Public Enemy 1999
Distributed by First Run/Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Denis Freyd
Directed by Jens Meurer
VHS, color and b&, 50 min.
Sr. High - Adult
African American Studies, Urban Studies, Multicultural Studies, Sociology
Date Entered: 07/15/2004
Reviewed by Katherine Parsons, Information Literacy Outreach Librarian, Bronx Community CollegeA group of black revolutionaries formed an organization called the Black Panther Party in 1966 to end police brutality and the economic, political and social inequalities that oppressed Black people. They did this by patrolling (policing) neighborhoods and offering food, medical, educational and employment assistance to community members.
Former members, Kathleen Cleaver, Jamal Joseph, Bobby Seale, and Nile Rodgers sit down for candid interviews discussing their participation in the Black Panther Party as well as the party’s impact in their personal lives and society as a whole. During the interviews, Cleaver, Joseph, Seale and Rodgers question whether blacks have been empowered and have they advanced both economically and socially because of the party. Unfortunately, they all acknowledge the increase in police brutality and misconduct cases throughout minority communities today.
Through archival footage and personal accounts, the viewer gets a vivid look at the type of police brutality and misconduct that sparked the Panthers to action, as well as the party’s social programs and rallies that where held to promote equality. This program, which is an introduction to the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, will leave viewers wanting more information on this unique and important group in our nation’s history. Some explicit language.