Ferguson: Life Matters

Ferguson: Life Matters

2015, Crime  -   127 Comments
4.58
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Ratings: 4.58/10 from 136 users.

In the wake of several police shootings of unarmed black Americans, Ferguson: Life Matters goes to the hometown of Mike Brown, one such unarmed black American whose murderer has since walked free and left the Ferguson Police Department on his own accord. We are guided throughout the film by a Missouri resident who is credited as a student and musician as he addresses what he perceives to be the roots of the problems in the inner city and gives insights on what he and the people around him feel would be appropriate solutions, or at least appropriate viewpoints for assessing the issues.

We are given a glimpse of the protests happening in Ferguson not only as movements for a solution, but also as an opportunity for those who would choose to do the neighborhood harm to do just that through looting and property destruction. A staggeringly small amount of this property destruction is aimed at the police or any external factor perceived to do harm to the people of the community, but is instead directed at local entrepreneurs who have only worked to service the community's economy.

The fact that we aren't provided with much more than opinions and a bit of figurative b-roll means that this probably won't be the definitive documentary film on the subject of Ferguson's racial climate, Mike Brown, or the underserved minority population on Ferguson; all subjects touched on in this film. Instead hard facts or statistically based graphs of any kind, we are presented with the opinions of religious figures, local business owners, and even some of our young guide's friends.

The film comes to a point where we are taken into to the guide's recording studio session; not entirely necessary for providing us with context on what the film is all about. Still, it opens up a dialogue and keeps a conversation going about an injustice that is bigger than one place and one person.

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Andrew
Andrew
7 years ago

They have no argument, facts or logic,
That is the number one rule from the liberal playbook.
If they have nothing, they try to shut down the debate by calling racist.

Cold Canuck
Cold Canuck
8 years ago

RACIST! RACIST! This type of reaction is getting so old it's like yelling NAZI ! at everything that easily offends [or just disagrees]with your own naive,politically correct nonsense .Stereotypes are not randomly arrived at but they are re enforced by bad behavior.There is definitely a large proportion of people who play up the race card as a means of absolving themselves of responsibility but this B.S. will only take you so far.Act civilized and be treated as such.Progressive whiners would not last a week as law enforcement in the real world.Victimhood is not a viable career option.

eddy
eddy
8 years ago

@BlueTortilla
You make the same comparison Ive heard so many times before.. About schools in black neighborhoods being so much worse than those in white neighborhoods.. Seems that you, as many others believe its about funding. In my experience, going to inner-city public schools, it has nothing to do with funding. Im sorry if it sounds racist...but, when the teacher has to spend 30min of class time addressing the total chaos and disrespect caused by mostly black students...it makes it impossible for any teaching and/or learning to take place. Its not progressive or impressive to believe its the fault of the school system or funding, its just flat-out BS. I don't consider it racist to trust my eyes and ears to see what, why, and who disrupts classroom progress. Its the culture of inner-city blacks to gain attention and respect to show total disrespect and disdain towards order and education. Ofcourse I realize that this culture all stems from slavery and inequality etc...but, at some point blacks in America must take responsibility for themselves and their actions and values. I didnt grow up in Ferguson, but in San Francisco. I understand liberal thinking, and how it feels good to feel "progressive" ... I just am not afraid to call it as I see it... Its not racist in my opinion to say that inner-city black culture respects criminal behavior and disdain for education. I grew up in poor neighborhoods...sweeping up broken beer bottles was frowned upon and laughed at by my black neighbors...the ADULTS at that. Am I saying ALL inner-city blacks are the same? NOPE. But, I have no problem saying that it is definitely not few and far between that have no respect for order and education. I was a teenager in the late 80s/early 90s.. I noticed the huge effect of the inner-city black THUG culture going mainstream.. It has DEFINITELY had a negative influence on ALL inner-city children, and continues to this day.. American Blacks have had it rough, thats a fact..But, its up to them to take notice and take action to make changes. I often believe that if just ONE generation of black fathers gave their children real love and a positive outlook on education and self-esteem, not from the violent anti-social THUGLIFE value system..that a HUGE, positive difference in the future of black America could take shape. Jake Harris may be a bit crass..but, his comments in this thread, and others Ive seen is actually more helpful to blacks than your so-called progressive racist finger pointing.. I believe that to the fullest and am really sick to death by the "progressive" liberal, PC crap that you believe so righteous. You, and the folks like you that feel so good about yourselves do more damage than good.

shhhirey
shhhirey
8 years ago

Also, just curious to know how jtripper would define Marxism. Anyone who disagrees with you?

kcsummer
kcsummer
8 years ago

Michael Brown was a thug - the policeman acted in self defense. The system ruled GIVE IT A REST STOP WHINING GROW UP GET A JOB -[ don't do drugs and then go out in the street, assault a police officer and try to steal his gun and expect to be alive tomorrow

jtripper
jtripper
8 years ago

More Marxists trash.
The racist federal government could not bring charges against the officer and they worked hard at trying to lynch him.
The thug who attacked the officer received justice, only a Marxist fool could read that script and come up with a different conclusion.

