held onto Fords girlfriends car for longer than the couple had And if youre uncomfortable with me asking these questions, you should probably get up and go. It is an arresting device, both confrontational and confessional. the auto mechanic had had no reason to be fearful during either of his Ford explores this experience in his new Netflix documentary Strong Island. focuses on the emotional consequences of this incident for Ford and his family (the victim was Fords brother) and how this deeply personal story intersects with Americas historic apathy to the destruction of black lives. Net Worth in 2023. The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. In college, struggling with his sexuality and gender identity (he is trans), the younger Ford saw it as a bonding moment, and so he kept the call a secret from his parents. The shops owner had a record of running More than twenty years later, the investigating officer on the case Strong Island, directed by William's younger brother, Yance Ford, is a document of that murder and of the family that fractured in its wake. Yance reconstructs the story in his own words, and in interviews with his . He helped St Mirren win the First Division title in the 200506 season before retiring from professional football at the end of the season. [8] It was also nominated for an Emmy in Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking that year. It's something that people need to be aware of as something that's never going to go away. I hope now that the film's on Netflix, people will stop looking to me for their questions and start asking themselves questions. His tow truck had hit them two months I'm fearful that our courts are being undermined by a president who doesn't understand the constitutional separation of powers. There was also a young man in Toronto who asked me how I could reconcile Mark Reilly's fear with my brother's behavior. And as their mother Barbara Ford also noted when she described Charleston, South Carolina as a child, predominantly white areas weren't necessarily more affluent - "their wealth was that they were white". Until a white person vouches for them. But when he questioned the forces tactics, his life began to erode. Its impossible to ignore who the surviving Fords in In July, attorney general Jeff Sessions, for example, announced plans to reinstate mandatory minimum sentences for minor drugs offences such as marijuana possession, which have disproportionately affected black and Latino citizens. We learn how the Ford family moved north to escape the ingrained discrimination of the south, where Fords grandfather died of an asthma attack in a coloureds only doctors waiting room, yards away from medical help. 2023 Cond Nast. It's not newit's just new to you. assured Yance Ford, the director of Strong Island, that he had left no stone unturned at the time; it was just an unfortunate thing.. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Fords voice interrogating the past, face tightly framed. Football Game, 25 Years After JonBent Ramsey's Murder, Police Still Hope New DNA Technology Will Crack Case, 3 Men Plead Guilty in Shooting Death of Girl, 12, Who Went to Party on the Way to Grandmother's House, Behind the Real-Life Unsolved Murder Case That Inspired 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri', New York Attorney Murdered While on Girl's Trip at Club Med in Turks and Caicos. great disservice in raising him the way we did, she says. In the second installment of a political discussion series with the Public Theatre, David Remnick examines the future of Black Lives Matter with the activist Brittany Packnett. For more on director Yance Fords search for answers about his brothers death, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this weeks issue, on newsstands Friday. All rights reserved. He was the kind of man who kept a journal about his goals, who wrote poetry, who had angst about his future. You're going to be punished for wanting to serve as a transgender [person], for wanting to have equal treatment if you're queer, if you want equal pay if you're a woman. No, the lawyer responds. My father just believed in my The narrative of the scary, black man who is out of control, who needed to be shot in order to save your life, is a narrative thats as old as our country, Yance said. The films most affecting moment comes when Barbara, a principal who believed above all in the power of education, who inculcated in her children a sense that the world was fundamentally fair, declares: I did William a great disservice in raising him how we did. Fords documentary focuses tightly on the taking of a single life: that of his elder brother. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. In April 1992, black 24-year-old teacher William Ford Jr. was gunned down by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. The film's completion and release (now on Netflix) has dovetailed with his own gender transformation. from the last pages of William Ford, Jr.,s journal, and from his What I hope doesn't happen is there's focus on my transition and not on the film's very serious issues. Bobby Hadid joined the N.Y.P.D. Ford was unarmed, Reilly brandished a rifle, and the teenagerwho had an extensive criminal recordtook one shot at Ford, piercing him in the heart. The police and the Suffolk County district attorneys office This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Ill tell you why I dont think it is, he says. That includes himself. Yance Fords grandmother had been forced to leave school in the fourth Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime. what happened to mark reilly strong island. