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TUMBLR Blog Summary

In my effort to explore the differences between how police are portrayed in movies and TV vs the real world, I came away with a few ideas.

It really hasn't changed all that much, because policing hasn't really changed all that much. Scarface and The Wire were made almost exactly 20 years apart, and their portrayals of police, while different at times, still shows how there is still a huge racial divide when it comes to how the police and the justice system in general treats people of color and minorities in this country. Twenty years later, it still hasn't changed.

Cops in Hollywood have become less stylized and protagonistic, and are more commonly antagonistic, especially in works created by people of color, who by-and-large create a much more realistic portrayal of how cops actually operate. In the 80's, cops were much less seen as bad guys, even though they still often were. This is due to a lack of real accountability and news reporting on police issues, and more fantasy cops in movies and tv, appealing to white people who haven't had to deal with policing issues as much.

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Milwaukee activist Vaun Mayes provides a clear view of how police relations with people of color reflect issues of race and ethnicity. His work focuses on problems like police violence and racial profiling that affect Black communities in Milwaukee. Mayes' activism highlights the daily struggles of these communities and the broader systemic problems. By pointing out how police practices disproportionately impact people of color, Mayes brings attention to racial and ethnic inequalities. Mayes also addresses how overlapping identities—such as race, ethnicity, and economic status—combine to affect people's experiences. For example, he shows how Black individuals face extra challenges due to both racial discrimination and economic disadvantages.

Through protests, media appearances, and community organizing, Mayes sparks discussions about racial justice. He pushes for changes in how police interact with marginalized communities and encourages collaboration across different racial and ethnic groups. This approach not only raises awareness but also promotes a more inclusive conversation about race and diversity. Vaun has worked with and created many community organizations like Program the Parks, an initiative to use public parks as a way to safely Bring people together and keep the youth busy and interested in the community. He also serves on Commerce, a community group that mobilizes to help people in the community and offer services and events for people in need.

Vaun Mayes’ work illustrates how individual activism can reveal and challenge broader issues related to race and police relations. His efforts help drive important conversations about equality and systemic reform.

P.S. I am editing a documentary about Vaun Mayes and Milwaukee's black community's relations with police with docUWM, so be sure to follow them and stay tuned for that!

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Scarface follows Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant who arrives in Miami during the Mariel boatlift. This period saw many criminals and mentally ill individuals move to the U.S., setting a challenging stage for Tony. As he rises from a poor immigrant to a powerful drug lord, his Cuban heritage plays a key role in shaping his actions and how others see him. The use of Spanish and cultural references adds authenticity but also shows the cultural barriers Tony faces. Tony is himself a criminal, and the film often shows the destructive lifestyle he lives resulting in hurting himself and others. But the film also demonstrates the turbulent state of immigration in America, and trying to assimilate with its people based on where you're from.

The film explores how race, ethnicity, and socio-economic status intersect in Tony's life. As a poor, non-English speaking immigrant, Tony faces discrimination and marginalization. His story highlights the struggles immigrants face and questions the American Dream’s accessibility to everyone. Tony's downfall comments on the destructive nature of unchecked ambition and societal pressures on immigrants to succeed.

A major part of Scarface is portraying the immigrant experience and systemic challenges. The film shows the corruption within law enforcement, highlighting the strained relationship between police and immigrant communities. It also challenges stereotypes about immigrants and people of color, encouraging viewers to consider broader systemic issues. In one scene, Tony gets grilled by some immigration officers. They grab him and accuse him of being a criminal based purely off his heritage and his appearance. While Tony did end up becoming a criminal, this was an all too realistic depiction of what immigration and authority in our country can be like to people of color.

On the other hand, many people may dislike Scarface for perpetuating negative stereotypes about Latinx individuals, particularly by portraying Cuban immigrants as violent criminals involved in the drug trade. The film's depiction of Tony Montana and other Latinx characters can be seen as reinforcing harmful clichés, which may contribute to biased perceptions and discrimination. Additionally, the excessive violence, drug use, and portrayal of a corrupt, greed-driven lifestyle might be off-putting to viewers who prefer more nuanced and positive representations of immigrant experiences and cultural identities. While this movie is a work of fiction, it could be viewed as an example of exaggerated stereotypes becoming mainstream in American culture. This is reminiscent of the "Temple of Confessions" performance, with the performers using exaggerated stereotypes to challenge viewers' ideas about Mexican and Latino identities. Being led on leashes symbolizes power and control, making the audience think about dominance and cultural perceptions. With local media capturing these moments, the parallels can be drawn to creating movies that depict people of color in harmful ways, being exploited and shown to the American people in a way that may give bad notions about a group of people.

