Worldwide protests following the 2020 murder of George Floyd included calls to defund or abolish the police until a sharp rise in crime gave politicians and police supporters the fuel they needed to suppress the movement. Unfortunately, a detailed conversation about transforming public safety was never had. In this film (shot on iPhone), 10 experts discuss how policing and incarceration create more harm than good, why the system persists, and what changes can be made to make everyone safe. 

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In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, director Matthew Solomon returned to school to earn a master's degree in Public Administration in order to better position himself to use his privilege and access to help work towards positive social change. In his MPA program, Matthew began applying the coursework regarding sustainability and workable societies to the issues with policing and incarceration. He thought this would be a step away from filmmaking, however, his academic advisors suggested he create a documentary film for his thesis project. "Reimagining Safety" is that film.

 

Interviews include:

Dr. Jody Armour - The Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at the University of Southern California

Nikki Blak - Sociologist, anti-racism educator, and Inglewood born and raised

Sennett Devermont - "Mr. Checkpoint," police auditor and founder of the AFTP Foundation

George Gascón - Los Angeles County District Attorney

Jose Gutierrez - Licensed social worker, therapist, and Restorative Justice practitioner

Dr. El Jones - Professor and co-author of "Defunding the Police - Planning the Way Forward for the HRM"

​Hadiya Kennedy - Former detective, The Los Angeles Police Department

Hawk Newsome - Co-founder of Black Lives Matter NY and Black Opportunities

Gina Viola - former LA Mayoral candidate who ran on an abolition platform

Alex S Vitale - Professor, law enforcement expert, and author of "End of Policing"