Boston Court Pasadena held a virtual screening of the documentary film Thorns on the Rose: Black Abuse, Corruption & the Pasadena Police on Saturday, May 22nd at 6:30 PDT via Zoom. Tickets were $9.99 and were available at Eventbrite. Proceeds from the screening benefit the Anthony McClain Social Justice Scholarship.

Thorns on the Rose: Black Abuse, Corruption & the Pasadena Police looks back over the past 40 years of relationships between the Pasadena Police Department and the Black community. From activist Michael Zinzun to advocates like My Tribe RIse, Andre Henry, and Loren Esprit, Pasadena has always had activists in the community. Pasadena Police have killed and abused dozens of Black men during that span with little to no consequences. Thorns on the Rose will bring the viewer up to date to their most recent homicide in 2020.

Police brutality against Black men in the United States has been on the rise during the past two decades, reverting to the 1950s and 60s when Black abuse was a frequent occurrence. Generations of Black men of that era viewed Law Enforcement as contemporary “slave patrols.” Pasadena, Ca, is no different. The Tournament of Roses and America’s Stadium, the Rose Bowl stand as a camouflaged backdrop to a growing community problem. The death of Black men at the hands of the Pasadena Police Department has planted seeds that have germinated and blossomed into arrangements of mistrust and fear.

The 60-minute documentary is a gripping and emotionally charged expose that places viewers directly into the intensity and trauma experienced by impacted grieving families and communities.

It features footage from critical incidents and features Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, and Pasadena Police Chief John Perez.

Dennis Haywood directs the film produced by Rochele Jones and James Farr. Immediately following the presentation, the filmmakers and impacted community members were available for a Talkback with the audience. My Tribe Rise and Dena SURG were co-hosts for the screening.

Proceeds from the screening benefit the Anthony McClain Social Justice Scholarship. The filmmakers established the scholarship as a community impact, focusing on turning a tragedy into a positive. The scholarship is open to PUSD 2021 graduating seniors. The deadline to apply is May 28, 2021. The recipient will be named and awarded on June 8th.

VIEW TRAILER

www.ThornsontheRose.com

Purchase your tickets here:

http://bit.ly/thornsrosetix

Donate to Anthony McClain Social Justice Scholarship

https://friendsofthemiraclemile.org/a-mcclain-scholarship