Do Not Resist

Over the past 25 years, the United States has seen a disturbing militarization of its sworn law enforcement offices – a 25 percent increase in SWAT team raids, a mass influx of military-grade equipment in small-town communities, and the seeming immunity of a new force of violent warrior-cops.

Starting on the streets of Ferguson, Mo., as the community grapples with the death of Michael Brown, Tribeca Film Festival award winner Do Not Resist offers a disturbing glimpse at the current state of policing in America and, if left unchecked, a troubling indictment on the future of police culture. The film puts viewers in the center of the action – from a ride-along with a South Carolina SWAT team to the inside of a police training seminar that teaches the importance of "righteous violence" – before exploring where controversial new technologies, like predictive policing algorithms, could lead the law and criminal justice fields next.

New America NYC hosted a screening of the film followed by a conversation director and producer Craig Atkinson to explore what needs to be done to mend the growing rift between police forces and the communities they are tasked with serving.

PARTICIPANTS

Craig Atkinson @DoNotResistFilm
Director and Producer, Do Not Resist

Maria Ponomarenko @m_ponomarenko
Deputy Director, Policing Project, New York University School of Law