The Body Politic
Seen at the 2024 Atlanta Film Festival
“We believe more in the power over others more than in power with others.”
The above quote was spoken by Ericcka Bridgeford, an activist for non-violent conflict resolution in Baltimore, whom was speaking during the Q&A for “The Body Politic’s” screening at the aforementioned Atlanta Film Festival. She was discussing her experiences in Gaza, and seeing first hand the relationship between Israel and Palestinians, and it basically means that, as a society, we value being viewed as better than others over seeing the power of what we can accomplish together. This quote resonated with me not just because of how it helps frame the narrative of this documentary, but it gives voice to how I feel about the divisions of the past few months, let along the last several years. The combination of this film, and the Q&A that followed, is likely going to be the most extraordinary experience of the festival for me.
Bridgeford is an activist who promotes communal healing in the aftermath of violence in the city of Baltimore. As we meet her, a mayoral race is happening that includes 37-year-old lifelong Baltimore resident, Brandon Scott. Scott is a city councilman whom, for many years, has hoped to bring the city’s violent crime numbers down; for the last decade, at least 300 homicides have taken place. For many, including Maryland’s governor, they need to increase arrests in order to bring safety to the city. Scott views it different, and he and Ericcka- whom has lost several family members to violent crime- are going to be key voices in the community when Scott- who was way behind in the polls- is swept into office on the heels of the protests of George Floyd’s murder, and COVID, in 2019. Rather than do what everyone else wants him to do, he wants to rebuild trust in the community, and bring those at high risk of being involved in violence to the table to bring the number of homicides down 15%, and hopefully, below 300. While he is able to build a strong communal coalition, including federal leaders, the state’s governor is more interested in scoring political points than actually working together.
The title for Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough’s film is appropriate, because the operating idea behind Scott’s efforts in the film is that everyone- be they politician or a struggling family- is responsible for making the world better. It’s an idealism that is laudable and inspiring in a time of great political division, where being proven right is more important than doing everything possible to lift everyone up, regardless of what side they are on. Scott’s efforts are not being done out of a mindset of proving conservatives wrong, but in the interest of every one of Baltimore’s 600,000 citizens. His plan is not one of quick results, but in improving the long-term health of the community for generations after he is gone. When he does finally get the governor to meet him, he understands what needs done in order to bridge the considerable gap in their political views, and he earns respect for how he does it. Incendiary rhetoric promoting an ideology is what matters to a lot of people now. We need more people like Scott and Bridgeford, for whom everyone deserves to live in relative safety, not just those who agree with our political point-of-view. This is an important film for troubling times.