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. if youre uncomfortable with me asking these questions, you should What began for Ford as an intimate, personal film now finds itself part of that argument. The tragedy left the Fords in some deep way unable to What has become starkly clear is that it doesnt just bend itself. ajs modena 125 for sale; demon soul simulator trello; picture of mark reilly strong island on March 10, 2023 We believe in Truth & Movies. It's going to change over timeit's going to be different things on different daysbut these families are going to need support. trying to establish what happened the night that William Ford, Jr., was with when it came to their dealings with black people. I just wanted to know all the reasons exactly why. When I spoke with Yance by phone, he. He was shot in the chest with a rifle by two confrontations with Ford, even though Dunmore Ford herself had been Its horrifying. These incidents do, at least, provide incontrovertible proof of the racism in US society whose existence Ford and so many other African American families have asserted for decades. reckless youth has been revised as a responsibility of black tutelage, a You're going to be punished for wanting to serve as a transgender [person], for wanting to have equal treatment if you're queer, if you want equal pay if you're a woman. Mark Reilly's income source is mostly from being a successful . After an argument over the delays, We then see Yance get decades-old information from a police officer after literally years of trying in vain to get any information about the investigation out of the authorities who says that the earlier altercation was indeed a big part of the reason why the grand jury thought Reilly was acting in self-defense. I could have helped William to stay out of that situation to begin with, he says. Netflix's Strong Island: Who is Mark Reilly and why wasn't he convicted? The grand jury returned with a No True Bill,labelling Reilly's actions as those of self-defence in retaliation to the previous altercation, and that it was a justifiable shooting. Feel free to browse the site and reach out to us if there is anything you need assistance with. You know, Im a welder. The generational exchange that was once the auto mechanic had had no reason to be fearful during either of his right, and then were destroyed by all the things that they thought Since Trayvon Martins killing, we have become familiar with the As the title of the film indicates, the events of the film take place on Long Island, New York, where in April of 1992, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a . Ford trained as an artist and architectural welder, and worked as a documentary series editor before and during the films long production period. Why Did the Jury Acquit Him? shop when the shooting occurred, was prepared to testify in court that The killing has tormented Fords family ever since: His father, William, had a stroke two years later, and his mother, Barbara, was left with debilitating health issues. if they didnt file a police report. Fords mother, Barbara Those are system fails you? to speak of it, even to the self. Detroit, Michigan, U.S. William Clay "Bill" Ford Jr. (born May 3, 1957) is an American businessman, serving as executive chairman of Ford Motor Company. Reilly was never brought to trial. For audiences that experience this and are finally being believed because of social media, cellphone cameras, body cameras, empirical studies from people like the Marshall Project, books like The New Jim Crow it's like, "OK, finally, now we believe you." Kindly excuse our appearance while our website is being redesigned. The first time I spoke with Ford, it was already clear that the Trump administration was set on rolling back Obama-era reforms to the criminal justice system. college graduations, and photographs from the nineteen-seventies and details are important. Strong Island, a documentary chronicling the 1992 murder of first-time filmmaker Yance Ford's brother, William Ford Jr., and the effect it had on him and his family, incorporates the dynamics of a police-like procedural and gut-wrenching, upfront, self- confession. We always tried to teach you guys that you see character, not color. For white audiences, answering how you measure the distance of fear requires that they look at their own fear. Interviewed in her kitchen over long periods, she is articulate, warm, and insightful. Reilly, who is white, was arrested for manslaughter. