Crime + Punishment: Stephen Maing

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I really need to get out to the Bronx more. After a tip-off from @kenjfuj, I checked out Franz Sigel Park tonight for an evening of live music, free food, invigorating cinema, and rousing community engagement. After a salsa concert by the Leo Munoz & Orquestra Los Nieves Del Sabor (along with an adorable young boy from the audience who joined the band to play the maracas) and free Mexican food—why have I gone so long without knowing the joys of spinach and cheese empanadas?—we settled in for a screening of Stephen Maing’s powerful documentary CRIME + PUNISHMENT, a movie which explores the NYPD 12, a group of twelve police officers who brought a class-action lawsuit against the Force over illegal arrest and summons quotas that disproportionally affect minority communities. I was particularly moved by the subplot involving Manuel Gomez, an ex-officer turned private investigator who in the last three years has freed 97 prisoners unjustly imprisoned over trumped up charges to meet illegal quotas. After the Q&A with director Maing, members of the 12, and Gomez, I actually got to shake the hand of this great crusader and say it was a joy to finally meet a real-life superhero.

A post shared by Nathanael Hood (@nch257) on Sep 14, 2018 at 9:44pm PDT

Rating: 7/10