Event

Cincinnatti Goddamn

This feature-length documentary is about police brutality, institutional racism, and the power of grassroots activism in Cincinnati, Ohio. The film focuses on the murders of Roger Owensby, Jr. and Timothy Thomas at the hands of Cincinnati Police. This poignant and powerful story of injustice is told through news reports, first-person accounts and cinema verité footage of the surviving families' long-suffering battle for justice.

"Cincinnati Goddamn" creates a platform to discuss the state executions of Black men by police and voice to the families who have suffered in silence and have been let down by the judicial system. In addition to laying bare the emotional toll that the deaths of Roger Owensby, Jr. and Timothy Thomas took on their families, "Cincinnati Goddamn" details the tactics used by Cincinnati's grassroots activist community to reform the police department. The Cincinnati Black United Front, a coalition of political organizations and activists, was able to work with the ACLU, the city of Cincinnati and the Department of Justice to craft and implement new policies and procedures that drastically reformed the police department. This model of reform known as the "Collaborative Agreement" is now being widely used in police departments throughout the United States in cities such as New Orleans and Oakland.

"Cincinnati Goddamn" not only highlights injustice, but also inspires people to action. It can be used as a training tool for non-profits, secondary and higher education and community organizers to address police misconduct, racial injustice, and judicial corruption happening worldwide.

[Director:Paul Hill, April Martin ** Category: Documentary ** Runtime: 103 min.]

*Tickets are also available in person through the LHPAI box office.