By: Symphony Webb
HOUSTON — In his efforts to speak out against police brutality, T.I.’s film mirrors the relationship between the Black community and police officers in America. The short film is a part of the third phase of his Us or Else movement that began in Atlanta when he released his EP in September 2016 Us or Else, then later released an album Us or Else: Letter to the System in December, which expressed the frustration of many people who are affected by police brutality against Black men and women.
“Police brutality is really just a tentacle to a larger problem — the racial divide and the systemic racism that goes on from the highest of highs to the lowest of the low of society in America,” T.I. told CNN.
T.I. plays three different characters in the film; a hustler, police officer, and pastor. All three characters deal with the death of a young black male from their neighborhood in their own way, all giving a different points of view on how the community feels and how people may handle the situation in a real life scenario.
“If you place any creature in such excruciating circumstances over periods and periods of time … after so long, they will be agitated and antagonized,” he told CNN. “It’s human nature, so to not expect that after the type of treatment that has been rendered is insane.”
Hopefully this film will help bridge the gap between the Black community and the police.