United West Africa
United West Africa
8 years ago

Well, it's funny to see Russia (a Russian channel) trying to give the US lesons about human rights and minority rights when that same country does at least 100 times worse when it comes to non-white residents.

bayman61
bayman61
8 years ago

If you blacks put as much effort into being a man or a woman instead of being black, your race would not suffer as much as you say it does. Plus, try doing what an officer of the law tells you to do, instead of smart mouthing them or running. You bring hatred on yourselves by your actions. The white man has nothing to do with it.

StillTruth
StillTruth
8 years ago

MSNBC & CNN are the new lynch mob.....more white people are shot than black people...Mike Brown was a thug....is it racist for a white woman to be afraid of two black men whop are walking up? is it racist for a black man to be afraid of two white police walking up?

bluetortilla
bluetortilla
9 years ago

The Justice Department has just given Ferguson, MO a scathing report finding of blatant racism being practiced within the justice system and Ferguson has fired its city manager.
I think that firmly takes this debate beyond one tragic incident and into the institutionalized racism that exists all over the United States, in cities big and small.

Jonathan Roseland
Jonathan Roseland
9 years ago

I watched this and several other videos trying to better understand the perspective of the rioters and protesters...

I've yet to come across a rational pro MB argument, other than the 30 seconds of ballistics speculation in the beginning of this documentary, most of the content just centers around what a shitty place Ferguson is and showing how angry people are, chanting black lives matter; I wish someone would have told that to MB before he took a chance with his and decided to start a fight with a police office.

This whole movement is just a big failure to apply Occam's razors, what is a more simple explanation for the murder of MB?

a) That a reckless young man, who was acting like a thug that day, was trying to impress a friend and started a physical confrontation with a cop, the cop overreacted to his imposing physical stature and shot him.
b) That a trained police officer was secretly a murderous racist, executed an innocent man and then immediately called his superiors to investigate the crime he had just committed.

bluetortilla
bluetortilla
9 years ago

There are very pertinent things I've noticed in this thread. First, instead of the 'usual' Top Documentary commenters this thread drew out from the woodwork a lot of racists and semi-psychotic people that you usually see in more insipid forums like Youtube. Secondly, it seems obvious that not too many African Americans from St. Louis or otherwise have watched or commented here (with some notable exceptions). And finally I think it's odd that when it comes to foreign genocides and SE Asian factory slavery the indignant reaction is high, but when it comes to race relations in the U.S., particularly black and white inter-city relations, there's an eerie silence from the usual liberals.
I guess you could blame it on the video's quality, but I think that's just an excuse. People don't want to touch this. It's too volatile, frightening and too close to home. Too bad. You don't change things by ignoring them.

Nuffin
Nuffin
9 years ago

Uh, you all do know that Holder's DOJ has exonerated Officer Wilson thus exposing the lie of "hands up". You do that, don't you?

Sportsbruh
Sportsbruh
9 years ago

44:30 should be the starting point of this documentary; the problem is systemic and institutionalized racism; always have been; The white elites by and through their corporations, media and government ARE the monsters that keep division and scapegoating alive; along with a few other nefarious buggers

nothingpetty
nothingpetty
9 years ago

There are some valid points made during this documentary, especially around the forty minute mark, but they are diluted by an odd lack of focus, a badly articulated point of view. Midstream, the piece changes from what seemed to be a documentation of reaction to the unfolding of the Michael Brown travesty of justice, to some kind of depressed area travelog. In the end, one is uncertain about what the documentary is about.

TManns
TManns
9 years ago

According to the Bureau of justice statistics written by Alexia Cooper, 84% of white homicide victims murdered by whites, and 93% of black victims murdered by blacks. I agree the man in New York selling single cigarettes was shameful and the police involved should answer for their actions. The same for the kid who was shot in Cleveland, Oh.
What is the defense for Mr. Brown? Is the video of him assaulting a store owner (strong arm robbery) a fake? Did he not rush the officer and assaulted him when asked to stop so he could be questioned? Are we suspending the facts in this case? Are we at the point now if you break the law you should somehow be given a free pass because the perpetrator is black and the policeman white? Would we even be talking about this if the policeman was black?

