Do Not Resist

Ferguson was a watershed moment for both race and class relations in America. The most troubling images of the protests, following the death of Michael Brown, showed police officers equipped like soldiers — complete with assault vehicles — standing face-to-face with an increasingly alienated populace. It was easy to mistake footage of Ferguson for that of a war zone. An interesting companion to The Prison in Twelve Landscapes, which documents the impact of the US prison system, Craig Atkinson’s Do Not Resist exposes the political machinations that led police forces across the United States to resemble paramilitary organizations. Expertly chosen court and news footage show us the cause-and-effect relationship between bureaucratic policing decisions and the use of military-grade equipment against protesters. When the film takes a streetlevel view though, the stark reality of the decaying relationship between police officer and citizen is rendered clear. Interviews with officers, protesters, and community members reveal just how wide the gulf between police and communities has become — in Ferguson and elsewhere. Witnessing police forces launch devastating strikes on the very people that they are trying to protect, one can’t help but feel that something has gone terribly wrong in the home of the free. -CP