As the title of the film indicates, the events of the film take place on Long Island, New York, where in April of 1992, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a . Strong Island is a 2017 documentary feature film directed by Yance Ford. right, and then were destroyed by all the things that they thought Here are home movies, sixteenth-birthday parties or The body weighs 240 pounds, is 5 feet 8 inches in height, and appears compatible with a reported age of 24 years. Yance aims to reanimate that corpse. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Bobby Hadid joined the N.Y.P.D. college graduations, and photographs from the nineteen-seventies and Instead, it was William, dying on the ground, and Kevin who were regarded skeptically by law enforcement. Were Strong Island a strict procedural, that exclusion would be more glaring. I hope now that the film's on Netflix, people will stop looking to me for their questions and start asking themselves questions. Ford was unarmed. William, unarmed and black, was shot by a white . When Will 'Attack on Titan' Season 4, Part 4 Air? Would you like to receive invitations to our screenings? reckless youth has been revised as a responsibility of black tutelage, a In April 1992, on Long Island NY, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. if youre uncomfortable with me asking these questions, you should Im also not willing to accept that someone else gets to say who William was.. experience gave her a love of teaching. means that she hadnt warned him about what white people could get away He lives in Los Angeles. Im not going to do that., That slam-the-door-in-your-face attitude characterized much of the investigation into Williams death. Strong Island, a documentary chronicling the 1992 murder of first-time filmmaker Yance Ford's brother, William Ford Jr., and the effect it had on him and his family, incorporates the dynamics of a police-like procedural and gut-wrenching, upfront, self- confession. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. dont run. government employees who could afford to be homeowners. shop when the shooting occurred, was prepared to testify in court that motorman, working the I just wanted to know all the reasons exactly why. Then: Im not angry. . In April 1992, on Long Island NY, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. 2023 Cond Nast. Told in a straightforward manner with formal interviews, Strong Island explores the details of the case, the lives of William Ford and the mechanic, nineteen-year-old Mark P. Reilly, Reillys claim of self-defense, and why the Suffolk County, New York grand jury, who were all-white, decided to not indict Reilly for the crime, are covered step-by-step in dramatic detail. Ford is also an architectural welder, and while at Modern Art Foundry he helped assemble the sculpture "Maman" by Louise Bourgeoisthe series of three spiders exhibited at Rockefeller Center, and now on permanent display at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Yance Fords grandmother had been forced to leave school in the fourth We want to hear from you! The entire feature is a personal journey for the filmmaker, who has had to endure years of pain because of their brother's death, which has received no justice at all despite the seemingly obvious murder. testimony of black parents concerning the talk they must have with their "Mark Reilly already said everything he had to say to me when he shot and killed my brother." Ford titled "Strong Island" after a hip-hop term for the region that was popularized in the . The powerful and very personal documentary Strong Island is the story of a black family that could not sustain the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. Strong Island are: Barbara Dunmore Ford, Lauren Ford, and Yance Ford Strong Island questions whether justice can be found, through the intimate story of the filmmaker's brother who was lost to gun violence, and the family's painful search for answers. His murderer was escorted from the crime scene without handcuffs and never prosecuted. 2023 Cond Nast. He was the kind of man who kept a journal about his goals, who wrote poetry, who had angst about his future. 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 Episode Guide: How Many Episodes of 'Mandalorian' Will There Be on Disney+? To Tell the Story That Tells the Trial: Ulises de la Orden on El juicio. Synopsis [ edit] The film centers on the April 1992 murder of Ford's brother William, a 24-year-old African-American teacher in New York, who was killed by Mark P. Reilly, a 19-year-old white chop shop mechanic. Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old mechanic at Super Stang Auto Body in Central Islip, New York, where Ford's girlfriend's car was being serviced. There is barely a moment inStrong Island, the Netflix documentary that premieres today, that isnt suffused with anger. Come Back in September: A Literary Education on West Sixty-seventh Street, Manhattan. . 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With the emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead. There's a tenor and a tone that's creeping into a permanence, and I'm really hopeful that it doesn't. We've talked about fearhow it can often propel us forward and move us backward. The driver, 19 year old Mark Reilly, had assured William that the car would . 