In case you haven’t noticed, there are still race issues in America. The most recent way this has flared up revolves around the number of African Americans killed by police—often unarmed. But there is much more to the problem than that. When Justice Isn’t Just tries to show a few of the issues around the question of race. However, its forty-two minutes is not nearly enough to truly be effective.
The film proves three chapters for consideration: Unarmed, focusing on the police killings of various African American; Black on Black Crime, speaking of the way that issue is often a deflection of real consideration of the problem; and The Legal System¸ which looks at the ways African Americans and poor people face uphill battles in court. The film is clear in its presentation of the core issues.
I think most people will have seen a good deal of the news video footage built around the police shootings and the protests that often followed. The first half of the film almost feels like a Black Lives Matter commercial. I know that comment will attract some people and repel others. I would hope that those who may be averse to that concept would be willing to watch and hear just what those involved with BLM have to say. Sadly, I think this film will mostly be preaching to the choir—a not uncommon problem for documentaries trying to speak to social ills.
For me, there is not much new information here. But then, then as a part of a Pro-Reconciliation and Anti-Racism denomination, I have been in discussions about these ideas frequently. For many others who may not have really stopped to consider the ways justice is often denied to many people in our society, this film might serve as a first step in your consideration.
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