an enraged public than was President Nixon. What does that have to do with anything?

Friends, we are living in a country that is as polarized now as it was during the Vietnam War, if not more so. I believe there is a hatred for President Trump that exceeds that of Nixon. Some have gone so far as to label it Trump Derangement Syndrome. Now I’m no doctor, but there is something in the water that has literally made Thanksgiving and Christmas nearly untenable for many families. Trump, like Nixon, is well insulated from the average citizen. But guess who isn’t? Exactly, it’s the men and women of law enforcement. Trump prides himself on being a law and order president and has repeatedly thrown his support behind police officers and deputy sheriffs, never passing on a good photo op. The Trump haters need someone to attack and Trump is well beyond their reach. Unfortunately, like Private Jones, Corporal Smith in his marked police car sporting that shiny badge and gun is within reach, except at a number of businesses where Corporal Smith and his fellow officers are not welcome. Think about it, who is the most visible, accessible reminder of a despised law and order president? It’s law enforcement officers … enter Hollywood.

Apart from academia, there is not a demographic that despises Trump more than Hollywood, with the rare exception of a Jon Voight or Chuck Norris.  Apparently, as we head into the 2020 election year, Hollywood has decided that cops, PLURAL, are fair game. Why attack a corrupt officer or two, such low-hanging fruit, when you can take out a whole platoon, precinct, division, or department and all it will cost is the price of a few more extras on set?

Now I confess I could be overly sensitive. After all I’ve only seen the trailers and admit I have no intention of rewarding these hit pieces with my hard-earned cash. From what I’ve seen and read, I am offended! Are cops allowed to be offended?  I’m offended when entire police agencies are portrayed in such a disparaging light, especially when life seems to be very much interested in imitating art.

As for Black and Blue and its depiction of a police department out of control, too bad they did not end the movie with the names and pictures of Officers Glenn Anthony Doss Jr. EOW 1/28/18, Darren Maurice Williams EOW 2/13/18, and Fadi Mukhlis Shukur EOW 8/14/18. These are just the most recent three officers of 237 who have given their lives in the service of Detroit, Michigan…And we wonder why nationally, law enforcement applications are down over 50% compared to years past.