New Netflix documentary series Flint Town follows police officers in Flint, Michigan, a city of more than 100,000, with one of the highest urban poverty and crime rates in the country. The people of Flint PD are doing what you are afraid to do. Sgt. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). We got a grant, we got $94 million. We're in Flint, Michigan which, since its boomtime in the 1950s and 60s, has suffered body blow after body blow. I went ahead and let the filming proceed because I felt it was important to show how the community felt when the man-made water disaster occurred, how the residents were impacted and how the Flint Police Department policed through this historic time, given the limited amount of resources we had to work with., It is, and the water crisis is still not solved, but but Mayor Weaver is hopeful. 2. Despite political grandstanding at every level of government, the crisis is ongoing, with an estimated 12,000 Flint area children exposed and thousands of homes awaiting pipe replacements. The Flint Police Department announced the union on its Facebook page. He then charged me with felony charge and trespassing and took me straight to jail. And there's a cadet, Dion Reed, who's training to join the force simultaneously withhismother. "The folks who are in the community, they don't give a shit about our staffing problems," Captain Devon Bernritter says. But he said if the police department is in charge of 911, theyll be the ones answering the phones and making the judgment calls about where to direct police. Councilman Eric Mays proposed that the council come up with a budget to go big for advertising police officer positions on television. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Dion has his first shift on the job. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Very well said! Flint Town humanizes the police and their often thankless work, but also exposes just how inadequate a response policing is in the first place. https://www.odmp.org/agency/1267-flint-police-department-michigan. And you are treated inhumanely in so many ways it is pathetic! They willdeal with the fact that many of Flint's citizens who don't trust themany more than they do the government officials whose decisions wound up poisoning the water withlead. The camera crew was brought on as part of an agreement that was made under the previous administration and the former police chief, When I came onboard, the crew had already been working with the Flint Police Department for over a year or so. Directors Zackary Canepari, Drea Cooper and Jessica Dimmock walk the thin line of trying to create an entertaining documentary without seeming partisan. Welcome to Flint Town, Two Guns, The Rat Pack, Death and Homicide, The Numbers, Devil's Night, Two Worlds, and The Stand Off are a few of the most well-known episodes. 'Flint Town' is an American documentary television series that airs on Netflix and takes viewers to Flint, Michigan, where it explores the problems like rising gun violence and the state of policing in America. The department currently has 100 sworn police officers, he said, with five people in the police academy now. ", The results are reminiscent of the classicHBO drama"The Wire," especially in terms of the complexity of its characters. Cops are NOT social warriors or community activists. Frost for sure needs to be let go. The Flint police officer has been identified as Caleb Andrew Tierney, a 25-year-old resident of Linden. He needs help asap. He didnt appear to be a complete jerk and let the dude talk. We know this series does not tell the whole story. Flint Town is a beautiful, troubling, thought-provoking documentary series. So many African Americans on the police force what the F***?! Like he said in the video, hes tired. Stop with all that talk about him doing a job to protect residents, and help people. You can also change your preferences at any time by clicking on Cookie Preferences in the footer of each page. My only difference of opinion is I would say Officer Frost is simply mentally Ill. I really hope things improve for the people of Flint.in every wayIll certainly be checking for updates! Photo courtesy of Jamie Kelly . She has written for multiple local newspapers in her hometown before becoming a full-time reporter for Flint Beat. If the police had the means to single-handedly fix the centuries-long problems within society, then that would be different. As a water crisis erupts and a new mayor is sworn in, the understaffed police department faces uncertainty while struggling to protect the city. "[With] all the crimes that happen in this city, there needs to be like, seven more of me to handle the case load," she says. You're just driving to addresses like a UPS man.". The decline of the auto industry and the withdrawal of General Motors,. I spent almost 4 days in Genesee county jail where they roughed me up and I had never been to jail before and I seen so much corruption. "We were, at the same time,interested in exploring police in general and understanding the other side of the conversation," says Cooper. A 19th-century Sicilian aristocratic family gets caught up in the changing sociopolitical times. His segments (with few exception) are all about him, and his ignorance surrounding the statistical connections of crime and poverty make him (and others) incredibly dangerous officers to have on the streets of this city. Dion has his first shift on the job. Come live here, Ive got a room for ya! Fans Fuming Over Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings' Hosting Schedules: "I Want