Reel and Meal at the New Deal features

“Whose Streets?”

Monday, January 15, 2018

Happy New Year Reel and Meal Audience!  We look forward to seeing you on the 3^rd Monday of the month… every month, at the New Deal Café, for thought provoking films, discussions and great vegan meals. If you would be interested in volunteering for Reel and Meal please let us know at reelandmealatnewdealcafe@gmail.com.

On Monday, Martin Luther King Day, January 15, Reel and Meal at the New Deal Cafe will screen “Whose Streets?” about the 2014 events in Ferguson, Missouri, that helped coalesce the Black Lives Matter movement and jolt the nation into an intense dialogue about police violence and systemic racism. The program will start at 7 pm at the New Deal Café, 113 Centerway in Roosevelt Center, Greenbelt, following an optional buffet for $14 beginning at 6:30 pm.

Sabaah Folayan’s 2017 film follows the demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri after the shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by Darren Wilson, a white police officer in 2014. During these demonstrations, the common chant “Whose streets?” called forth the response “Our streets!” in protest against the rubber bullets, tear gas and smoke canisters that filled the streets of Ferguson. It was also in protest against the deep racial chasm in Ferguson that preceded the shooting of Michael Brown. While 67 percent of the population is black, the town’s mayor, its chief of police and 5 of its 6 city council members were white as were all but three of its 53 police officers. The film uses footage from Instagram, Vine and hand-held cameras to follow several Ferguson activists as they attempt to hold people in power accountable for police brutality.

Prince George’s County is sometimes dubbed “Washington’s Ferguson Next Door.” Its racial demographics may appear similar, however, politically and economically the county is different from Ferguson. And today, while Prince George’s County is no longer considered to be ground zero for police brutality within our region, the struggle to ensure accountability from our police department is ongoing.

Jonathan Hutto, coordinator of the Prince George’s County People’s Coalition in Maryland, will lead the discussion following the film.

The Prince George’s County Peace & Justice Coalition has planned this program. Sponsors of Reel and Meal series also include Beaverdam Creek Watershed Watch Group, Green Vegan Networking, and Utopia Film Festival.

For more information about the January 15 program contact 301-441-9377 or justpeacepg@earthlink.net.  You can also visit the New Deal Cafe’s website. The New Deal Café is accessible from Greenbelt Metro station by buses G 12 and 14.

Thank you for supporting the Reel and Meal!

Susan, Jean, Cam, Lucy, Donna, Shirley and Frank