We are often too familiar with the victims of nationally recognized police homicide cases, but what do we know of those they left behind: their families? What do we really know about the impact police violence has on our communities? Forced Trajectory Project (FTP) sought to answer these questions in 2009 by documenting and interviewing family members of police homicide victims. 8 years later, this inquiry has developed into a nationwide, long term, multimedia documentary project, providing a unique portal into the lives and narratives of those directly impacted by police homicide, individuals who suffer the agony of a devastating life event yet find strength and hope by building with community and through commemorating their loved ones.
FTP serves as a sister organization to Families United 4 Justice, a growing nationwide coalition of families impacted by police violence, organizing for self-determination, collective healing and justice, and political power. FTP works in concert with those on the frontline of the anti-police brutality movement by hosting their stories, providing crucial media analysis on how the construction of mainstream police brutality narratives perpetuates the problem, and through offering media training so that families and organizers can return to their communities equipped with media weaponry to preserve the truth.
In this session you will meet the FTP media team who will introduce the project and explore how citizen journalism and grassroots public relations can foster change through empowering those on the frontline and engage local communities, ultimately serving as a catalyst for social revolution.