Analysis Of The Film Straight Out Of Compton

Fruitvale Station depicts the real-life case of Oscar Grant III, a young unarmed black man shot in the back by a white police officer on January 1, 2009 in Oakland. The movie begins with cell phone footage of Oscar Grant’s death recorded by bystanders. Grant’s life was tragically cut short due to a white man’s racism and stereotypical perception of a young black man. The BART police officer Johannes Mehserle abused his authority and shot Grant for no other reason but hatred and racism. At the time of the shooting, Grant was unarmed and pinned on the ground in handcuffs. The movie then walks you through the last twenty-four hours of Grant’s life. As you watch the movie and research the aftermath of Grant’s death you a forced to ask yourself a few questions; why does the media have the right to take away Oscar Grant’s humanity? Where do we draw the line between racism and holding others responsible and will the public’s perception of black men and women ever change? Lastly, we must focus on how this case and others impacts African American society and culture. We also must focus on the necessary changes African Americans must make in order to survive in a world that does not value black lives.

In the closing statement, Ta-Nehisi Coates provides us a statement inquiring that “police are turning to police brutality to solve situations where it's not needed then leading them to overuse their power. The use of excessive physical assault or verbal assault during police procedures, such as apprehending or interrogating a suspect should never be acceptable. Deadly force is not always excessive force. However, when deadly force exceeds the force that is necessary to create a safe environment, it is considered police brutality. This is emphasised in Ta-Nehisi essay when said “his father called the police, who apparently arrived to find the 19-year-old wielding a bat. Interpreting this as a lethal threat, one of the officers shot and killed LeGrier and somehow managed to shoot and kill one of his neighbors, Bettie Jones.” this situation could have been conducted differently Though the officer over used his authority and instead of simply calming the man down governing both the father and son he chose to kill which wasn't rational .

“I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” These were the last words of Eric Garner, a middle-aged African American man. Garner died at the hands of multiple police officers who were trying to restrain him for selling cigarettes. These sorts of images are showcased on television way too often. To the point that some people feel helpless, they know that they alone do not have the power to overthrow the superiority of an officer. So they have really no choice but watch the tragedy unfold. Also fear that if they interfere, that they may be the next victim. “I am most struck by the behavior of the EMTs, who stood along with the police and did nothing as they watched Eric Garner die” (Williams 10). Although some people deny that police brutality is a problem, recent studies and events (such as the one listed above) prove that ultra-aggressive police officers, militarization of police agencies, and the effects of racism have increased police brutality.

N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was a hip-hop group out of Compton known for its controversial yet influential rap lyrics. One of their most popular songs was “Fuck The Police.” This is song was an explicit expression of their feelings toward law enforcement during these unsettled times. Ice Cube rapped, “A young nigga got it bad ‘cause I’m brown.” This simply illustrated the rampant nature of profiling the African American male. Sadly, this hasn’t changed even to the present day. Just a few weeks ago, my twin brother, Malcolm Allen, experienced a racial profiling incident right here in Palo Alto. While waiting for our names to be called outside of a local restaurant, a police drove slowly in front of us. The officer summoned Malcolm and said, “You with the hoodie, come here. You fit the description of a suspect who was carrying a knife.” Numerous young black men from Trayvon Martin to Michael Brown have been brutally killed by law enforcement simply for being black. In other words, they were profiled as threats due to their skin color. This illustrates the idea of history loops itself. Though it has been constant, the intensity of the profiling and police brutality looped from the early 90’s to the present day. As a result, this song was a depiction of the times and a manifestation of what N.W.A wanted to do to the cops. Something this violent and blunt was especially unheard

Picture this, you are teenager growing up in Los Angeles, on your way to school and you turn on the radio. “Yo thanks for tuning into to the hottest radio station in the streets of LA. Up next we got N.W.A. with their new single Appetite for Destruction.” That was common for nearly every person who lived in LA and enjoyed hip-hop music. During the early 90s and late 80s, West coast hip-hop was dominated by the gruesome realities of gangster rap and g-funk. Rap at the time was intense, authentic, and unbearable. Ultimately, this wave of “fuck you” sprouted from the injustices that plagued many impoverished communities. Individuals were angered from the oppressive acts that hindered any attempt to reach success, and gangster music within LA served as the platform to express the frustration under such terrible circumstances. Although the sound was revolutionary and taking over the entire nation, still Los Angeles needed a fresh of breath of air to display the artistic talent that came out of Los Angeles. New York could play with both sides of the hip-hop spectrum of light-heartedness to aggressiveness, but unfortunately for LA, they only had one sound. In New York, they had artists from Kid N Play to Public Enemy. If Los Angeles were ever going to snatch the throne from New York, they needed to do so quickly before the dawn of Golden Age ended.

Many believed that the music was inappropriate and “crossing the line,” but their lyrics expressed what their life was like in Compton. This is just one example of how people think censorship should have even more of an effect on everyday life. Though the song offended the police it was made to show the discrimination they had faced as individuals. Many did not agree, but the group believed it was their God given right to express their beliefs and opinions through

Police Brutality has stemmed from racist attitudes, discrimination, and prejudice to African Americans. In the movie “Fruitvale Station” the subject of police brutality is touched on through the true story of Oscar Grant III an African American young man who was assassinated in 2009. The movie follows Grant who is played by Michael B. Jordan in his final twenty-four hours of life. The shooting takes place after Grant and his girlfriend are on the subway returning home in the early morning on New Year’s with some friends. After a fight breaks out on the subway the police are called and Grant and his friends are taken off the train and handcuffed after a verbal altercation between Grant and the police officers one of the officers takes out and shoots Grant. Grant is taken to the hospital where he passes away. The officer who assassinated Grant was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and spent a year in jail. The main theme this movie follows is police brutality. The reason I chose to discuss this movie is because Police brutality is a very large issue that has occurred too often in the past few years in this country. Oscar Grant is one of the many African American men who have lost their life and left behind a family because of senseless police brutality. Police Brutality is a very difficult issue to discuss because people should feel protected around police rather than fear for their lives and for many people of color this is their reality. Police brutality solely stems from racist attitudes, discrimination, and prejudice of African Americans in the United States.