Clay99
Clay99
9 years ago

It's not about white supremcists. Look, we know the gentle giant had just strong armed robbed a store. We have the video showing this. The cop was doing his duty to stop the guy. The guy rushed him. The cop, who is a person just like you are, and wanted to go home and be with his family, used lethal force to stop the gentle giant. Don't make this into something that it wasn't. Apalling.......

JustLove
JustLove
9 years ago

I wanted to check the comments just to see if I wanted to watch the film. I decided not too because I have heard (read) all the hateful, disrespectful, and just plain mean speak I can tolerate for tonight. I never can get over how easy we ignorant humans jump at the chance to criticize, argue, and put down all who do not agree with another's opinion. We all have our own story. NOONE can know, nor understand another person completely, as none has walked in another's shoes. That is why we must lean that unless we can learn to love and give grace and mercy to those we may even see as our enemies.....then we will most likely NOT survive as a species. We are all flawed and none can learn this kind of unconditional love without God and the Holy Spirit. I have spent many years and have experienced or glimpsed this love, and it is worth fighting for (the battle is within). Love is the only weapon for which there is NO defense. Dr. King was right about how to achieve any form of meaningful change has to come with peaceful, loving, determination, and patience. We must first learn to accept and love one another for who we are, with the hope of who we can become as our driving force, not anger, that focuses on our differences and seeks to make them faults. Let love be your driving force and we CAN change the world. God help us all to seek to lift up one another, and reach out a hand of hope and love. We have a common enemy and he will fight us every step of the way and only love can defeat him. Rise above. Seek to evolve into a race of loving human beings who help rather than harm and stand together against ALL who refuse to stop the violence and harm to our brothers and sisters across the globe. Peace and Love to you all. Carla

bluetortilla
bluetortilla
9 years ago

Well, as far as I can tell the responses below are clearly either by racists or anti-racists and the none-too-attractive racists are winning (if you'll allow me the term) more than two to one in points and in number of posts.
Come on people! Where are you? Racists may get away with spewing out their poison on Stormfront, but are you going to let them do it here?
I'd also like to suggest that Top Documentary forums get rid of guest voting. Nearly all the pro-racist up votes here are by guests or Doug DeGrave.

Sykenton
Sykenton
9 years ago

Laughable grievance industry piece of BS.

bluetortilla
bluetortilla
9 years ago

Wow. Who'd have thought that this would bring out all the white supremacist lurkers on the forum? It's like a swarm. I suggest that they neither know history or understand in the least the ramifications of traumas that are inflicted upon generations of people will always influence subsequent generations.
Haven't any of you seen 12 Years a Slave?
Even Christians today are still obsessed with those 'chosen people' being led out slavery in Egypt and the all the hardships that followed. Why is so hard to understand the anger that arises when you force a race of people from their homes, chain them into ships, and then sell them in an unknown land as something even less deserving of kindness than livestock?
I come from St. Louis. I grew up there and I know what American style racism is. Setting aside an international debate, the U.S. at home remains a racist country in the meanest and most brutal way. If you doubt it, live in any urban area in that nation and get ready for a shock course.
And incidentally, its propaganda encourages the poorest whites to continue to bear the brunt of force against blacks, as it has always done. Not much has changed from the 'overseer' paradigm. In fact, if you're black and stuck in a hell hole like North St. Louis, it just keeps getting worse.

bluetortilla
bluetortilla
9 years ago

A lot of this is North St. Louis, not Ferguson. JFYI

Rambling Cyclops
Rambling Cyclops
9 years ago

I have much admiration for the few minorities that take responsibility for their own. They are, in essence, 'self-governing' of errant behavior amongst themselves, according to their own cultural standards. Which often happens to be higher standards than what is typically assumed in middle-class America. They WANT to be accepted and valued as a co-operative and integral part of a larger community, HERE. They don't expect to be granted status and respect without earning it on America's terms.

