A feature film about police violence inspired by recent events. ( by Adam Neutzsky-Wulff)
Author's Notes: Do You wish to contribute to the recent awakening and movement which is trggered by heinous police brutality, death incidents in US. Their unaccountability for their police actions, protected by the phenomenon called "reasonable doubt" by lawyers who are specialised to inspire the jury to protect the police officers and their unions. "The Land of The Free and Home of The Brave" crumbles with terrifying result of the militarization of Police.
When this is said, we acknowledge Police officers have bad salaries, sometime poor working conditions, limited access to therapy, post stress disorders. Average Law Enforcement Officer Salary is $36000, 96 pct of the total resources goes to salaries, rest of (4 pct) goes to futher education, therapy, courses. So do the Police gets the correct attention, when their colleagues dies by gun shots right in front of their eyes? HOWEVER, that is NOT a excuse to use deadly force towards homeless people or rest of the population!!!! (Death of Kelly Thomas)
Do You remember Benjamin's case in 2008 in Denmark? 3 Police officers was NOT prosecuted:
"A New Year evening many years ago threw Benjamin a bottle, police discovered the incident and an arrest was made. The arrest went wrong because it ended the 18-year-old Benjamin actually dead, but was revived. Benjamin ended up with a massive brain injury, and never returned to the life he knew".
Lyt også til: Radio24Syv 11/12-2104 6.05: HER
In 2011 three officers got away with killing a man. His only crime was being homeless.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PROJECT OF MY CAREER
With the recent ruling in New York, Ferguson, the police killing of a 12-year old in Cleveland and the entire nation responding aggressively to these events, I believe now is the time for a feature film that dares to show both sides of a heated topic to try and inspire change. But we need your help to make it happen.
I want to create a film that challenges the notion of a flawless police force. I feel that clever prosecutors are shaping arguments to mislead jurors to ignore blatant police misconduct, undermining the basis of our democracy. The right to fairness is no longer a given in our modern judicial system.
This film needs to say:"Do not mock our sense of justice. Do not say it's not a race issue. Do not tell us that officers are entitled to shoot to kill just because they're carrying a badge." There is no such thing as a code of conduct when cops kill a child holding a toy gun. Police officers are public servants on duty, not soldiers at war.
Still - in order to change anything we need to show respect for all human life, regardless of skin color and understand both sides of the problem. This is about restoring our faith in human decency and that is why I feel this film is so important.
THE STORYLINE
In a random act of violence, a police officer is shot dead outside a McDonald's as his partner watches helplessly from inside the patrol car. Being part of a system driven by fear and politics where nobody respects the badge, the partner buries his rage deep inside. With the lack of resources and support to deal with his pain, his rage builds and explodes into a savage beating that kills an innocent homeless man.
When the father of the homeless man discovers that an officer killed his son, his first thought is to retaliate violently against him, but being a retired officer himself - knowing how the job can change you as a human being - he confronts the guilty officer, challenging him to be a man and come clean, to honor his oath and admit to his crime.
But the officer knows that the Blue Code of Silence will never allow him to come clean, that the police are untouchable and that telling the truth can have fatal consequences for himself and his family.
The father of the homeless guy fights an un-winnable war against the system - a system that acquits violent police officers, a corporate complex of unions and lobbyists that value their own over the life of a civilian.
When faced with overwhelming corruption, how can a father find justice for his dead son? With no understanding of the terrifying reality of being an officer, how will the violence ever end?
REBUILDING TRUST AND MUTUAL RESPECT
If we truly want a society that honors the idea of equal opportunities, we have to take better care of each other.
We need better working conditions for officers and we need to stop ignoring the fact that homeless people deserve shelter and proper care. Putting mentally ill homeless people in jail is not the solution. We have to offer them a fair chance to re-enter society in a dignified manner.
RAISING MONEY FOR A FEATURE FILM
If we're to make a feature film that has the necessary impact to inspire change it needs to be produced in a quality that makes a distributor believe in its global potential. We believe that the amount that we're asking for is an absolute minimal amount for us to make that happen.
Everyone involved in this project has been working for free for more than six months and many will continue to do so for the next two years. This is a labour of love for sure. We hope that you feel that this project is as important as we do and that you'll be part of making it happen. We're looking forward to paying you all back with lots of cool rewards.
YOUR STORIES ARE IMPORTANT TO US
We'd love to hear your personal stories of encounters with the police. You can share them on our "To Serve & Protect" Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/toserveandprotectfilm
Feel free to share your thoughts on this topic as well. They're extremely valuable to us in developing the project.
INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS
When I read about the attack on the homeless Kelly Thomas I felt shocked, provoked, angry and bewildered. I couldn’t believe that something like this could happen in America. My next thought was: Where does the violence come from? What kind of society sits passively by and watches its police force turn into an army of hardened soldiers? What kinds of working conditions make an officer a cold-blooded killer? A film about police violence has to embrace these topics.
I do not want to make a film that contributes to the growing alienation between the police force and the citizens. I want to inspire mutual understanding and respect. So this film is not "The Kelly Thomas Story". We're inspired by several real events to create the most nuanced film about this issue.
