FRUITVALE STATION OF 2009 = MARTIN & ZIMMERMAN OF 2012?
While America awaited the verdict in the Zimmerman trial over the death of Treyvon Martin, Fruitvale Station was released, providing an eerie parallel: A man with a badge is charged with the murder of a young black male. Directed by Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale Station begins with a video taken by a BART passenger of a shooting in the Fruitvale Station subway waiting area. The film next favorably depicts a 22-year-old African American, Oscar Grant III (played by Michael B. Jordan), who is trying to go straight after time in San Quentin. Despite being fired at work for showing up late, he dumps a stash of weed into San Francisco Bay, evidently hoping that his deep love for his family will help him to make a comeback. But on New Years Eve 2008, a scuffle ensues in the subway, as a former white inmate from Q spots him and starts punching. White BART police then extract four black men from the car, not the white aggressor. When Oscar objects, he is thrust face down, handcuffed, shot, and dies at a nearby hospital. Credits at the end inform filmviewers that riots broke out in the San Francisco Bay Area, a trial was held of the police officer, and whether he is convicted of the homicide. Unlike the Martin case, many eyewitnesses were available to testify, but the implication remains that black males are always under suspicion by nonblacks. MH