Hollywood director Ava DuVernay’s entertainment company ARRAY is launching an initiative called the Law Enforcement Accountability Project, that will use art and artists to promote stories about police violence and publicize the names of police officers accused of misconduct.
“The stories around police abuse of black people who are unarmed and should not be killed is not being well-told when officers are able to just disappear into the ether,” DuVernay said in an interview with Reuters. “I can … rattle off 30 names of black people who have been murdered by police on film over the last five years, but I can’t tell you who killed them and I can’t tell you where those people are. I think that’s unacceptable.”
Watch below:
“To be able to casually murder someone while you are being filmed happens only because you know nothing is going to happen to you.” https://t.co/uGQwj1D6lq
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 21, 2020
The project will promote stories about police violence, a cause cause célèbre that’s swept across America and the world in recent weeks following the death of George Floyd in police custody. DuVernay’s effort will support all types of artwork related to its mission, including film, literature, poetry, theater, dance, fine art, and music, with the first piece set to be released in August. DuVernay plans to release a new piece each month for the next two years, using social media to spread its visibility.
“This is an active demonstration of resistance so it will be ongoing and it will be consistent,” the Wrinkle in Time director said.
The Oscar-nominated filmmaker, whose most prominent works include Selma and Netflix’s 13th, is one of Hollywood’s many left-wing executives. Earlier this week, she issued an ominous warning to white men seeking jobs in Hollywood, saying “bias can work both ways.”
“Everyone has a right to their opinion. And we — Black producers with hiring power — have the right to not hire those who diminish us,” DuVernay declared. “So, to the white men in this thread… if you don’t get that job you were up for, kindly remember… bias can go both ways. This is 2020 speaking.”
Everyone has a right to their opinion. And we – Black producers with hiring power – have the right to not hire those who diminish us. So, to the white men in this thread… if you don’t get that job you were up for, kindly remember… bias can go both ways. This is 2020 speaking. https://t.co/8zlfL7G0bC
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 17, 2020
DuVernay is also a fervent critic of Donald Trump. Earlier this month, she warned that “silence is no longer an option” in the resistance against the “filth” of his presidency and that those who refuse to protest against him are “part of the problem.”
“If you’re not resisting, protesting, organizing, or speaking against this filth that Trump demands, you are a part of it,” DuVernay wrote on Twitter. “It’s really simple. Speak up. Silence is no longer an option.” She later deleted the tweet.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com
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