That said this film will condemn meaningless violence – no matter if it’s coming from a member of a gang whose initiation ritual is killing a cop by shooting him in the head or if it’s an officer that attacks an unarmed civilian for no justifiable reason. Violence is born out of fear. Fear of what happens when you’re pulled over and fear of what kind of weapon a suspect might hide under that long dirty trench coat.
TRUTHFULLY PORTRAYING THE REALITY OF BEING AN OFFICER
Our biggest challenge is to balance these two sides equally. We need to in order to create something that inspires best practice in the police force. We've attached a couple of consultants - a former LAPD officer and a social worker - that knows what its like to be homeless in LA, to ensure that this film is contributing to a resolution instead of just starting a fire.
It is in truth a daring project and that's exactly why I feel it belongs on this amazing platform. Every project that is backed on IndieGoGo is to my mind a form of freedom movement in itself, its a strong voice to the establishment saying:"We did this against the odds" and that's a beautiful thing.
AN EXPERIENCED CREW
I feel that we have an amazing crew with a NY based screenwriter that understands the importance of ambiguity in building our characters. We're not just good or evil. We're all capable of doing the right and the wrong thing under certain circumstances. And things will need to change if we want to restore our faith in the police force.
Our director of photography has already done several feature films and he's based in LA. We have a great editor, wonderful casting agent and everyone is in this for the importance of the subject matter, not for the pay check.
CODE OF CONDUCT
There is so much to learn from the Kelly Thomas case. One is about code of conduct. Why wasn’t he searched during the initial arrest? Why wasn’t he handcuffed at once? Why weren’t the officers aware of what happens when eight men are sitting on the chest of man? And most importantly how is it possible to get away with such a heinous act of violence when there is 30 minutes of surveillance tape proving what actually happened?
OUR SENSE OF JUSTICE IS AT STAKE
I feel that we need stories like these to remember that our society is built on the notion that democracy works and is worth fighting for. The moment we deviate from that we’re at risk of turning into dangerous animals that only fight to protect ourselves and our own interests instead of demonstrating the moral courage to face injustice and fight for the common good. We’ve managed to create an unbalanced society where the wealthy and powerful win and the poor are expendable. That needs to change.
WHY IS THIS AN IMPORTANT FILM?
I believe we’ll be able to create something that will be meaningful to a lot of people because it deals with the fascinating clash of strong and very different convictions. It’s also of great value to us that this is inspired by real events. Films like “Fruitvale Station” have proved that. I believe this project will create a buzz that gets international media attention because it is a brave, controversial and subversive act to expose the corruption and militarization of the US police force. Justice is a cause worth fighting for.
Whenever you create a film you need to ask yourself why you’re going to spend two years of your life doing it. In this case it’s easy. We want to make something that moves you because it has an important subject matter. We want the film to provoke decision makers to make a change for the better for civilians as well as for police officers. We want to make sure that this issue doesn't disappear with yesterday's news. Then maybe one day it will make sense again to write “to protect & to serve” on the side of a patrol car.
Respectfully,
Adam Neutzsky-Wulff
Lyt også til: Radio24Syv 11/12-2104 6.05: HER
Adam Neutzsky-Wulff is raising funds for "To Server & Protect"
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| Still from the mini pilot for the feature film "To Serve & Protect". It was done exclusively to give you an idea of what the feature film will feel like. |
THE MOST IMPORTANT PROJECT OF MY CAREER
With the recent ruling in New York, Ferguson, the police killing of a 12-year old in Cleveland and the entire nation responding aggressively to these events, I believe now is the time for a feature film that dares to show both sides of a heated topic to try and inspire change. But we need your help to make it happen.
I want to create a film that challenges the notion of a flawless police force. I feel that clever prosecutors are shaping arguments to mislead jurors to ignore blatant police misconduct, undermining the basis of our democracy. The right to fairness is no longer a given in our modern judicial system.
This film needs to say:"Do not mock our sense of justice. Do not say it's not a race issue. Do not tell us that officers are entitled to shoot to kill just because they're carrying a badge." There is no such thing as a code of conduct when cops kill a child holding a toy gun. Police officers are public servants on duty, not soldiers at war.
Still - in order to change anything we need to show respect for all human life, regardless of skin color and understand both sides of the problem. This is about restoring our faith in human decency and that is why I feel this film is so important.
THE STORYLINE
In a random act of violence, a police officer is shot dead outside a McDonald's as his partner watches helplessly from inside the patrol car. Being part of a system driven by fear and politics where nobody respects the badge, the partner buries his rage deep inside. With the lack of resources and support to deal with his pain, his rage builds and explodes into a savage beating that kills an innocent homeless man.
When the father of the homeless man discovers that an officer killed his son, his first thought is to retaliate violently against him, but being a retired officer himself - knowing how the job can change you as a human being - he confronts the guilty officer, challenging him to be a man and come clean, to honor his oath and admit to his crime.
But the officer knows that the Blue Code of Silence will never allow him to come clean, that the police are untouchable and that telling the truth can have fatal consequences for himself and his family.
