Film Review: Detroit
On July 25th, 1967, Detroit police officers claimed the lives of three innocent teenagers: Aubrey Pollard, 19, Fred Temple, 18, and Carl Cooper, 17. While constructed and dramatized, Detroit (2017) is an upsetting film depicting this event in the fifth largest city in America. It features award-winning, familiar actors such as Chris Chalk, Khris Davis (also known for his role as Tracy on FX’s Atlanta), Tyler James Williams (also known for his role as Chris on Everybody Hates Chris) and so many more. The talent alone renders the film a must-see. It demonstrates the continuous nature of police brutality, an aspect of American history that has corrupted the justice system for centuries.
The film was produced by Kathryn Bigelow, recipient of two Oscars for her work on Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and The Hurt Locker (2008). Bigelow was undoubtedly inspired by The Algiers Motel Incident written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Hersey, published in 1968, in which he confessed the purpose of his book was “to demonstrate that there had in fact been no sniper and that the three black men were murdered ‘for being thought to be pimps, for being considered punks, for making out with white girls … for being, all in all, black young men and part of the black rage of the time.’”
Bigelow’s inclusion of real footage and photographs of the events that transpired at the Algiers Motel conveys the gut-wrenching reality of the film throughout. On the second day of one of the worst riots of the 20th century, Governor George W. Romney was recorded saying, “At the request of Mayor Cavanaugh, we’ve made state police and National Guardsmen available to assist in dealing with what is a case of lawlessness and hoodlumism and to protect the persons and property of people in the areas involved.” 150 blocks had been declared “No Man’s Land.”
Ronald August, portrayed as Officer Demens played by Jack Reynor, confessed to murdering Audrey Pollard at point blank range without cause and was acquitted. As the Washington Post explains, the other two officers, Robert Paille and David Senak portrayed by Will Poulter as Officer Krauss (also known as Mark in Midsommar or Colin Ritman in Bandersnatch) and Ben O’Toole as Officer Flynn, were later tried in federal court on charges “to deny the civil rights of eight black teenagers and two white women by threatening and beating them.” The trial was moved to Flint to keep Hersey and his book’s popularity from affecting the trial. They were aquitted. No charges were filed regarding the deaths of Cooper and Temple. The land where the Algiers Motel was is now an empty, grassy lot.
Outside of the above known facts about the incident, I am unable to discern between fact and fiction. However, the fact that it is not obvious emphasizes the reality of the situation. It is important to grasp the concept that we are not all equally protected under the law so that we can finally move on with the next step: change.
At the beginning of the film, Officer Krauss shot Tyler James Williams’s character in the back twice with a shotgun for looting a grocery store. The officer was let off with a warning for taking the man’s life, allowing him to be on patrol and respond to the call at the Algiers Motel. Carl supposedly shot a missing starter pistol out of the window at some military troops, which prompted the arrival of state police, National Guard, and, of course, the Detroit Police Department. In the film, Carl’s rant beforehand sounds heartbreakingly familiar: “Y’all don’t have to deal with the police nearly as much as we do. When you’re Black, it’s almost like having a gun pointed right at your face.” When police arrived and blindly shot into the building, Carl ran down the stairs to be shot in the back by none other than Officer Krauss.
Michigan State Police were the first to leave the scene, citing that they wouldn’t want to get involved in any civil rights issues. The Detroit police officers began pulling men into separate rooms and pretending to kill them to pressure the others to confess to the location of the gun. After Officer Flynn ripped the dress off of one of the two white girls from Ohio and a Detroit police officer unaware of the fake murder tactic murdered Aubrey Pollard, the military pulled out of the situation.
Officer Krauss let two of the remaining victims go. The third, Fred Temple, refused to play the officer’s sick game and was also shot at point blank range multiple times.
Officer Melvin Dismukes worked as a security officer at a grocery store on 12th street and brought coffee to the military troops who had gotten a warrant to search a building for a sniper when they were supposedly “shot at” from the Algiers Motel. Dismukes witnessed half of the nights events until Officer Kauss began to beat a former honorably discharged United States veteran. He was interrogated as a suspect due to one of the white girls’ false identification at a line-up.
Officer Demens felt guilty for killing Aubrey and told the truth when asked as did Officer Flynn despite Officer Kauss’s wishes. In the face of complete statements from his partners, Officer Kauss never gave in. The officers’ lawyer’s entire defense was an attempt to invalidate the credibility of the witnesses called to the stand, which was apparently all that was needed to convince a white judge and all-white jury to dismiss their confessions. After the trial in the film, one man emphasizes that “police criminality needs to be treated the same as any other form of criminality.”
At the end of the film, it is explained that, “Melvin Dismukes moved to the suburbs and worked security for companies including Sears Roebuck.” Thankfully, none of the aforementioned officers returned to active duty, although it is still incredibly disappointing that they will never be shown true justice. One of the officers had to pay a $5,000 fine to Audrey Pollard’s family; Fred Temple’s family sued the city of Detroit for wrongful death and their settlement is contingent upon the city’s refusal to admit guilt.
Detroit can currently be streamed on Amazon Video with a Starz subscription (there is a seven day free-trial option — one may cancel the subscription immediately after accepting the offer so as not to forget and be charged for a month-long subscription), a premium Hulu subscription, a premium Sling TV subscription, a premium Philo subscription, or for $3.99 and up on YouTube or Amazon.
“The promise of equal opportunity for all turned out to be an illusion. Change was inevitable. It was only a matter of how, and when.”
