The Body Politic

media release: UW Havens Wright Center for Social Justice Social Cinema series: Film screening will begin at 6:30 PM with discussion to follow.

The Body Politic is a harbinger of hope in a country plagued by gun violence. Our protagonist is Brandon Scott, a young Mayor who grew up during Baltimore’s most troubling years and sets out, with unyielding idealism, to change the course of his battered and beloved city. Scott is elected Mayor amid the George Floyd uprising, and he introduces an ambitious plan for violence reduction and police reform that he promises will lower the city’s murder rate.

Post-screening discussion facilitators

Anthony B. Cooper Sr. is vice president of strategic partnerships and reentry services with the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development, which fosters emerging leaders in the African American community and offers programming for youth, men reentering the community after incarceration and neighborhood economic development. He is also the founder and Chair of Focused Interruption, a nonprofit organization that uses a holistic approach to reduce generational trauma by providing evidence-based intervention and prevention services to the people, neighborhoods, and families most impacted by gun violence in Dane County. Cooper draws from his own experience as a person previously incarcerated in his work which seeks to mitigate the problems and complications that confront people released from incarceration, e.g., finding housing, getting a job, or re-connecting with family members. Cooper grew up in Chicago, Illinois, but moved to Madison as a teenager as his mother hoped Madison would offer her son and daughter a “better chance”. He relies on  that past to inform his very practical view of the present and his vision for the future. He aims to be a catalyst for change in his community by defusing situations, building bridges between different people, groups, and entities, and by offering help to community members who lack support. He works tirelessly to make the streets of Madison a safe place for all. In December 2019 secured a Governor’s Pardon and is passionate about helping others obtain a chance to change their lives for the better.

Christopher Lau is an assistant clinical professor and co-director of The Wisconsin Innocence Project Clinic. Previously, he was a visiting assistant professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he taught in the Criminal Defense Clinic. He started his legal career as a staff attorney in the criminal defense practice of the Bronx Defenders, where he had the privilege of defending people enmeshed in the criminal legal system.His research examines alternatives to the current system’s focus on policing and prosecution. He holds a joint J.D.- M.P.A. from U.C. Berkeley School of Law and Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.