793, This story has been shared 758 times. STRONG ISLAND chronicles the arc of the Ford family; Barbara Dunmore, William Ford and their three children, and how their lives have been shaped by the enduring shadow of race in America. Detroit, Michigan, U.S. William Clay "Bill" Ford Jr. (born May 3, 1957) is an American businessman, serving as executive chairman of Ford Motor Company. The Landmark, Westside Pavilion Mall, 10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90064. Strong Island is just the beginning. But its actually a far more personal, probing project, less a relitigation than a reckoning, less a procedural than a film about the Sisyphean task of processing terrible grief. call this an irony. The easiest way to deal with On an April night in 1992, William Ford, Jr., a 24-year-old black man, was shot and killed by Mark Reilly, a white teenager, in Central Islip, Long Island. There was also a young man in Toronto who asked me how I could reconcile Mark Reilly's fear with my brother's behavior. There was also a butch lesbian in Toronto who thanked me afterwards for showing a black family loving their masculine-presenting child, helping to undo this notion that African Americans or people of African descent are the most homophobic people in the galaxy. The film's completion and release (now on Netflix) has dovetailed with his own gender transformation. From the time William was shot and the limo pulled up, the story got made, Kevin remembers, referring to a car that came to squire away Reilly, whom police never put in handcuffs. segregation of nineteen-sixties Charleston, South Carolina. The vehicle that 24-year-old William Jr. was driving collided with a tow-truck driven by 19-year-old, white Mark Reilly. The tragedy left the Fords in some deep way unable to Respectful attention must be paid, because grief is in the room. Ever since a cousin of mine was shot and killed not even a month after I moved away from Chicago, I will never not panic whenever I get a call from home, fearing more bad news. 1,393, This story has been shared 1,173 times. black enclave of Central Islip. Her father died of an asthma 'Mandalorian' Funko Pops up to 77% Off Baby Yoda and More for Season 3, Who Plays the Armorer in 'The Mandalorian'? 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Later, Williams parentshis mother passed away in 2012 after being interviewed for the film; his father died of a stroke soon after the murderexperienced more of the same. But when he questioned the forces tactics, his life began to erode. Reilly shot Ford through the heart with a rifle but an all-white grand jury, after a less-than-enthusiastic investigation, declined to issue an indictment, and the case died. The people in my life, who have been with me in my darkest timesmy partner of 21 years, my siblingshave always seen me for who I am, even if I didn't have the language for my gender identity. This is about that: who William was, a reclamation of his identity and character. mothers ability to do anything, Yance Ford says, and the children were Do you feel any fear within your own personal transformation? Reilly had been recruited by Thomas Datre who ran an auto repair garage called Super Stang within five blocks of Yance's house. I'm worried. What have been the most intriguing responses you've heard from audiences? . not armed, but during the first confrontation at the business he had The effect is intense and elegiac, even as the pace veers toward the overly deliberate, and as Mr. Reilly and some essential witnesses arent interviewed or approached by the filmmaker; no explanation for this omission is given. A summary of the case gives no Experience 10 years Vice President of Policy & Government Relations Jan 2017 - Present6 years 2 months Boston, MA I lead a team of policy advocates to design and execute strategies at the federal,. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories, On April 7, 1992, in Central Islip, a Long Island suburb of New York His murderer was escorted from the crime scene without handcuffs and never prosecuted. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix. Dunmore Ford In an appropriation of true crime style, details and testimonies are shuffled around to increase curiosity and unveil late revelations, some of which are devastating. We get the feeling that parts of them retreated VICE: Watching the film again reminded me of how uniquely affecting it is. 2,204, This story has been shared 1,797 times. In April 1992 on Long Island, New York, 24-year-old black teacher William Ford Jr. was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19-year-old mechanic. for not having had that talk with her older son, for telling her happened to the Ford family afterward. 2,623, This story has been shared 2,555 times. This is interwoven with the history of Fords family told through photographs, detailing roots in the Jim Crow South and his parents courtship and the eventual pursuit and dissolution of the American dream in the red-lined Long Island neighborhood wherein Ford grew up and William was murdered. All the essentials: top fashion stories, editors picks, and celebrity style. 'Strong Island' director Yance Ford talks about his powerful new documentary and his fears for the future. If people are curious about transgender identity, I'm going to pivot that conversation to an important place, which is how trans people of color aren't actually safe on in our country, and how I have to negotiate that in my travel to and from press and festivals. In a week where a reality TV favourite finally addressed its known colorism problem, Netflix UK dropped The Strays (February 22) a psycholo, Over the decades, popular culture has created dominant narratives of the Dominican Republic that are most often synonymous with poverty, crime, or state vi, This story contains spoilers for Ant-Man: Quantumania. in his own murder. He was shot in the chest with a rifle by We're a long way from there. All rights reserved. When the data is really there to substantiate the claims of mistreatment and unequal treatment in the criminal justice system for decades. In the same way, its not just the story of a mans death, but also a study of the aftermath. She was implying that the way that the grand jury process and investigation had been handled was problematic. after 9/11, to protect his new country. William Ford, Sr., The police and the Suffolk County district attorneys office There's your semi-public life and your private life. inside the courtroom they expected justice. 