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"The Wire," an HBO series, dives into life in Baltimore, Maryland. It explores the drug trade, the police department, and the struggles of both criminals and law enforcers. The show highlights systemic issues like poverty, corruption, and institutional failures, which are topics we've discussed in our course. It helps us understand how social and historical forces impact cultural identities and how the media shapes our views on race and ethnicity. The show also highlights issues like racial profiling and police brutality. It portrays these problems as part of a larger pattern of institutional racism, not just isolated incidents. This creates important conversations about race, ethnicity, and cultural diversity, which we've been discussing in our course.

"The Wire" connects to our course materials that discuss race, power, and privilege. For example, Takaki explains how African Americans have been systematically oppressed through discriminatory laws and practices, creating lasting racial inequalities. The show brings these discussions to life by showing how these injustices continue today. In an article about The Wire and it’s depiction of policing in America,  I found an interesting statistic: “Recently, as reported by USA TODAY, the Invisible Institute in Chicago created the largest known collection of police misconduct records, which they have made open to the public. Out of those findings the highest number of investigations were for misconduct and abuse. 22,924 for excessive force, and another 2,307 for domestic violence.” Race-based brutality in America started as early as the first settlers, with the Indigenous People being heavily oppressed by the settlers. In the first episode of “The Wire”, D’Angelo is demoted to leading a crew in a low rise project called “The Pit” This is a confined slum that many people of color have been essentially cast out to due to decades of inequality and institutional failure. This reminded me of the Wounded Knee massacre, and how the Lakota Sioux had been confined to a specific area so the government could track their movements and suppress their culture. 

Our course also emphasizes understanding intersectionality—the way race, class, and gender intersect. "The Wire" shows this by highlighting the added challenges faced by black women in the drug trade and the criminal justice system. A reoccurring event in the show is court room hearings, with many black people being unfairly treated by the justice system. Throughout history people of color have been systematically dismantled by the justice system , with not much justice being served. This is often done by attacking even the simplest of things like the way some people choose to present themselves. I am often reminded of “Picturing Us” by Deborah Willis and its ideas about how important self-representation is, and how long people of color have struggled in America to have agency over their image, rather than fit in with what the white man would rather they conform to. This is encapsulated throughout history in photography, and ho few images there are of black people that were controlled and authored by black people. In “Picturing Us”, Deborah Willis includes a quote from Frederick Douglass originally included in his article “A Tribute to the Negro”, which sums up this idea quite succinctly. “Negroes can never have impartial portraits at the hands of white artists. It seems to us next to impossible for white men to take likenesses of black men, without most grossly exaggerating their distinctive features. And the reason is obvious. Artist like all other white persons, have adopted a theory dissecting the distinctive features of Negro physiognomy.”

Citations:

Takaki, Ronald T., and Clint Smith. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Back Bay Books / Little, Brown, and Company, 2023. 

Willis, Deborah. Picturing US African American Identity in Photography Edited by Deborah Willis. New Pr, 1996. 

Armistead, Wilson. A Tribute for the Negro: Being a Vindication of the Moral, Intellectual and Religious Capabilities of the Coloured Portion of Mankind: With Particular Reference to the African Race: Illustrated by Numerous Biographical Sketches, Facts, Anecdotes, Etc. and Many Superior Portraits and Engravings. William Irwin ; Charles Gilpin, 1848. 

Adams, Kiersten. “Understanding Policing through HBO’s the Wire.” Medium, Medium, 10 July 2020, itskierstenadams.medium.com/understanding-policing-through-hbos-the-wire-778796ab23d9. 

Images:

https://wallup.net/the-wire-hbo-crime-drama-television-police-2/

https://oddstops.com/location.php?id=60

http://www.ifc.com/shows/the-spoils-before-dying/blog/2015/07/10-reasons-omar-from-the-wire-was-the-ultimate-badass