After watching Strong Island, I was utterly shocked at how the entire investigation was conducted, meaning that instead of the victim finding justice, the criminal was not tried because of racial disparity. The documentary was informative and provided background for the victim and his family to show that he was an ordinary kid growing up in Long Island because his mother wanted a different life for them. The purpose of the documentary was to raise awareness about the social injustices that have been placed on people. As proposed by Aguayo, “documentary is a story of people unwilling to give up on the dream of an inclusive democracy, harnessing the use of moving images, the form of film, and the mode of documentary to represent their demands for a better world” (Aguyo). The victim’s brother Ford who created the film wanted to create a conversation around how and why so many people are threatened by people of different races. By creating his documentary, he opens the conversation and makes people aware of the disparities created and uses his brother’s death as an example of the injustices that have been put forth on his family and others in similar situations. What really took me by surprise was when Ford’s friend Kevin was placed in the back of a cop car and treated like a murderer while the shooter was not. Instead, the murderer was questioned outside of the cop car and then released. Though Ford’s film, as he stated, was not meant to investigate the crime itself, what it did do was create an arena for social change where people are made aware of the ongoing issues with race, crime, and inequality. Social change documentaries are meant to open the eyes of those who watch and for others to not necessarily become activists but to not be afraid of speaking up for change. According to Aguayo, communication is key in creating change, and Ford’s film provides that avenue for communication while leaving fresh images in the viewer’s mind. Not only was I captivated by the documentary and feel sick about the result, but it also reassured me that there are many issues with racial disparity even though we are in an era that craves change. Thankfully films like Ford’s can make others more aware of what goes on, and more people can be involved in creating change for the better.
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