Ken Full-Time", 'Below Deck's Captain Sandy Hasn't Spoken to Captain Lee Since Public Feud: "I Tried To Call Him", Where Is Hoda Kotb? Documentary following the police department in Flint, Michigan as they struggle with dwindling resources and crumbling infrastructure in a community crippled by violence and a contaminated water crisis. [9] [10] At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 81,252, [5] making it the twelfth largest city in Michigan. "As a New Yorker and someone who is coastal, I thought I had it figured out about the police, and I don't think that anymore," Dimmock said. The officers react to tragedy in Dallas. He finally got to take a vacation for the first time in years! The charge is punishable by up to life in prison. The Flint Police Department (a.k.a. He needs to go ASAP! Stream It Or Skip It: 'Disconnect: The Wedding Planner' on Netflix, A Nollywood Rom-Com, Stream It Or Skip It: 'A Sunday Affair' on Netflix, a Lukewarm Nollywood Love-Triangle Drama, Stream It or Skip It: 'Welcome to Valentine' on Hallmark, Where a CEO-In-Waiting Makes the Mistake of Driving a Classic Car through a Small Town, Stream It Or Skip It: The Romantics on Netflix, A Docuseries About Bollywoods Auteur Director Yash Chopra, Stream It Or Skip It: 'A Man Called Otto' on VOD, Starring Tom Hanks as a Stereotypical Grumpy Old Man, Chris Rock Will Finally Address SlapGate In Netflix Comedy Special, Where Was We Have a Ghost Filmed? Its also not surprising that there is so much violence etc when you as a people feel that you are being overlooked and/or treated unfairly. I just watched the Flint Town documentary and couldnt agree more. In the netflix movie Kevin seemed to give people breaks while also expecting respect. The finance department was not present at the hearing to answer questions council had about various aspects of the budget. You can change your cookie preferences. That's no secret," saysBalasko. One of the victims knew Mr. Tierney from a gym in Lapeer.. Until you can honestly say to yourself that if you were being robbed at gunpoint, and when the police show up to help you, youd tell them to go away and fight the larger systematic, socioeconomic reasons for WHY that person is robbing you at gun-point, then you have no grounds for what you are saying. post-production manager (8 episodes, 2018) Series Sound Department Series Visual Effects by This has not been the case under Chief Johnson. Putting on a badge apparently wasn't her first step into public service, either her LinkedIn page suggests that she's always been lending a hand through various groups. I think there was some interest in continuing to giving us access to work in the city," says Canepari by phone. If you needed the police to respond with force to save your life, would you prefer that officer to be HYPO-masculine? Yunjin Kim as Sun-Hwa Kwon. Thats what I thought.Nothing but opinion. This man is a very dangerous police officer. The lady cop frisks the guy in the college jacket in the beginning, clearly she never learned what the color beige looks like. The white cracks and hookers across from me, the old black men behind me that deal drugs and abuse animals, the mix of race who squat in the vacant home next to me, and the board of mix children down the street whose mothers dont give a shit what they are doing, teaching them to be broke and trash, graffiting homes and littering in the street and other peoples yards, playing dodge with traffic. Presidential candidate Donald Trump visits Flint. Only a completely uncaring moron would not find that statement from a sworn officer, both offensive and troubling. Each is Hollywood attractive -- they look like actors who would be hired to play them on television -- and willing to get personal.". He said they were applying for grants to purchase them, but Mays said the city already has a grant. The police budget for 2022 has $5,145,766 of expenditures under the Supplies & Operating Expenses category. These cops talk about the lack of trust and the growing divide with the public when they treat anybody they come in contact (with the exception of a few) with like total shit. Aroundthe same time that "T-Rex" premiered, Canepariand Cooper, who were joined by Dimmock,launched their initial conversations with city and police officials, including then-Chief JamesTolbert. Prior to that, she's listed as working as a food assistance specialist for the Center for Civil Justice in Flint, promoting "hunger-related policy issues related to food assistance programs" and "provided legal and technical assistance to low-income people and their allies. Encouraging crime statistics bring cautious optimism. Good luck with improving your community. For a priority one 911 call, Green said the departments average response time is about 30 minutes. Balasko echoed these sentiments in her time onscreen. ", The publication described Balasko as "almost bubbly and giddy about advancing her career, making detective and eventually going federal.". With Flint Town, Netflix examines not only a city in distress, but a police force that's attempting to serve a community while navigating a public health crisis, desperate citizens, lack of funding, and social and political upheaval. Lead exposure causes irreversible brain damage (and has been theorized to increase crime rates). But like he in his own words says basically what it all comes down to is money! Good luck to them all. He lives quite nicely in fenton MI and married his cop girlfriend 2 months after the documentary. Right from the beginning, he was up for the conversation.". 