The other Peoples that fail to recognize they are responsible for the reputation they have earned, focus instead on demanding for what they believe is owed to them. They will never be regarded as an equal to those who have the dignity and self-respect to be honest with themselves.......by understanding this simple concept: It's not up to us to accept you. It's up to you to want to be accepted.
An inability to act as a community, by not committing yourselves to enforcing an adherence to common values amongst yourselves, is not our burden to carry for you.
It's not up to us to unite you with that understanding.
It's not up to us to change an attitude about all of you, that is perpetuated by many amongst you. How are we to distinguish them from the rest of you, if you will not cohesively condemn their actions and take your own societal measures to prevent their re-occurrence?
It's not up to us to apologize and appease you if you can't take responsibility for the actions of your own....and change it yourselves.
The more you think we should account for your behavior, the less we will trust your ability to control it.
What in this statement does not make sense?
If you have no stake in reducing or eliminating the violence amongst yourselves, we are obligated to protect ourselves from the potential threat you represent.
We're taking responsibility for our own self-preservation, because you won't take any for your own self-control.
If you have no stake in improving the fragmentation of family honor, why do you demand honorable regard? If you have no stake in addressing blatant racial hypocrisy, why is racism abused and exaggerated as an excuse for an attitude unconcerned with the truth?

Of course, the amount of denial to this common-sense is proportional to the fear that it may be right. Pride is often mistaken for dignity.
Isn't it ironic that true dignity arises from the absence of such petty investments?
We are constantly reminded to reevaluate what we naturally perceive from experience.....because it is not in favor of those who do nothing to actually change our minds.

gaboora
gaboora
9 years ago

Anyone who will defend this punk at the expense of the good cop is either ignorant or racist because now we know the facts. Blacks will be inferior until they stop whining, rioting, and loitering. The inferiority complex is something that blacks love to wallow in. It's their idol; it's their god; it's their raison d'etre. (I speak generally regarding American blacks and President Obama in 2015.) Things get better when you stop feeling sorry for yourself and learn to pull your pants up. Orientals owned that business on the street because they were willing to work for it.

Richard Neva
Richard Neva
9 years ago

I am sick and tired of these apologist films for thug life continue! Police are handcuffed enough and this adds insult to injury.

Who is they?
Who is they?
9 years ago

That the lead-in description of this so-called documentary uses the phrase "...whose MURDERER has since walked free..." (emphasis added) should be enough to alert any rational person to conclude that its producers are tendentious, delusional fact-deniers.
The police officer who was attacked by a 275 lb, caught-on-video criminal was demonstrably proven NOT to be a 'murderer', but rather simply a man trying to save his own life from this thuggish brute, aka one of "our children" by the apologists for the barbarians in our midst.

Defending the indefensible is (or at least should be) unconscionable. That it's not is the heart of the problem for these black communities.

THE REVELATOR
THE REVELATOR
9 years ago

JAKE YOU SPEAK THE GOSPEL TRUTH. To Hell with those to vain to see it.Bring your fed doorknockers on. I have a 500 grain cure for that. Blacks continue their war against the white community daily.The HS times are near. The super strain of sickle cell is nearer. This social malady will soon correct itself.

Jake Harris
Jake Harris
9 years ago

The next time a White guy shoots a Black guy all he needs to say is, "Yo! He wore red in my hood!" or "Dat foo looked at my baby mama!" or "He aint be from my street so I put a cap in dat azz!" All legit reasons that Blacks murder other Blacks so they should be fine for White guys too- right? . Unless of coarse they are looking for a reason to riot! Nothing comforts claims of discrimination like a flat screen TV.

Jake Harris
Jake Harris
9 years ago

Here is the playbook Blacks use when asked about Black issues: Call the person racist. Insult the person's intelligence. Dismiss any facts or statistics as racist. Deflect away from the issue. Blame slavery. Make a claim that is unable to be substantiated. Call the person racist again and riot. Under NO circumstances will you admit that Black choices have ANYTHING to do with the issue.

dewflirt
dewflirt
9 years ago

Not much can be said of the incident that led to the riots, we'll never know exactly what took place during those first few moments at the car. Only two people can tell that story and one of them (an unarmed kid) ended up dead. If there hadn't been a gun to hand, if there was no reason for cops to carry guns, this would have been no more than a scuffle and an arrest. Well, perhaps a bit of choke hold action/manual lynching, but at least he'd have had some chance of surviving? I'm sure racism played some part, institutional racism that is. If the people of Furguson saw it so immediately it's probably because they expect to see it, which suggests it's commonplace.

Joe
Joe
9 years ago

For anybody that has followed the militarization of the police knows that this is not new. You will not find me debating that blacks dont get the short end of the stick with our justice system. However, people of all colors are shot and killed daily by the police but the media chose to single out Mike Brown. WHY? Simply google Chavis Carter and then google Victor White III

karoogy
karoogy
9 years ago

so dumb its literally insane

Jake Harris
Jake Harris
9 years ago

It wouldn't matter if there was video evidence from 100 HD cameras with full audio and God as an eye witness that Michael Brown attacked the cop. The "protesters" would ignore it all and still scream, RACISM!