'A Synopsis Of The Movie Fruitvale Station'
The movie “Fruitvale station” is a drama biographical film that follows Oscar Grant’s last day and the events leading up to his death. The audience gets a glimpse into Oscar Grant’s life and gets to see the chaos of his unnecessary death. Oscar Grant was a real person who was fatally shot at Fruitvale station, on New Year's day 2009, by a police officer. The incident seemed to happen so fast but it seems that Oscar and his friends were most likely stopped due to racial profiling. Oscar was by no means a saint, he had just been in jail a year earlier, but he was trying to move past it and better his life for his family. However, the incident that caused the cops to be called to Fruitvale station was an altercation between Oscar and a White inmate
from his time in prison. His ex fellow inmate was the one who started trying to argue with him and had his friends start jumping Oscar, therefore Oscar’s friends jumped in to try and help him. The fight did not seem to last very long as the train was stopped and the police were called. However, everyone dispersed and tried to go their separate ways. Oscar went back in the train and some of his friends were stopped instantly. Then, one of the officers went into the train to look for more people involved. Some of the white guys who jumped Oscar were also still in there, but for some reason the cop instantly singled out Oscar and detained him. Only Oscar and his friends were held and the other guys got away. It is difficult not to say that race may have had a play in just him and his friends being singled out.
For this paper and regarding this incident, I believe that the definition of racism that is best suited is, “ A system of advantage based on race… a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies and practices as well as beliefs and actions of individuals. In the context of the United States, this system clearly operates to the advantage of Whites and to the disadvantage of people of color” (Tatum,1997). There are certain prejudices in our society that are deeply ingrained and are hard to overcome without introspection of one’s beliefs. The cop was in a position of power, he was literally on top of Oscar handcuffing him, but he still felt threatened enough to use a weapon. Police forces tend to be a lot more discriminatory of people of color than white. For example, policies like stop and frisk are mostly targeted towards Black and Hispanic men. When the police officer saw these Black men dressed with somewhat baggy clothes, he immediately assumed they were the culprits. It is unsure if there had been any description of the people involved in the altercation when the cops were called, but that morning the police only apprehended Black suspects and none of the White ones. Quite possibly the cops did not even consider that a White man was the one who started the fight. Also, the media and popular culture plays a key role in how African Americans and people of color are seen by the public. Black Americans are often portrayed as thugs and criminals. In addition, popular culture associated with Black Americans, like rap music, is usually portrayed as more harmful and violent than other genres. Perhaps this is due to the raps often claiming independence from police authority and white power structures (Binder, 1993). Therefore, it is not farfetched to believe that many people working in the legal system already have this image of Black men as violent criminals with no respect for authority. However, what makes this especially terrifying is that these people are in a position of power, and when their biases go unchecked things can end horribly and tragically.
from his time in prison. His ex fellow inmate was the one who started trying to argue with him and had his friends start jumping Oscar, therefore Oscar’s friends jumped in to try and help him. The fight did not seem to last very long as the train was stopped and the police were called. However, everyone dispersed and tried to go their separate ways. Oscar went back in the train and some of his friends were stopped instantly. Then, one of the officers went into the train to look for more people involved. Some of the white guys who jumped Oscar were also still in there, but for some reason the cop instantly singled out Oscar and detained him. Only Oscar and his friends were held and the other guys got away. It is difficult not to say that race may have had a play in just him and his friends being singled out.
For this paper and regarding this incident, I believe that the definition of racism that is best suited is, “ A system of advantage based on race… a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies and practices as well as beliefs and actions of individuals. In the context of the United States, this system clearly operates to the advantage of Whites and to the disadvantage of people of color” (Tatum,1997). There are certain prejudices in our society that are deeply ingrained and are hard to overcome without introspection of one’s beliefs. The cop was in a position of power, he was literally on top of Oscar handcuffing him, but he still felt threatened enough to use a weapon. Police forces tend to be a lot more discriminatory of people of color than white. For example, policies like stop and frisk are mostly targeted towards Black and Hispanic men. When the police officer saw these Black men dressed with somewhat baggy clothes, he immediately assumed they were the culprits. It is unsure if there had been any description of the people involved in the altercation when the cops were called, but that morning the police only apprehended Black suspects and none of the White ones. Quite possibly the cops did not even consider that a White man was the one who started the fight. Also, the media and popular culture plays a key role in how African Americans and people of color are seen by the public. Black Americans are often portrayed as thugs and criminals. In addition, popular culture associated with Black Americans, like rap music, is usually portrayed as more harmful and violent than other genres. Perhaps this is due to the raps often claiming independence from police authority and white power structures (Binder, 1993). Therefore, it is not farfetched to believe that many people working in the legal system already have this image of Black men as violent criminals with no respect for authority. However, what makes this especially terrifying is that these people are in a position of power, and when their biases go unchecked things can end horribly and tragically.