1,643, This story has been shared 1,107 times. Not all white cops in this town are bad, but he is one. Theelection of a new mayor, Karen Weaver, and the installation of a new police chief, Tim Johnson,are covered in the first episode. Now this man that has been on Netflix has also let that go to his head! Im not like the typical [story of], 'Oh I wanted to be a cop since I was a little kid,'" she tells the camera. Over a two-year period, filmmakers embedded with cops in Flint, Michigan, reveal a department grappling with volatile issues in untenable conditions. (Photos courtesy of Netflix). Flint is the birthplace of General Motors and the home of the U.A.W.'s first big strike. He was so rude, arrogant and yes a Robo cop. Based on the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. You'd see the news stories. Shame on you for the vitriol expressed in your ignorant opinion. Watching the documentary series as someone based in the UK, I found the hyper-aggressive manner in which police officers dealt with the public totally abhorrent. After an election shakeup, however, some six months later, we meet Mayor Karen Weaver and Chief Timothy Johnson, who we stick with for the remainder of the series. Welcome to Flint Town. Their options are 1) becoming numb, 2) becoming tough or 3) falling apart. Downloads only available on ad-free plans. Those civilian employees that are part-time, I need at least four of them to be upgraded to full-time, Green said. Rarely, if ever, do the directors address the systematic disenfranchisement of residents of the city, nor do they offer more than fleeting images of the lived experience of poverty. In recent decades, it has faced significant downsizing due to population decline and the ongoing economic depression in the city. Morris Township make an hourly salary of $20.73. Winner of the Roger Ebert Award at the Traverse City Film Festival, "T-Rex" was applauded for its portrayal of Shields inside and outside the sport. Joyce Flint, Jeffrey's mother, moved to California after her divorce from Jeffrey Dahmer's father, Lionel, in the late 1980s. Learn more about our use of cookies and information. A pair of Flint Police Department officers whose budding romance was featured as a part of the Netflix series "Flint Town" has married. Broadway Show Outfits. Johnson announced Friday that he was resigning. She lived in the Fresno area until her death from breast cancer in November 2000. He did all of this extra stuff like help train the volunteers and he probably didnt get paid for it. FLINT, MI -- A pair of Flint Police Department officers whose budding romance was featured as a part of the Netflix series "Flint Town" has married. In the opening episode of the series, Frost talked about coping with the overwhelming number of calls for help, and Balasko was shown responding to an assault the day after it happened, an attack that left a victim with more than a dozen stitches. But they dont, and we need to respect them for the work that they do. "Ithink that's one of the strongest scenes in the entire series." He said that the department ordered 12 cameras using a grant but is still waiting for them to be delivered so they can be deployed. He needs to be investigated but we all know that he wont be because people that were put through what i was and cant pay a real attorney just are happy to get out of that hell hole and you leave not trusting the police. There will be another budget hearing on Monday, April 18, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to go over the budget for the Mayors Office/Administration. I mean, every system has a breaking point.". Frost and Balasko's relationship became a primary storyline in "Flint Town. #ALLLIVESMATTER Side noteFrost is racist and a sociopath and should NOT be wearing a uniform at all. Johnson has now served as Flint Chief of Police since 2016. Though Flint Town keeps its focus tightly on the police department, it finds numerous opportunities to offer broader local and national contexts, particularly as the city becomes a repeat campaign stop for 2016 presidential candidates. Data on poverty and crime can be found by clicking here. When are you singing up for the job? 1124 N Flint Ave was last sold on Apr 26, 2022 for $1,230,000 (3% higher than the asking price of $1,190,000). After years . This is the dumbest thing I ever read.. youre more racist, and you are stereotyping a group of people. Go behind the scenes of Netflix TV shows and movies, see what's coming soon and watch bonus videos on. Just imagine this man when not being recorded . In Flint, entry-level officers make $19.43 an hour. Zaylor is a former corrections officer for the Genesee County Sheriffs Department. I hope people who are solely pro-cop also feel different watching this. 'Dawson's Creek' premiered 25 years ago! Canepari and Cooper collaborated previously on"T-Rex,"the 2015 documentary aboutClaressa (T-Rex)Shields of Flint, the first womanto win a gold medal in Olympic boxing. Youre a fool who has clearly never been in a violent situation. "At the time, they slowly let us into the department and through the rest of 2015, the relationships that we developed, Jessica, myself and Drea, sort of blossomed and became strong. One area he said would be helpful to the department is for more of the part-time civilian staff to become full-time. The documentary focuses on the thoughts and conflicted emotions of police officers serving to protect urban areas of Flint, Michigan (unofficially nicknamed "Flint Town") struggling with poverty, crime, financially strapped public services and the Flint water crisis. The Flint Police Department would like to congratulate Detective Balasko and Sergeant Frost on their recent wedding. He said the budget doesnt need to change now because those positions are vacant, but once they are filled, he would like to upgrade the positions to full-time and change the future budget. You just dont see it on the news because black people use the instances of their innocent black person who wasnt armed (sarcasm) being gunned down by police. "My whole family has told me I need to leave. