MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — The Minneapolis police shooting of Amir Locke is featured in a new documentary that dives into the history between police and the Black community.
Sound of the Police, directed by the critically acclaimed Stanley Nelson and co-director Valerie Scoon, starts in Minneapolis at Locke's funeral. The documentary is built around his story with interviews from his parents, Karen Wells and Andre Locke.
"Amir had a light about him," Wells said. "Amir was a caring person."
Wells and Andre Locke have become large advocates against police brutality and public safety reform. Both say the film was educational.
"It was definitely something that was needed for not only our communities but for our white brothers and sisters to see what we go through but what we have been going through on a daily basis," Locke said.
The documentary doesn't shy away from America's grim history of slavery, and how African Americans were treated after the Civil War. Historians share stories from the 1800s, leading up to the modern day.
"Most people think that racism was always just down south. I think it's really eye-opening for people to see what it was like when people went north for work," Wells said.
The film also features commentary from civil rights attorney and racial justice advocate, Nekima Valdez Levy Armstrong.
After Wells finished watching "Sound of the Police," she says she had to keep asking herself: "Is this really happening to me, his father, his family? Are we really living out that Amir was taken by the police?"
The family says they're still pursuing justice. They filed a federal lawsuit against the officer who shot their son, in addition to the city of Minneapolis, earlier this year.
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