Chuck D Joins “Use Of Force: The Policing Of Black America” As Co-Producer And Narrator

June 16, 2021 Zhane Squire

Powerful New Documentary On Police Brutality and The Paths To Reform Features Wide Cross-Section of Interviews Ranging From Victim Families, Activists, Prosecutors and Law Enforcement

OAKLAND, Calif., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — “USE OF FORCE: The Policing of Black America”, a new documentary that delves into the history of fatal encounters between police and people of color and explores options for reform, announces Chuck D has signed on as Co-Producer and narrator of the film. This in-depth look into police brutality examines different solutions being implemented by changemakers seeking to reduce the unnecessary killings of unarmed Black men and women and to improve relationships between law enforcement and communities of color.

The film features interviews and viewpoints from a broad spectrum of key figures in the movement, including Mrs. Valerie Bell, the mother of Sean Bell who was shot and killed by New York City police in 2006. She and others describe the devastating loss and offer hope for legal and ethical reform. “This film sheds light on the need for police reform and my relentless focus to ensure no other family lives through the pain of fifty shots,” says Bell. “What happened to our family was not good, but I am grateful to God for allowing me to fulfill my purpose. God will always get the glory while Sean Bell get his rightful story.”

“USE OF FORCE” is produced by Premo Studios, Stable Six and Islabrava Productions. Cary Grant, Lathan Hodge, Esteban Martin and NFL All-Pro Defensive End Calais Campbell are Executive Producers of this international co-production, with Chuck D as Co-Producer.

“These experiences need to be told and retold,” says Chuck D, “and it’s the selflessness of these families that keeps us pushing for reform. Cary, Lathan, Calais and their team make ‘USE OF FORCE’ a necessary history lesson – one that we’re still living through.” “The anniversary of George Floyd’s murder was a stark reminder that there is still so much to be done. We are driven to showcase unique and compelling stories like this that have impacted our society,” adds Cary Grant, Executive Producer. “As the country engages in the discussion of racial justice and excessive use of force, we wanted to create a film that features solutions to the issue.”

“USE OF FORCE” includes interviews with an unprecedented cross-section of political leaders, activists, victims’ families, law enforcement and prosecutors:

Valerie Jarrett, Former Senior Advisor to Former President Barack Obama
John Choi, County Attorney (Ramsey County, MN) and prosecuting attorney in the Philando Castile case
Valerie Bell, Mother of Sean Bell, killed by NYPD
Alicia Garza, Principal at Black Futures Lab, Co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, the Strategy & Partnerships Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the co-founder of Supermajority
Jonathan Parham, Former Police Chief (Linden, NJ)
George Hofstetter, University Innovation Fellow at Stanford Fellow and founder of George Hofstetter Technologies
Glenn Kirschner, Former Federal Prosecutor and MSNBC Legal Analyst
Roy Austin, Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General under former President Barack Obama
Jacquelyn Carter, Executive Director of the Alliance for Safe Traffic Stops
Adanté Pointer, Civil Rights Attorney (Oscar Grant, Willie McCoy)
“Pastor Mike” McBride, Director of Urban Strategies and LIVE FREE Campaign with Faith in Action, co-founder of Black Church PAC and the National Black Brown Gun Violence Prevention Consortium, Advisor on former President Obama’s Faith Based Advisory Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Dr. Taft Quincey Heatley, Lead Pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church (Alexandria, VA)
Frank Baumgartner, Richard J. Richardson Distinguished Professor of Political Science at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, founding member of the Board of Directors of Healing Justice and author of “Suspect Citizens.”