Fruitvale

I just returned from see the movie Fruitvale. It is true story of Oscar Grant, who was killed on New Years Eve 2007 on the Fruitvale Bart platform by the Metro Police, while coming back from celebrating in San Francisco.This film comes out five years later, to illustrate how the life of a black man can be taken and no justice received to fit the crime. I am grateful to the producers including Forrest Whitaker for telling the story. The sad part about it is that at 1:00 p.m on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at a popular Cinemark there were only 4 people that saw the movie. My wife, myself and another black couple.The movie premiered this Friday. I know I saw a few commercials for the movie and it was highlighted on the BET Awards show. So what happened to the people, black and white alike? 

People have forgotten already what happened at Fruitvale, and those that haven't don't want to see the reality of it in a movie. We'd rather watch the Lone Ranger. Will the Trayvon Martin case be the same way? Up in arms by both black and white, but with little action as time passes. They held a tribute for Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale Bart station this new year's day to continue to ask for justice, with a hope that he was not forgotten.

The movie was hard to watch. Not for the reason you might think, but because it was about Oscar's life before the shooting. It is a life we as African Americans have all encountered. Normal life for us is slow and hard. Not always exciting like in the movies. Oscar was twenty two, had been to prison, has a girlfriend and a little girl. Loved his mother, family, and especially his daughter. He is out trying to get a new start but it is not working out. Loses his job due to being late, has the temptation to sell drugs, and is the typical case of a good boy trying to work it out in a hard world. He has learned to be tough when he needs too but if left to his own, he tries to do the right thing.

His girlfriend wants to go to San Francisco after his mother's birthday party to see the fire works. His mother suggest they take the train since he and his friends  may be drinking.All goes well until they are their way back home. Oscar runs into an ex inmate he has had a beef while in prison on the train. The guy starts a fight and the subway police are called. Oscar and his friend get off the train and are held by the police with excessive force. Only the African Americans are detained and the individual who started the altercation, a white individual is never encountered. Many people are there and record  the incident on their cell phones. Oscar pleads his case but is thrown to the ground. As he struggles to get up and not be handcuffed one officer pulls out his gun and shoots him in the back while he is still on the ground.  

The officers that were involved were fired. The officer that did the shooting said that  he mistook his gun for a tazzer. He was going to  tazzer him, but he pulled the revolver out by mistake. These are the people that protect and serve? They don't think to look before pulling a trigger? You don't know the difference between a tazzer and your revolver? That officer was tried and convicted of involuntary manslaughter. He received a two year sentence and served 11 months. Oscar Grant is dead forever and did not need to be.

Marvin Gaye sang, 'brother,brother, there's far to many of you dying. You know we've got to find a way, to bring some lovin here today. Don't punish me with brutality. Talk to me, so you can see 

  What's going on, what's going on , tell me what's going on."