Theater Violence and Black Films

Rick Mitchell’s remarks regarding theater violence and black films in the May 5 Letters section were dead wrong. Exhibitors are not justified in refusing to book black films, and Mitchell is mistaken when he claims that a “pattern of unjustified, antisocial behavior has accompanied the release of certain black-themed films.”

The only pattern that exists is one of biased media coverage (reflecting larger, societal biases) that continually blames black artists for violent incidents that often have nothing to do with those artists or their work.

The press went out of its way to tell us about the violence that occurred outside screenings of “New Jack City” (conveniently omitting substantive details about those occurrences) but practically ignored the fact that a person was shot and killed at a December showing of “The Godfather Part III.”

Violence happens at movie theaters all the time, but the only time anyone blames a film or talks about a “pattern” is when a black-themed movie is involved.

The same holds true in the music field. If a fight breaks out at a rap concert, the public and the press invariably start pointing their accusing fingers at the music and the musicians. But when a couple of dozen kids get trampled at a rock ‘n’ roll show, the public and the press question the security or seating arrangements at the concert site--they usually don’t blame the band.

Black artists do not, as a rule, “cause trouble.” But the racially biased misconceptions of a frightened, ignorant and prejudicial society have made it seem that they do.

CAMERON M. TURNER

Pasadena