WATCH: Missoula Artists Take Stand Against Police Brutality
With protests around the country and in Missoula in the wake of George Floyd's death still ongoing, the topics of police brutality and systemic racism have been at the forefront of every conversation. It's a difficult conversation to have, but a necessary one.
In that vein, it's been interesting to see how Black artists have responded to everything that's been happening - Spike Lee, in addition to releasing his new movie Da 5 Bloods this past weekend which happens to touch on Black Lives Matter, also cut together a quick short film mixing in footage of George Floyd and Eric Garner with clips from Do The Right Thing. Dave Chappelle released a half-hour special on Netflix called 8:46, which he filmed just a week ago, where he discusses Floyd and the police at length.
And, on a local level, musicians Sterling and Zane Reneau, along with videographer Michael Graef, have put together a short, spoken-word video called BLM Spoken Word.
The powerful video opens with Young Sterl lying on the ground, in a chalk outline at a crime scene, as he recites lyrics about Floyd, the riots, racism, and more. It's a striking image that immediately sets the tone for the video.
Support your local artists. Support the fight against hate. Support Black Lives Matter.