On Saturday, October 8th, three Palm Springs police officers were shot after responding to a family disturbance call, a seemingly routine operation that ended up being anything but.
Jose Gilbert “Gil” Vega, 63, a 35-year veteran who was due to retire in December, and Lesley Zerebny, 27, who had just returned from maternity leave after giving birth four months earlier, were both killed as a direct result of their gun-related injuries. As tragic and shocking as this situation is, officer-involved shootings– from both sides of the gun– are no longer isolated incidents, but instead are becoming more commonplace each day. The pervasive question of “how did we get here” is what makes director Craig Atkinson’s timely documentary Do Not Resist so compelling as he shines a light on the reality of American policing today, the militarization of the force, and the effect it is having on the communities they are sworn to protect.
Do Not Resist opens on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri during one of the nightly protests following Michael Brown’s shooting death in 2014, where tension and emotions are at an all-time high. Atkinson and his camera become a fly on the wall as hundreds roam the streets chanting “No Justice, No Peace” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” while police try to control the ever-growing, increasingly hostile crowd. It’s these types of scenarios that raise the question of how to ensure the safety of citizens and the officers themselves. Many seem to think that military-grade weapons, armored cars, and other various equipment will make communities a safer place, and since the federal government has given police departments more than $40 billion in military-style equipment since 9/11, access to this weaponry is so much easier.
But who is this benefitting, really? Atkinson attempts to show how citizens disagree with the choice to accept such high-powered weapons for fear that America will become a militarized war zone and in turn, the rights and free will of citizens will come second to an officer’s agenda. “More Mayberry, Less Fallujah” one protestor’s sign reads. Then there are those who side with law enforcement, claiming that they need these specific weapons, because “at some point, the state has warranted it.” And who can blame the officers for assuming the worst in others when they are consistently being trained by those in positions of authority that they are “men and women of violence” and “violence is your weapon.” Is it really any surprise then that the first reaction is to turn to military-style protection?
This issue, in general, is a divisive one, and while Do Not Resist does side with those critical of law enforcement’s tactics, there is no arguing with the facts and numbers it presents onscreen. We see and hear first-hand accounts of police training seminars admiring the reputation of law enforcement in places like Mexico and Russia and acknowledging the use of city-wide CCTV cameras with software that allows the government to track people and objects. It is all extremely eye-opening and a disturbing reality check of what 21st-century American police culture looks like today.
It can all be boiled down to the age-old question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? In this case, are extreme policing tactics to blame for the citizen’s distrust of cops and subsequent violent behavior? Or is the out of control behavior of citizens the reason for such heightened and extreme police security? Attacks on and by law enforcement, in general, is nothing new, but the rate at which it continues to happen is shocking. In the Los Angeles area alone, there have been a number of fatal police shootings in South L.A., Pasadena, as well as El Cajon, to name a few. However, there are two sides to the story, and director Craig Atkinson gives us a peek into this issue in this Tribeca award-winning documentary.
Directly or indirectly, we find ourselves at a crossroads right now when it comes to trusting the police. New cases of police brutality primarily against black men, some of whom are found to be unarmed and non-threatening, seem to make headlines every other week and only further perpetuate the stereotype of the “crooked cop.” Do Not Resist does not attempt to answer the question of how to solve this problem, rather, it forces one to become aware of the situation that is unfolding in our neighborhoods, affecting our family and friends, and tarnishing our nation. Just over an hour-long (any longer would have been incredibly depressing), Do Not Resist should definitely be mandatory viewing.