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Mario Perez/Walt Disney Television via Getty; Craig Sjodin/Walt Disney Television via Getty. Over the course of the episodes, the copswill face a crucial millage vote andcity governmentwrangling over funding. Its disgusting. Welcome to Flint Town 39m As a water crisis erupts and a new mayor is sworn in, the understaffed police department faces uncertainty while struggling to protect the city. While it's easy to sympathize with many of the police in Flint (or hard, such as when officers add callous commentary to the video of Philando Castile's death), Flint Town often reveals individual sympathies to be beside the point. Maybe if you know the facts, you can tone down some of that fear, and start to police the community as a part of the community, and not an overly aggressive adversary of the community! The police have been crapped on by the system just like the people have. For years, state regulatory officials downplayed the threat to public safety, overrode fixes proposed by the Flint City Council and allegedly buried contamination studies, eventually leading to a state of emergency, national outrage, resignations and criminal charges, including manslaughter and obstruction of justice. 212, Mays said. Mitchell eventually reached his family and children around 2 or 3 p.m. Zy'Aire and LaMar would die on June 1 and 3, respectively. Unless you live in Flint and see what some of these trashy low lifes do on a daily basis, you would change your tune. Netflix and third parties use cookies (why?). I agree, any hypothetical Officer nice guy would get ignored and have zero effect in Flint. Mayor Neeley, officials to provide community update on Flints ARPA funding and other city business, Flint mayor gets $64.8-million general fund budget approved without amendments from City Council, COVID premium pay for Flint public safety, essential workers held up in council, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. These people are giving up everything to cover your ass for basically nothing and you shit on them. Sgt Frost and crew are working in a town on its knees. Im from Flint and I saw the police in the movie as trying to take care of a struggling town while having their arms tied behind their back from the uppers who live in safety at their desks all day. Completely agree with this opinion piece. Flint Town gives a unique glimpse into what it's like for law enforcement to operate under such strenuous circumstances, and by featuring nuanced subjects like Balasko and her partners, the doc helps illustrate the human faces that exist behind that struggle. .. a decimated and demoralized Flint Michigan Police force struggling to cope with violent crime after the city's downward spiral into an epidemic of record-high murder rates. I was contemplating going to law school, then my focus kind of shifted toward federal law enforcement. 4 officers have been killed by gunfire in the 100+ year history of the FPD. I hope he is no longer working for the police department. With only 98 officers for 100,000 residents (a handful more are hired over the course of the docuseries), the police are acutely aware of the problems, both in the community and in their limited capacity to address widespread crime. We know from current trends that if we have X amount of police officers, we can expect X amount of crime, and were not doing anything to sway those in great numbers, said Councilman Dennis Pfeiffer. By Shaurya Thapa. 1124 N Flint Ave is located in Wilmington, Wilmington. I like how he handled the dude with no seat belt who drove into his driveway. So guess what, that means tactics have to change. And these officers are doing it for 12 dollars an hour. And looming over it all is what residents and police alike refer to as the "water crisis" or "water situation," which refers to the switch of municipal water from Detroit's water supply to the Flint River, a cost-cutting decision that poisoned residents with elevated lead levels, in some tests more than 866 times the upper limit allowed by federal guidelines. ", The couple's chemistry was noticed in reviews, including "The Hollywood Reporter," which called Frost a "salty conservative, wedded to the city and the region so totally that he's never even been on an airplane. Since Sept. 1, 2020, Green said that the department has hired 29 police officers, but there are still 25 vacant officer positions. He shouldnt have been promoted to seargent. Bless those cops! 4,673, This story has been shared 3,127 times. 'The Last of Us' Episode 7 Ending Explained: Does Riley Die in 'The Last of Us'? 100% agree. See photos from the Frost-Balasko wedding here. And they'll confront their own feelings about a national wave of incidents that raise questions aboutpolice bias and brutality. What do 46 famous child stars look like now that they're all grown up? For part-time positions, there are eight police officers and 38 civilian officers budgeted for 2022. I am speaking to Justin being the ignorant one.. in case his peabrain missed that. I was supposed to go elsewhere I was told. Hyper-masculine? Opinion: if you dont like it then you get through the police academy, polygraph, psych testing, and YOU make a change in the system. 