cmarthur817 Review of Baltimore Rising

Baltimore Rising (2017)

Outstanding documentary from a seldom heard perspective

[10/10 · 26 November 2017]

This documentary is highly informative and is a must see for anyone interested in social justice. We rarely have the opportunity to hear the voices of the community members who feel compelled, often at great personal and financial risk, to disrupt their (and their family's) lives to stand up for the people in their community, demanding rights to which all US citizens are entitled. Also, we rarely have the opportunity to hear personal perspectives on these same issues of police who are also members of the community. The mainstream news media often takes an 'if it bleeds it leads' stance, looking for violence - and in cases of black communities, looting - by a small minority of those present, as opposed to reporting on the actual, deeper factors that oblige everyday citizens to march in the streets. This documentary aims to look deeper, for example, as community members discuss root causes for the unrest with the new police commissioner. The language is raw in some instances, but so is the emotion. This isn't a political issue for this community and others like it: their very lives and those of their children are at stake. It's not always easy to watch, but definitely worth it to gain a deeper understanding of what occurred in Baltimore.