(From syracusenewtimes.com’
The city outside of St. Louis has been in turmoil since Monday night, as the world knows, since it was announced that a grand jury did not charge the policeman who killed teenager Michael Brown. Protesters filled the streets, fires burned, and calling it unrest would be a vast understatement.
The unsettling event has made its way into my weekly Film News blog for the Syracuse New Times today. I found a piece for screencrush.com by reviewer Mike Ryan, who’d seen “Selman” on Monday night, before that verdict was announced.
Ryan grew up in Missouri, 11 miles from Ferguson, in fact. He drew compelling parallels between the movie and the verdict.
If you’d like to read my Movie News blog on the Syracuse New Times site, click the link below.
http://www.syracusenewtimes.com/critic-agrees-selma-today/
Did the grand jury verdict in Ferguson make you think about the civil rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? Do you wish they’d bring “Selma” out in wide release earlier than scheduled because of the news in Ferguson?
Mark Bialczak 
I did think about Dr. King. I do not know what Selma is. 🙂
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Selma, Alabama, is the city he organized a march upon when a judge wrongly devised a crooked way to deny an African-American woman her right to vote.
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Oh! (I thought it was a person!) DUH! And this is a movie? If so, it sounds awesome.
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Yes, a movie recreating that famous period in our history, Rachel. 🙂
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Good to balance this against the warmth and abundances so many enjoyed at the Thanksgving table. It’s not all hearts and flowers. All the more reason to love those we’re with.
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There’s a problem, Liz, that needs working on.
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wow, what interesting timing, mark. it did make me think about all of the things that have led us to where we find ourselves now, as a nation, as people, and how we still have a way to go. but happy that we now can have a dialogue about it and to try to do better and to keep learning –
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It took a big slap on the face like this, Beth. Huge slap. The timing is something, isn’t it, though. We need healing.
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Speaking of colors: For anyone to think that violence is the answer, be him/her white, black, green, blue – the gray matter inbetween their ears is no longer gray.
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Thank you for concentrating on the gray matter, PJ.
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Tough subject, Chum. I have a lot of friends in STL…opinions run the length of the field. Sad for all involved.
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Indeed, Aud. It’s so divisive and there are opinions all over the place. Sad, all of it, and very significant for our country’s history.
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I find it to be very distressing. We are at a point where there isn’t any trust in government, law enforcement, or the justice system among the African American community. Yet, most white Americans that I know feel that racism ended years ago. Whaat? Big disconnect.
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Huge disconnect, and bad for our country, Thorton. Thanks for weighing in here.
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Life has become un-sacred for a long time now, and that is where the bottom problem lies. It’s sick. This society is sick. The only way I can survive in it all, Mark, is to as some would coin, stick my head in the clouds, by insisting on seeing Beauty, Love, and Truth in a very dark world. It amkes me so sad to see things like this happening. I could write a book here …. Oh, Mark, when will this world see that LOVE is truly the answer and that ALL are of Spirit? Love, Amy
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A lot of ramifications must be dealt with first, Amy. That is a certainty. But your wishes are sound. Stay strong.
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Too many are not being accountable for responsibility of action, Mark. How I wish this world would bow to Love. xx
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There is a huge problem there, Paul, and the solution is not a simple one. I agree. And could there ever be another man like Dr. King to infuse thought and calm and peace into a healing? I do not know. Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
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I couldn’t agree more Mark – Ferguson smacks of Selma. The one big diffference is that there is no leader like King to keep folks socussed, which could lead to even more serious and violent conditions. I used to truck in the south Mark and I can tell you that at the ground level – warehouses, farms, industry, etc – the racism and prejudice and hatred is palpable. It makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. There has been a lot of whitewash spread over it during the intervening years but the layer is thin and when something comes along that scratches it, the underlying rot stinks. There are many whites and blacks who hate the other race and have for hundreds and possibly thousands of years. The laws and political correctness prevalent today are only covering a really dangerous mind set. An explosive mind set. There were only two people who truly knew what happened in ferguson and now one is dead. Even were Mr. Brown alive, he may well remember the situation differently than the officer. A lot of interpretation and memory is based on context and the context is bad. The truth will never be known and really isn’t the issue anyways. If it had been two white men – it would not have been an issue. It is the underlying rot that is exploding to the surface, triggered by the incident. That is the BIG problem. And between you and I, that problem is inbred. I honestly do not know how it can be reasonably addressed.
Anyway, I wish all involved peace and safety in the days to come and I grieve the death of Mr. Brown. Regardless of who did what, the bottom line is that he is dead because of racism – either his expectation of it from the officer or the officer’s expectation of it. from him..
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I can’t even write about the situation. I was all over the last few that made the news…and that’s part of my problem.
Living in a place where the Civil War seems to be still going on (white vs. black, poor vs. rich, urban vs. suburban) it just makes me sad to say I was not surprised. I have not grown complacent about this, and I don’t think I will, but I can see where some just say “oh well”. And that makes me even sadder.
I want to see the movie, not sure if I can see it alone or if I should just wait until I can watch it at home. If it gets released now, some will malign it for “taking advantage” of the situation and not see the relevance, I’m afraid.
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Wait until you are comfortable, Jeanette. And, no, you are never complacent. I would not think that of you.
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It did make me think of Martin Luther King, Jr. And wish for his presence.
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It is an interesting paradox, Colleen. Thank you for commenting this Thanksgiving morning.
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There are just some people, when you think of them, give you confidence that we can become better people. He was one of them.
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