It's 1968. In the wake of widespread civil strife, Brandeis University decides to document the realities of law and order in a typical American city. They choose Pittsburgh. The result is a remarkable portrait of a city and its police force. Embedding his crew mainly on the North Side, filmmaker John Marshall’s camera witnesses domestic conflicts and questionable police tactics, day-to-day squabbles and violent encounters. Glimpses of the city and its people reveal how much has changed in 50-plus years — and how much is just the same.
For the first time, Pittsburgh Police 1969 will screen here publicly, in two feature-length programs. Following the first two screenings will be refreshments and free-of-charge discussions of the impact of cameras — body cams, citizens’ phones, surveillance — on policing and criminal justice:
- At 8 p.m. Sept. 23, after "Cops and Cameras": Pittsburgh Police Commander Christopher Ragland in conversation with Kent State historian Elaine Frantz. Elaine is writing a history of police-public relations in Pittsburgh.
- At 8 p.m. Sept. 24, after “Cameras as Witness”: Liz LaForgia, Chief Investigator at the Allegheny County Public Defender's Office, talks with Duquesne University sociologist Norm Conti about how video footage is read and sometimes misread in court.
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