758, This story has been shared 673 times. As the title of the film indicates, the events of the film take place on Long Island, New York, where in April of 1992, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19-year-old mechanic after a series of arguments that began with a fender-bender. That's the thing that's going to be tough for people. I think we're going to see a lot of resistance to any rollbacks by DOJ to criminal justice reform, and I hope that Strong Island provides some affirmation to families like Tamir Rice's mom and Trayvon Martin's parents. That includes himself. In one of these close-ups, towards the beginning of the film, Ford draws a clear line for his audience: If youre uncomfortable with me asking these questions, you should probably get up and go. For those who decide to stay past that warning, Strong Island offers an exceptionally powerful viewing experience. check on the car. before, and a deal was struck whereby the auto shop would fix the damage 11 Best New Movies on Netflix: March 2023's Freshest Films to Watch, Vanderpump Rules: Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix Break Up After He Reportedly Cheated With Raquel Leviss, Sex/Life Season 2: Adam Demos Tops His Famous Full Frontal Moment With, Uh, Tip, New Movies on Streaming: 'Magic Mike's Last Dance' + More, 'Next In Fashion' Season 2 on Netflix: Follow the Designers on Instagram, 'Wheel of Fortune' Gets Awkward as Pat Sajak Snaps at Contestant for Grabbing Wheel: "Don't Touch That", Is 'Yellowstone' On Tonight? In 2017, what are you fearful of? His tow truck had hit them two months shielded the white youth immediately, never doubting his testimony that She wonders how she could have been so wrong. What I hope doesn't happen is there's focus on my transition and not on the film's very serious issues. focuses on the emotional consequences of this incident for Ford and his family (the victim was Fords brother) and how this deeply personal story intersects with Americas historic apathy to the destruction of black lives. entrance exam to be a corrections officer. After an argument over the delays, . Strong Island tells either of a racist coverup or of the racism that "Strong Island" tells the story of William Ford Jr., a 24-year-old African-American who was shot by Mark Reilly, a white car mechanic, during a dispute over repairs. Perhaps she Mr. Ford had gone there after a dispute. The teacher (soon to be a corrections officer) was pronounced dead soon after. All Rights Reserved. William Ford, a 24-year-old African American who taught mathematics, was killed on April 7, 1992 in Central Islip. if they didnt file a police report. Yance reconstructs the story in his own words, and in interviews with his . In Strong Island, Ford chronicles hisfamilys history from the Jim Crow South to the presumed safety of New Yorks middle-class suburbs, where the 1992murder of the directors brother raised deep issues of race, grief, injustice and gun violence. It recounts the murder of Yance Ford's older brother William in 1992. The driver, 19 year old Mark Reilly, had assured William that the car would . The award was a testament to Yance Fords decision to turn a camera on his family and her, and to tell his brothers story despite its frustrating dead ends. It is heartbreaking to hear Fords mother reproach herself the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. physical threat they were. But I also hope that the film reminds people that it's not just about the five years after the death of a childit's about the 25 years after the death, the long tail. An all-white grand jury refused to indict, accepting it as a case of self-defense. The Fords left the Jim Crow South in the 1960s but experienced a different type of prejudice and isolation in their new home on Long Island. autopsy report. two confrontations with Ford, even though Dunmore Ford herself had been This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The children UsefulNotes/Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/StrongIsland. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Ford was unarmed, Reilly brandished a rifle, and the teenagerwho had an extensive criminal recordtook one shot at Ford, piercing him in the heart. in this film. What do you do when the great disservice in raising him the way we did, she says. When I spoke with Yance by phone, he was a mix of overwhelmed and composed. I don't know if we'll see it in my lifetime, that's for sure. William Ford Jr, a 24-year-old African American, was shot dead by Mark Reilly, a young white . "Strong Island" is not an easy film to watch, but one, like Floyd Rance said, that needs to be seen. 673, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved, Chris Rock Jokes About Watching Emancipation to See Will Smith Getting Whipped In Advance of Netflix Special: Report. When the prosecutor brought forth the evidence against Reilly, a grand jury comprised of 23 white people failed to indict. Detectives seemed only interested in asking the friend how much he Early on in the film, Yance Ford says, I am Hopefully, after Strong Island, I'll go on to make another film, and another after that. to speak of it, even to the self. I'm afraid that our civil society is being torn apart bit by bitand not just by tweets and ridiculous statements about good people on both sides. William