I have to say I was a little worried how this one would be received--not necessarily just on this forum, but in general.
It's a touchy subject, and I myself am white--so I only really understand one side of it. All the recent stories (Florida, Ferguson, Chicago... ever read about the NYPD's ongoing incidents?) really got me thinking how I kinda had/have my head in the sand on the subject and never acknowledged or concerned myself with the problem.
Sadly we are seeing more and more concrete (video) evidence of this racial tension. And if we are seeing this much in this time of constant cameras/surveillance what happens/happened before cell-phones and dash cams were recording?
Again... it's not just the cross-section of law enforcement that's solely guilty... it's a reflection of our society as a whole. And it's been happening around the world forever basically. Can it be fixed or is it human nature? Do you truly know what your instinctual reaction might be in an extreme situation? What preconceived notions/beliefs will come into play in that situation?
There is an interesting recent documentary, Spanish Lake, which covers the story of St. Louis city housing projects gone bad, and the local government's attempts at solving the problem. The movie, I felt, was from a very "white" perspective... I don't mean that in a negative way, it was made by a white guy nostalgic for the town he grew up in, and the movie is very, very honest. It's really thought provoking because you may find yourself appalled by what you hear people say, but you may at the same time also understand their point of view. It's excellent, but it reveals a public opinion that is not isolated to St. Louis... this same housing-project situation played out the same way in most large cities.
And as for the "cat scene"... I was going for making him as awful as possible. As if assaulting old ladies isn't bad enough.
Woodrow Village Films
youtube.com/woodrowvillage