'Yellowstone' Return Date Info, When Does The Next New Episode of 'Yellowstone' Air on Paramount Network? Thats not justification and your just as bad as the militarized police in LA in the 90s. You can tell from the calibre of replies just what kind of mindset the author is highlighting. In addition to the work that the Flint PD does in the community, "Flint Town" also tracks the changes in management style and PR tactics that change under the installation of a new police chief. Now on Netflix, the eight part docuseries tags along with several members of the Flint Police Department as they go about their daily duties while at the same time grappling with the unfortunate realities of the city's situation. It cant be easy to deal with people who must be angry and tired at the lack of help this city (town?) The city learned that it would be receiving $94.7 million in ARPA funding as part of a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package intended to aid the country in recovering from the pandemic. 1,979, This story has been shared 1,733 times. P.S. Buy Broadway Tickets Amy Diaz is a journalist hailing from St. Petersburg, FL. In case you didn't know this, the words "Vehicle City" are spelled out on the archway spanning the Flint. Im willing to spend a million dollars or more trying.. ", Balasko says during the show's premiere that she never necessarily expected to become a police officer in Flint following college, where her LinkedIn says she majored in political science and government she had other plans in mind. Published Sep 5, 2021. But certain subjects, like the varied reactions to the video of the Castile shooting,reveal a divide between white and black officers. He gives the good police officers a bad name. With the city controlling 911, Green hopes to not only reduce response times, but also improve customer service that residents get when they make the call. He has been charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree,. He plainly said why he does the job, for the thrill! All rights reserved (About Us). Green told the council that the police department has been talking with the administration about returning control of 911 to the city instead of the county. The show provides a rare insight into a . It will never simply be about weeding out the bad cops and keeping the good. He has a history of bad policing of black and brown people within the Dept and its well known. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. It does not focus on the amazing turn around and recovery that is starting to happen in the city, Weaver said. Flint Town has been the talk of the town since it first aired on Netflix on March 2. Additionally, he said Flint officers responded to 58,000 calls in 2021, and Mt. Wow, they are trying to help your city. 3,127, This story has been shared 3,015 times. "I had heard that Flintwas bad. So who is the Flint Chief of Police and how are they involved with Flint Town? As much as Flint Town makes obvious the need for police, often the only resource for people subjected to violence, no policing can fix the problems that necessitates aggressive policing in the first place. Season 5 Return Date Info, Love 'Yellowstone'? Its not realistic, which is sad to think about.". Minutes later, in a powerfulsequence,Frost describes fatally shootinga robbery suspectwho had fired a gun while fleeing, then dropped theweapon unbeknownst to him. But he said he didnt feel those cameras were efficient enough, so the department ordered more high-tech cameras. I never thought I would write that about the city's understaffed, 100-officer police outfit, but Netflix's new tell-all documentary "Flint Town" exposes to the masses the hyper-aggressive nature of policing prevalent in the City of Flint, and does little to distinguish the department from national concerns that Black Lives Matter . YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. We get several complaints of citizens that are complaining of being spoken to rudely on the phone, being put on hold, Green said. The second person charged was Cameron Scott Zaylor, a 24-year-old from Davison. He got to the machine shop in which he happens toget their name throw out by him in the documentary, in less time then my friend could get out of the bathroom and try to say something because I was suddenly being whipped down and slammed on his hood. LINDEN, Mich. (WILX) - The Flint Police Department announced this week they were made aware of an arrest warrant issued for one of their sworn officers. It is not the job, nor can it be the job of law enforcement officers to address the systematic, socioeconomic causes of crime. "Flint Town" also includesscenes themed to then-GOP candidate Donald Trump's presidential campaign and reflects the support for Trump among white cops. Work brings an American travel executive to Vietnam, where a free-spirited tour guide helps open her eyes to a beautifully adventurous way of life. This property is not currently available for sale. The officers are tired, underpaid and understaffed. Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. On March 2, 2018, the Netflix channel began streaming the American documentary television series Flint Town. According toThe New Yorker, Johnson preached zero tolerance and sought to crack down on minor offenses and enforced proactive policing in an attempt to stop crime before it happens.
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