Ryan Coogler created a scene of a pit bull getting hit by a car and left for dead,this describes the profiling of an African American. When someone thinks of a pit bull they automatically think they are the most unfavorable breed, violent, and gang related. Oscar had a rough past with enemies, family and drugs. He is trying to get his life together by getting a job, and gaining his family’s trust back. An incident occurs on the train when he faces his enemy, they get into an altercation which leads up to his murder. The officers, Caruso and Ingram, snatched Oscar out of the train based on what he was wearing and his skin color. The officers made no background check nor did they have any way to prove they were the ones involved in the fight.

When Oscar meets a pit bull, known for being a violent breed of dog, events quickly change when the dog is struck by a car in a hit and run. The pitbull symbolizes a “lower” class of people that is portrayed as violent and dangerous. The dog foreshadows Oscar’s fate, as there is no body that responds and no repercussions. Also, it is mentioned that the cop that shot Oscar was only sentenced to 2 years in jail but served an 11-month term. Society stereotypes black people who were born in poverty or gang violence, thus creating an image of danger and murderousness making it seem normal if they just died.

The movie shows the members being harassed by officers on more than one occasion just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ice Cube wrote a song called “Fuck Da Police” which didn’t make things any better. But NWA weren’t the only rappers to open up about their hatred of the law. Even songs today express the same feelings toward police because the same issues are going on within the black culture. The Rodney King beating was recorded but all four officers were found not guilty, is similar to Trayvon Martin and Freddie Gray and many other black males were killed by law enforcement and just like Rodney King their deaths led to

Police brutality is a common ideological message found within the “hood” film genre. The films Do the Right Thing and La

“Any publicity is good publicity. “Aspiring rapper Eric “Eazy-E” Wright states to the rest of his fellow N.W.A brothers as they sit to discuss the police and F.B.I threats that they have been receiving in the mall. The movie Straight Out of Compton is based on the true story about six troubled some young black men residing in Compton, California who rise unexpectedly to fame, using their viciously honest rhymes, die hard beats, and frustrations about their lifestyle in the streets of the hood. Active from 1986 to 1991 these six men Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Arabian Prince, MC Ren, and DJ Yella have endured enormous controversy owning to their explicit

violent. It just appears to be a wrong place at the wrong time type of situation that led to his death as he “fit the description of a serial rapist”. His death and subsequent acquittal of the officers involved led to a major increase in social psychology research studying the racial bias that exists among officers between whites and blacks (Kahn & McMahon, 2015). The results were that officers were more apt to make decisions that were less than accurate when it came to a black target rather than a white target with both being unarmed. However, the results also indicated that they were able to respond swiftly to an armed black target as opposed to a white one. This shows that race does play a major part in the way that officers handle their jobs and responsibilities. It also showed many departments that training was inadequate and needed to be handled at a deeper level before sending new officers onto the streets.

Fruitvale Station is a movie that has the capability to bring many emotions to the surface. This movie can foster critical thinking, but it can also draw the viewer in to experience the raw emotions and suspenseful moments of this real life story. Unfortunately, Oscar Grant’s life was ended abruptly after he spent the night celebrating the New Year with his friends and girlfriend, Sophina. From this story, it is clear that Oscar was attempting to change his story by being a better father to his daughter, Tatiana, thinking about marrying Sophina, and better providing for his family by getting a stable job and being a man that his mother and sister could rely upon. While the incident that occurred at Fruitvale Station could be analyzed from any variety of theories, this paper will examine these events from the lens of Conflict Theory and Social Learning Theory. These theories intertwine in many ways, but they also differ from each other in very important aspects. Fruitvale Station is a cinema depiction of a true story involving the death of Oscar Grant in a train station in Oakland, California during the early morning hours of January 1, 2009. This incident has sparked many civil rights related protests and discussions. Oscar Grant was survived by his mother, who has been very vocal since the incident, fighting for equal rights for minorities, his sister, and his daughter, Tatiana (Johnson).

After the rise of hip hop films with music, energy, and twist of youths, from the end of 1980s and beginning of 1990s, another genre of hip hop films revealed – the Blaxploitation depictions of violent black urban inhabitants (Sanchez 26). As the gangsta films began to screen on media, the history behind the hip hop genre has captured audience’s attention, but at the same time, gangsta films were disliked due to stereotypical and political issues that addresses on Black humanity and social issues. Both film Straight Outta Compton and Drumline demonstrate similar struggles within the black communities during post-civil rights movements, as well as different black community issues. While Drumline depicts on urban Black youth’s struggle through the education issues within the black community, Straight Outta Compton depicts on heavy violence from gangsters, with specific issues dealing with law enforcement inequality, discrimination, and the struggles that man of color faces within the brutal society. Although the plot of both films are very different, the one exceptional similarity between the two is a passion towards music despite their surroundings.