The film’s central conflict arises from the tight rope that Carl Stokes must walk between Black Nationalists already parading on Cleveland streets and white voters, police and the white political establishment who fear a Black mayor will change the racial balance in their city.
The film delves into the pervasive and systemic nature of racism in American society, as seen through the experience in Cleveland of Carl Stokes, Fred Ahmed Evans, and Martin Luther King Jr.. Police brutality, constant harassment and surveillance of the Black community is also a pertinent conflict throughout the film.
The Glenville Shootout, a violent clash between Fred Ahmed Evans' Black Nationalist group and Cleveland police, serves as the film’s critical turning point and the city’s racial tensions. The event exposed deep divisions between the Black community and law enforcement, becoming a catalyst for broader conversations about race, systemic injustice, and leadership during a turbulent era.
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