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Detroit Movie Essay

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Our country has indeed come a long way, but we still have quite a distance to go. The social construction of race perpetuates both prejudice and discrimination which is shown in the film “Detroit”, as well as incidents across the country. The events in “Detroit” may seem like they could only occur in the more racially tense times of 1967, but in reality, they still happen. Mass media helps to communicate these issues to the public, at times uniting, and at other times dividing our nation while evoking heavy emotions.
The film “Detroit” takes place in Detroit, Michigan in the summer of 1967. This movie is based on actual events that occurred in that place and time. An event is being held, where all the guests are African American, and is raided …show more content…

The events that happened at the motel that night in Detroit bear striking similarities to the cases of Freddie Gray, and Michael Brown. On April 12, 2015, Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American male, was arrested for a supposed illegal knife by the Baltimore Police Department. Injuries sustained by Gray during the arrest and transport led to him falling into a coma and succumbing to his injuries. Baltimore erupted in protests which later turned violent, and yet all six officers who were believed to be at fault had all of the charges against them dropped. Similarly, on August 9, 2014, the shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by the Ferguson Police Department incited peaceful protests which turned into civil unrest. The Grand Jury’s decision to not indict the shooting officer led to more violent protests and highlighted the Police Department’s abuse of power. These are just two of the more recent and high-profile incidents. Thankfully, we do have more thorough and in-depth news coverage across the country compared to 1967 to help bring awareness to such injustices as these. Although, sometimes with false and biased news, the media can create more division instead of unity.
Reflecting on the film “Detroit” made me feel angry and sad. I mostly feel angry at the people

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