By: Regina Deveary
On Thurs., Sept. 19, 2013, the Alpha PI Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, and the Student Activities Board collaborated to present the controversial movie, “Fruitvale Station,” starring Michael B. Jordan in the SAC Floyd Theatre. The movie depicts the daily events of 22-year old Oscar Grant. The story leads us to his murder in handcuffs by the Bay Area Police on New Years Day in 2009. Jordan’s character expresses his struggle to maintain financial stability for his family, and attempt to forget his troubled past.
After the film, guests in the theatre took a five minute break and many left with tears in their eyes. Guest facilitator Mikal Forbush, Program Coordinator at the Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice at UofL, then led a discussion on police brutality and the broken relationships between law enforcement and communities.
Alpha Phi Alpha member Osiah Graham believed events such as this must be held to raise awareness for police violence. He stated that, “An unfortunate precedence has been set in this country to devalue the lives of certain citizens, and its time for the American people to acknowledge that action must be taken”. With the very recent shooting of Jonathan Ferrell last Saturday, this event seemed very appropriate. Ferrell was shot 10 times by local police in North Carolina. He was unarmed when he approached police and asked for help. In the wake of this recent event there is no better time to discuss these issues.
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