The father of the homeless guy fights an un-winnable war against the system - a system that acquits violent police officers, a corporate complex of unions and lobbyists that value their own over the life of a civilian.
When faced with overwhelming corruption, how can a father find justice for his dead son? With no understanding of the terrifying reality of being an officer, how will the violence ever end?
REBUILDING TRUST AND MUTUAL RESPECT
If we truly want a society that honors the idea of equal opportunities, we have to take better care of each other.
We need better working conditions for officers and we need to stop ignoring the fact that homeless people deserve shelter and proper care. Putting mentally ill homeless people in jail is not the solution. We have to offer them a fair chance to re-enter society in a dignified manner.
RAISING MONEY FOR A FEATURE FILM
If we're to make a feature film that has the necessary impact to inspire change it needs to be produced in a quality that makes a distributor believe in its global potential. We believe that the amount that we're asking for is an absolute minimal amount for us to make that happen.
Everyone involved in this project has been working for free for more than six months and many will continue to do so for the next two years. This is a labour of love for sure. We hope that you feel that this project is as important as we do and that you'll be part of making it happen. We're looking forward to paying you all back with lots of cool rewards.
YOUR STORIES ARE IMPORTANT TO US
We'd love to hear your personal stories of encounters with the police. You can share them on our "To Serve & Protect" Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/toserveandprotectfilm
Feel free to share your thoughts on this topic as well. They're extremely valuable to us in developing the project.
INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS
When I read about the attack on the homeless Kelly Thomas I felt shocked, provoked, angry and bewildered. I couldn’t believe that something like this could happen in America. My next thought was: Where does the violence come from? What kind of society sits passively by and watches its police force turn into an army of hardened soldiers? What kinds of working conditions make an officer a cold-blooded killer? A film about police violence has to embrace these topics.
I do not want to make a film that contributes to the growing alienation between the police force and the citizens. I want to inspire mutual understanding and respect. So this film is not "The Kelly Thomas Story". We're inspired by several real events to create the most nuanced film about this issue.
That said this film will condemn meaningless violence – no matter if it’s coming from a member of a gang whose initiation ritual is killing a cop by shooting him in the head or if it’s an officer that attacks an unarmed civilian for no justifiable reason. Violence is born out of fear. Fear of what happens when you’re pulled over and fear of what kind of weapon a suspect might hide under that long dirty trench coat.
TRUTHFULLY PORTRAYING THE REALITY OF BEING AN OFFICER
Our biggest challenge is to balance these two sides equally. We need to in order to create something that inspires best practice in the police force. We've attached a couple of consultants - a former LAPD officer and a social worker - that knows what its like to be homeless in LA, to ensure that this film is contributing to a resolution instead of just starting a fire.
It is in truth a daring project and that's exactly why I feel it belongs on this amazing platform. Every project that is backed on IndieGoGo is to my mind a form of freedom movement in itself, its a strong voice to the establishment saying:"We did this against the odds" and that's a beautiful thing.
AN EXPERIENCED CREW
I feel that we have an amazing crew with a NY based screenwriter that understands the importance of ambiguity in building our characters. We're not just good or evil. We're all capable of doing the right and the wrong thing under certain circumstances. And things will need to change if we want to restore our faith in the police force.
Our director of photography has already done several feature films and he's based in LA. We have a great editor, wonderful casting agent and everyone is in this for the importance of the subject matter, not for the pay check.
CODE OF CONDUCT
There is so much to learn from the Kelly Thomas case. One is about code of conduct. Why wasn’t he searched during the initial arrest? Why wasn’t he handcuffed at once? Why weren’t the officers aware of what happens when eight men are sitting on the chest of man? And most importantly how is it possible to get away with such a heinous act of violence when there is 30 minutes of surveillance tape proving what actually happened?
OUR SENSE OF JUSTICE IS AT STAKE
I feel that we need stories like these to remember that our society is built on the notion that democracy works and is worth fighting for. The moment we deviate from that we’re at risk of turning into dangerous animals that only fight to protect ourselves and our own interests instead of demonstrating the moral courage to face injustice and fight for the common good. We’ve managed to create an unbalanced society where the wealthy and powerful win and the poor are expendable. That needs to change.
WHY IS THIS AN IMPORTANT FILM?
I believe we’ll be able to create something that will be meaningful to a lot of people because it deals with the fascinating clash of strong and very different convictions. It’s also of great value to us that this is inspired by real events. Films like “Fruitvale Station” have proved that. I believe this project will create a buzz that gets international media attention because it is a brave, controversial and subversive act to expose the corruption and militarization of the US police force. Justice is a cause worth fighting for.
Whenever you create a film you need to ask yourself why you’re going to spend two years of your life doing it. In this case it’s easy. We want to make something that moves you because it has an important subject matter. We want the film to provoke decision makers to make a change for the better for civilians as well as for police officers. We want to make sure that this issue doesn't disappear with yesterday's news. Then maybe one day it will make sense again to write “to protect & to serve” on the side of a patrol car.
Respectfully,
Adam Neutzsky-Wulff
To Serve & Protect :
Who is Adam Neutzsky-Wulff:
