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'Do Not Resist' Documents Rise In Militarization Of Police

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Marion County SWAT Team members assess the situation as part of the exercise. (Oregon Department of Transportation/Flickr)
Marion County SWAT Team members assess the situation as part of the exercise. (Oregon Department of Transportation/Flickr)

In the middle of Craig Atkinson's documentary, "Do Not Resist," viewers see a South Carolina woman's home raided by the local SWAT team. Wearing ballistic helmets and bulletproof vests, the team smashes her windows and breaks down the door.

The next day, the documentary crew goes back to the home, to interview the woman. She says, "The kind of feeling I had, they're looking for something really strong, really important. I mean, government stuff."

The team was looking for drugs. What they found, was what they called "a personal amount" of marijuana.

Atkinson's documentary points out there are 50,000 to 80,000 SWAT deployments per year, up from 2,000 per year in the 1980s. The film traces how the surge happened and what it means. It was awarded "Best Documentary" at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.

"Do Not Resist" will be screening Nov. 3-26 at the Museum of Fine Arts. The Nov. 3 screening will also include a panel discussion with director Atkinson, the Boston Police Camera Action Team, the National Center for Race Amity and the ACLU of Massachusetts.

Guest

Craig Atkinson, director of "Do Not Resist" documentary, which tweets @DoNotResistFilm.

This segment aired on November 3, 2016.

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