Deacons for Defense

while we like to think of a world where violence is not necessary, there are times when one needs to defend oneself. this film mentions an important example: how is it that a man is allowed to fight against strangers in a war on another continent, and yet not allowed to defend his own family at home? we are still not where we need to be. i can think of too many examples of racism that i, as a white man have witnessed against people of color. we should not tolerate hate. one day i hope that understanding will conquer the ignorance that is the source of all hatred. this movie is a powerful reminder that we should not tolerate injustice. we all need to defend against those who allow violence to oppress.

we cannot allow the characterization of those different from us in the simplistic terms of being "less than" us. it is one thing to be proud of yourself, but as a race, as the human race, we cannot be proud of ourselves until we truly establish that one of us has no need to defend himself against another.

and this message could be just as easily translated into the way we deal with the difference in culture and religion between the west and the middle east. this film shows the true price of civil rights and reminds us that we cannot tolerate ignorance wherever it rears its proud, lazy, and ugly head.

I was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana (the lumber town depicted in "Deacons for Defense") and lived through the events depicted in this movie. I can attest to the fact that it is very factually recounted. The tension between the blacks and the whites during that time were very high and emotionally charged. As a child I was taught by my Klansman father that black people were to be hated. For whatever reason that never really rang true to me and I refused to hate. It's so strange to look back objectively on a movie like this that reopens those old wounds. It's about the black citizens of Bogalusa who form a group intending to protect themselves from the bigotry that envelops the city and the tough choices they had to make going into this situation with little or no backup from the city police or the elected politicians in the area. It's really a very good movie.

The only nitpick I have with this film is that it is obviously NOT filmed in Bogalusa, LA. It also does not show the poverty of African Americans who lived and worked there - one gets the impression the blacks there were leading perfectly cozy middle class lives, save for racial segregation and oppression. These folks did not live in 3 bedroom nicely decorated, cozy homes. They live in what amounts to shanties and the poverty there is third world. Bogalusa is not some idyllic looking, charming small town. It is a very depressing, gloomy place, centered around a paper mill which smells horrible (and you can smell it all over town). By not showing this it disconnects racial oppression from how bad the economic oppression was (and still is), and it's always there.

Other than that, the Deacons rock, and predated the Panthers by several years.

This excellent made-for-cable movies tells the story of a group of blacks in a small mill town who form a defense group to protect themselves from the brutality of the Klan during the dawn of The 1964 Civil Rights Act. The fact-based story centers around the main character played by Forest Whitaker (who gives his best performance in years) who was arrested and beaten by racist cop for protecting his daughter from being beat during a peace demonstration that turned ugly. After that you see his character transform from a "good nigger" who thought he knew his place to a man who realized that his dignity and family were more important than "yes sah-in'" and "no sah-in'" to the racist white townfolks. There's also good turns from Ossie Davis (I don't think this man has ever given a bad performance) and Jonathan Silverman (quite surprising), but the film clearly belongs to Whitaker. A place in American history that has gotten forgotten and buried over the years. A must-see for history buffs.

Terrific movie! Wasn't expecting this to be so inspirational but it was and that much more!