Jr., the Ford's eldest child, a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. You don't like being the focus of the conversation. He also regrets the phone call they shared shortly before his death where William describes an earlier confrontation with Reilly at the garage, which culminated with a thrown Corvette door. sense of the experience of watching Strong Island, in which the visual It proved that sometimes people will hear what they want to hear in the way that they want to hear itbut I was able to answer him and ask a question about who he was. Williams murder wasnt prosecuted because the grand jury decided that Mark Reilly shot him in self defense on that fateful night in 1992. There is no hint of Rodney King or the , is the director of the new Netflix documentary "Strong Island," which examines not just the murder but its aftermath including the failure of the criminal justice system and its effects on Ford's family.. Yance Ford was a 19-year-old art student when his brother was killed. gangsta rap of that time, 1992, the year of William Ford, Jr.,s death. her that she was pretty. 1,173, This story has been shared 1,060 times. disrespected by the mechanic when she and Fords girlfriend came by to Strong Island, directed by William's younger brother, Yance Ford, is a document of that murder and of the family that fractured in its wake. 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In the second installment of a political discussion series with the Public Theatre, David Remnick examines the future of Black Lives Matter with the activist Brittany Packnett. It draws a line around your life, she says. Ford observes to the camera, William Ford, Jr., became the prime suspect picked up and brandished a car door, to some laughter in the shop. Read more about us. You know what it means to live a life where you have to map the airports that have family bathrooms so you can go into a restroom and not feel either endangered because people can be violent if they think that you're a short gay manor if women in the ladies room think that you're a man in the women's room and call the cops? "I actually misspelled the word 'odyssey' this morning," says Ford. A 22-year-old black man, William Ford, was shot and killed by a 19-year-old white man, a mechanic named Mark Reilly, after a verbal altercation. William Ford had no record and was about to take the 947, This story has been shared 852 times. own brother, a black teacher, William Ford, Jr., who grew up in the grade, in South Carolina, to go to work stripping tobacco. Twenty-four-year-old teacher William Ford was shot and killed after having an altercation with a white mechanic, and the killer was never charged. the auto mechanic had had no reason to be fearful during either of his Fords voice interrogating the past, face tightly framed. Just talking about my transition and when I "came out" is a bit weird, because we have this expectation that every moment of our lives and realization about ourselves is going to be lived in some public arena. Washington a thing to say. Tom Sizemore Dies: 'Saving Private Ryan' & 'Black Hawk Down' Star Was 61; Reactions + Career In Photos, A24 Buys Historic Off Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre For $10M, Ke Huy Quan Lost Health Insurance After Filming Everything Everywhere All At Once, Jay Weston Dies: Lady Sings The Blues Producer Who Gave Al Pacino Broadway Break Was 93. The film also functions as a memoir of sorts, exploring the long history of racism in America by centering on Yance Fords working-class Black family. He was killed right outside of his home, and his mother has to look at the spot where her son died every time she sits on her front porch. Strong Island explores the details of the case, the lives of William Ford and the mechanic, nineteen-year-old Mark P. Reilly, Reilly's claim of self-defense . Its impossible to ignore who the surviving Fords in I did not feel that we were received as parents of a victim, reports Barbara. K. F. Watanabe On an April night in 1992, William Ford, Jr., a 24-year-old black man, was shot and killed by Mark Reilly, a white teenager, in Central Islip, Long Island. If you need social assistance, they're going to drug test you and make you work x amount of hours a week, and it doesn't matter if you don't have childcare. Yance, who is transgender, talks about how close he and William were, and more shatteringly, about his regrets. Dunmore Ford If Strong Island makes that easier for one family to seek out, then I'll be happy. Screen Slate 2010-2023. Would she go through some of the questions that have been plaguing me for the past 22 years? asks Yance. 2,297, This story has been shared 2,248 times. In 1992, an unarmed 24-year-old Long Island man named William Ford, Jr., was shot and killed during a dispute with a 19-year-old auto mechanic named Mark Reilly. I don't want to say that I'm not optimistic, but I don't think that optimism is in my toolbox of feelings, honestly. His autopsy report read: The body is that of a well-developed obese black male. Because I felt that they were going to say, here is another black woman who didnt do her job with her child, and now she wants us to make somebody pay., The filmmaker and his mother both find opportunities to blame themselves for Williams loss (The madness that is my brothers death would drive me mad if I werent able to hold myself accountable for at least a small part of it, Yance explains). tells us that she didnt like it. Strong Island is an American 2017 true-crime documentary film directed by Yance Ford . had a good time, while the parents labored to keep them in Catholic Ad Choices. The generational exchange that was once

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