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MOVIE REVIEW
By MARK ALLAN WILLIAMS
In places like Baltimore, issues of police accountability are often weighed alongside the trauma of communities seeing residents, typically Black men, killed or otherwise harmed during encounters with law enforcement.
So, it is fitting that“ Breaking the Blue Wall,” a documentary film that addresses the history of how allegations of police misconduct in Maryland have been handled, takes a ground-level approach. Its storytelling is animated by the voice of someone who alleges her brother’ s death was wrongfully caused by police.
In 2013, Tyrone West, an unarmed motorist, died while being arrested by Baltimore Police Department officers during what started as a simple traffic stop. West’ s sister, Tawanda Jones, has led demonstrations and vigils in the years since his death, calling for the officers who were involved in his arrest to be held accountable by the department and criminally prosecuted for his death.
“ My brother, Tyrone West, was brutally murdered on July 18, 2013, she says in the film.“ He was beaten to death, in broad daylight.”
Jones’ statement from one of those vigils, and personal testimonies from others, resonate throughout the documentary, which is the work of filmmaker and Morgan State University assistant professor Alissa Figueroa.
Figueroa’ s film examines the yearslong legislative push to reform or repeal the Maryland Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, which codified protections for police accused of misconduct during the performance of their duties. The legislative fight against this law was led by then Maryland State Senator Jill Carter, the daughter of Walter P. Carter, a legendary local civil rights activist.
In the film, Sen. Carter complains law enforcement entities and groups that represent them have exerted too much control over state lawmakers to keep the police bill of rights – with all of its flaws – as a state law.
“ We’ ve forgotten somewhere that we govern law enforcement,” she says.“ We have allowed law enforcement to govern us and govern themselves.”
At the same time, former Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison says the law enforcement officers’ Bill of Rights hindered Maryland chiefs of police from immediately firing or disciplining officers, even in“ extremely horrendous” misconduct cases.
He recalls George Floyd’ s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police in 2020 and how the police chief in that city had the authority to fire the officers accused of misconduct“ in real time.” That level of authority, he says, is needed by Maryland police chiefs to more effectively combat illegal or improper police actions.
Carter’ s legislation to repeal the Officers’ Bill of Rights was turned away year after year, beginning in 2015. But she persisted, as did Jones, who was joined by allies- including others in her community – in seeking police accountability in response to allegations of their misconduct.
Still, the opposition to Carter’ s legislation also persisted. But in 2021, amid worldwide protests demanding police accountability for a rash of questionable deaths of Black Americans who died at the hands of police, the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Right was eliminated in Maryland.
“ I wish we could’ ve done this before. Maybe we could’ ve spared some suffering,” Carter said about the victory she led – a campaign that Alissa Figueroa’ s film poignantly documents. n
Mark Allan Williams is a journalist and essayist who has worked as an editor for the Baltimore Banner and Bloomberg Industry Group. He writes about history, culture, government, politics and racial and economic justice issues.
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