“Fruitvale Station,” Ryan Coogler’s directorial debut, tells the heartbreaking tale of an African American man who was shot down by a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer. The film follows his final 24 hours before passing away, and this structure creates a powerful storytelling technique.
Chad Michael Murray, Kevin Durand, and Michael B. Jordan play important parts. Unfortunately, since the film’s 2013 premiere, not much has changed regarding the Black community’s relationship with law enforcement. In fact, during the past few years, such systemic manifestations of racism have come to light.
Over 5,000 police shootings have taken place nationwide since 2015, according to a database kept up to date by The Washington Post. The most recent change to this data was made on November 3, 2020.
Black Americans are slain at a rate more than twice as high as white Americans, which is another concerning but unsurprising fact. One can’t help but wonder if “Fruitvale Station” is based on a factual story with such widely available data at the forefront.
You may not be surprised by the facts we present in this post, but they are important in the modern world.
Fruitvale Station: A Story Based on Truth
Indeed, “Fruitvale Station” is based on a real-life incident. Indeed, it describes how Oscar Grant, then 22 years old, was killed by Johannes Mehserle, a BART police officer. The incident happened in Oakland early on January 1, 2009, the first day of the new year.
At the Fruitvale BART Station, authorities arrested Grant and several other passengers in response to allegations of fights that had broken out on a train.
The unarmed black man was made to lie face down on the ground by officer Anthony Pirone. Mehserle shot Grant in the back of the head at this point. The sufferer did not survive the day, despite being taken to Highland Hospital.
Cell phone recordings that prominently depicted the entire episode went viral. After this, there were numerous riots and protests throughout the city.
Alameda County prosecutors accused Mehserle of second-degree murder, a rare instance of police personnel facing consequences for their acts. Instead, he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter at trial and given a two-year prison sentence (less time already served).
However, he was released after 11 months due to the overcrowding in California’s jails. Notably, the judge dismissed the firearms enhancement allegation, which would have extended the verdict by an additional three to ten years.
Coogler discussed why he decided to emphasize Grant’s final day of life in an interview with WUPA. Being a fly on the wall and spending an entire day with someone—something you would only do with someone you are really close to—is the source of it.
According to the filmmaker, it’s also about observing how someone changes when they visit a place or engage with someone. It makes me think of the times I used to ride about with my dad and observe his behavior and speech around various individuals. Spending a day with someone can teach you a lot about them. However, there were ironies back then as well.
“That it was New Year’s Eve, and he was talking about making resolutions as we all do,” Coogler added. the fact that he spent his entire day taking care of the house. It was fascinating to watch this man, who was a notorious drug dealer and ex-con, drop his girlfriend off at work, take his daughter to school, and get ready for his mother’s birthday.
It struck me as ironic that his death occurred on the first day of the year, which was also his mother’s birthday. That’s one of the reasons I decided to do this movie in a 24-hour period. The most important thing was that I was curious about his life rather than what transpired later.
For apparent reasons, the movie resonated with the Black community after its premiere. Although the director did not anticipate the film’s level of success, he recognized that it was a reflection of society.
When Coogler said, “It’s the human element,” he was spot on. People cannot return; they are gone. Examining it from the viewpoint of those who would be most impacted piqued my curiosity.
By stating, “How somebody looks plays into how I feel about someone,” Coogler further clarified how race dominated the film. In this society, simply by looking at you, a lot of negative processes might arise if you’re African American.
The most common cause of mortality for young African American males in the US is homicide due to gun violence. People are more likely to die or have their lives taken away if they have a particular appearance. Therefore, you won’t be surprised to learn that “Fruitvale Station” is based on true occurrences.
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