FruitvaleStationbyRyanCoogler,January2013,OnyxRamirez

TheBrokenWindowstheorystatesthatifpoliceaddressthesmallqualityoflife

offensesthatcreatedisorder,violentcrimewilldiminish.Theassumptionhereisthatoffenses

likepublicurination,prostitution,smallscaledrugtrafficking,vagrancyandthelike,willlater

leadtolargercrimessuchashomicide,ifunattendedto.Althoughthisseemslikeaniceidea,

whenenforced,BrokenWindowstargetsthepoor,youth,andpeopleofcolor,morecommonly,

theintersectionofallthree.BrokenWindowsPolicing,orBWP,consistsofthemilitarization

oflocalpoliceforcesandthecriminalizationofthosewhodaretolivewhileminorityorin

poverty.ThefilmFruitvaleStation,writtenanddirectedbyRyanCoogler,tellsthetruestoryof

the24hoursbeforeOscarGrantdiedatthehandsofBayAreapoliceasaresultofBroken

Windows.

BWPbeganwithWilliamBratton,duringhisfirsttermasNewYorkCitypolice

commissioner.OriginallyappointedtoruntheNYCtransitpolice,Brattonsoughtto

reengineertheNYPD. AtthebeginningofBrattonstermasheadoftransitpolice,fare1

evasionwasthebiggestbrokenwindowinthetransitsystem. Brattonscourseofactiontofix2

thetransitsystemsbiggestbrokenwindow,wastoarmNYCtransitpolicewithnewGlock

ninemillimetersemiautomatichandguns,withfifteenroundclips.Iknowverylittleabout

homerepair,andwhatIdoknow,IvelearnedfromwatchingHGTVsPropertyBrothers,somy

opiniononthemattermaybemoot.But,JonathanandDrew(THEPropertyBrothers,)have

neverusedaglocktofixabrokenwindow,andtheyreprofessionals,soImnotsurethatitsthe

bestmethod.Attheveryleast,Imsurethattheywouldexhaustallotheroptionsbeforeresorting

1Parenti,Christian."ChapterFour:DisciplineInPlayland,PartIZeroTolerance:TheScienceofKickingAss."LockdownAmerica:PoliceandPrisonsintheAgeofCrisis.London:Verso,2001.pg.70.Print.2Parenti,LockdownAmerica:Chapter4

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tosemiautomaticweapons,simplybecauseitseemscounterintuitivetofixbrokenthingswith

hotlead.Glocksarenotonlyunnecessaryintheinvestigationofnonviolentcrimeslikefare

evasionandgraffitibombingsubwaycars,buttheymayevenuptheanteinaltercationsthatthe

policemayencounter.

InFruitvaleStation,OscarGrantisabrokenperson.ThefilmdepictsGrantsdrug

dealingpastandshowsflashbackstohistimeinSanQuentinstateprisonbecauseofdrugrelated

crimes.Althoughthefilmdoesntportrayitclearly,Grantwasreleasedfromprisonand

reconvictedfordrugrelatedcrimesseveraltimesbeforehisdeathattheageof23.InPrison

andSocialDeath,JoshuaPricediscusseshowinmanyways,goingtoprisonleadstosocial

death,evenonceinmatesarereleasedonparole.Therestrictiveparametersofthesystemof

parolemakeitalmostimpossiblenottoviolate,especiallywhenallaccesstosocialprogramsis

takenfromthosewhohavebeenconvicted.Despiteallthis,FruitvaleStationsdepictionof

Oscarisasympatheticone,evenshowinghisdesiretoturnhislifearoundbysymbolically

dumpingthelastofhismarijuanasupplyintotheocean.However,thequalityofGrants

characterbeforehisdeathisnotimportant.WhatledtoOscarsdeathonJanuary1st,2009is

important.

Thefinal20minutesofthemoviearethemostanxietyinducing.AlthoughIknewhow

GrantsstorywouldendbeforeIbeganthefilm,Iwantedsobadlyformanythings.Whenthe

BARTPDaresearchingforthesourceofthealtercationandOscarishidinginthecrowd,I

wantedsobadlyforthepoliceofficernottofindhim.WhenOscarwaspulledoffthetrainand

handcuffed,Iwantedsobadlyforhimtotalkhiswayoutofthesituation.WhenofficerJohannes

Mehserlepulledouthisweapon,Iwantedsobadlyforittobethetaserthatheclaimedhehad

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beenreachingfor,ratherthanthegunthatshotOscarseveraltimeswhilelayhandcuffedand

defenseless.EverysingledayIwantsobadlyforFruitvaleStationtobeaworkoffiction,but

unfortunately,Oscarsthisisnotthecase.Theeventsthattranspiredthatnightarenotunique.In

fact,1122peoplehavebeenshotandkilledbypolicein2015thusfar.

ThesympathythattheaudiencefeelsforOscarscharacterisntrelevanttothesituation

becauseultimately,itdoesnotmatterhowgoodofapersonOscarwas.Oscarcouldhavenever

regretteddealingdrugsandhewouldnthavedeservedtodie.Itisntrelevanthowrowdyor

combativeGrantwasbeingtowardstransitpolicethatday,hedidntdeservetodie.Oscarwas

handcuffedandseatedwhileoutnumberedbyarmedpoliceofficerstaughttousetheirgunstofix

brokenthings.Crimesdeemedpettygenerallyhappeninurban,povertystrickenneighborhoods

andbytargetingthesecrimes,BWPismeanttoincreasethequalityoflifeformembersofthose

communities.However,BWPfailstoaskwhythesepettycrimesareconcentratedinpoor

neighborhoodsofcolor.BruceWestern,aSociologistwhoresearchesmassincarcerationwould

arguethatthedisproportionatenumberofpeopleofcolorthecriminaljusticesystemisan

economicissue.Theunequaldistributionofwealthandallocationofresourcesmakesitsuchthat

thesekindsofcrimesareinevitableinpoorcommunities.Underfundedandovercrowdedschools

arenotconducivetolearning.Uneducatedpeoplecannotearnalivingwage,evenwhenworking

fulltimejobs.Homelessnessisontherisebecauseoftherisingcostoflivingallacrossthe

country.Thesecrisesarenotamistakeandaslongaswedonotprovideasolutiontothis

economiccrisis,themassincarcerationofpooryouthofcolorandmilitarizationoflocalpolice

willcontinue.BrokenWindowsPolicingdoesnottargetpettycrimes,itcriminalizeslivingwhile

oppressed.

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