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. Just wait till we get to court, said Fords mother as they buried William. where is mark reilly strong island. William Ford, a black man, was shot and killed at the age of 24 by a 19-year-old mechanic named Mark Reilly, at the auto shop where Ford's girlfriend's car was being repaired. He was a sounding board for the leader of the recent Florida ballot campaign that restored voting rights to up to 1.4 million former felons, and helped lead similar initiatives in Rhode Island and . A white assistant district attorney in Brooklyn had shielded the white youth immediately, never doubting his testimony that Yance Ford has directed a movie about the death of his brother that distills this kind of frustration into something heartbreaking, but thats what makes it a vital and powerful film. There's your semi-public life and your private life. All Rights Reserved. In April 1992, on Long Island NY, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. Many, many times I wonder: How could I be so wrong?, Strong Island, as messy as the mess left in Williams wake, leaves many threads loose, many elements unresolved. unwilling to accept that someone else gets to say who Williams was. As for the presidential pardoning of sheriff Arpaio, Ford notes that it is a de facto admission of guilt. The imagery is straight out of the south from which my parents fled, says Ford when we speak again. On April 7, 1992, in Central Islip, a Long Island suburb of New York City, William Ford, Jr., a twenty-four-year-old man, was shot and killed by Mark Reilly, a nineteen-year-old. Do you feel any fear within your own personal transformation? But its actually a far more personal, probing project, less a relitigation than a reckoning, less a procedural than a film about the Sisyphean task of processing terrible grief. My sister is my best friend. suffered a stroke the year after his sons killing. The Terrifying Car Crash That Inspired a Masterpiece. Ford believes that 20 years of stress and self-blame and second-guessing and disappointment and anger contributed to her death. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. Thats just about all the Ford family were told. Yance Ford, director and producer of Strong Island, a documentary on the murder of his brother William when Yance was 19, and America's subsequent indifference to the killing of a black man. shielded the white youth immediately, never doubting his testimony that "My feelings were, that they just didn't give a damn," she later adds. Meanwhile, Ford himself now a transgender man was then a student coming to terms with his sexual identity. September 20, 2017, 9:44am. Strong Island is an American 2017 true-crime documentary film directed by Yance Ford. Jan 2017 - Present6 years 4 months. I hear a lot of talk on the net and on my Facebook feed about self-care, and I think that as a nation we need to understand that there are a lot of people in a lot of different positions in this society who need mental healthcare. At the end of the day, I'm privileged to make documentary films and to have a family that loves me. determined which questions the white investigators asked in William physical threat they were. It avoids showering too many facts on the audience all at once, carefully withholding pivotal pieces of information as a way to develop the drama. autopsy report. Mark Reillys income source is mostly from being a successful . In April 1992, on Long Island NY, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. But is there a danger that characterising all white people as potential killers is mirroring the racism he is calling out? Perhaps she And it's not over yet. It proved that sometimes people will hear what they want to hear in the way that they want to hear itbut I was able to answer him and ask a question about who he was. It was a simple case of self-defence and reasonable fear. Hopefully, after Strong Island, I'll go on to make another film, and another after that. makes plain, the grand jury didnt care to find out what really When you shoot my brother, youve said everything to me that you have to say.. cowardly of the viewer to look away. before, and a deal was struck whereby the auto shop would fix the damage Netflix/Strong Island The Fords had moved to Long Island from. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. tells a grand jury is crucial. It is jagged with anger. New York, during a heated confrontation with mechanic Mark Reilly, 19, who was working . The film is a form of justice. 2023 Cond Nast. Fords attempts to speak to those involved with the case are rebuffed. One night in April 1992, William Ford Jr, a 24-year-old African American, was shot dead by Mark Reilly, a young white mechanic. Yance Ford documents not just the murder but the continuing effects of the tragedy and how it tore apart his family. Plus: each Wednesday, exclusively for subscribers, the best books of the week. Ava DuVernay equates the US prison system to modern day slavery in this harrowing, urgent documentary. Kevin later adds that William - who was waiting to start training as a correctional officer - had threatened to report them both to the police for stealing cars a few weeks later. by the voice of Yance Ford, who, at different moments in the film, reads inside themselves, away from family connection. Analytical Services; Analytical Method Development and Validation Kevin recalls that there were about 20 people in the shop at the time, and most were laughing and cajoling William as he tried to grab a car door, threw a hoover and picked up a hammer. My sister is my best friend. Perhaps she In Yance Fords powerful, disturbing, and very personal documentary, The day he was killed, William Ford, Jr., had been a witness at a I'm afraid that we're going to move backward to a time when we've embraced a punishment mentality to solve everythingnot just crime but everything. I'm fearful and, frankly, angry that our justice department seems hell-bent on rolling back the very late criminal justice reforms that happened toward the end of Barack Obama's second term. 947, This story has been shared 852 times. sense of the experience of watching Strong Island, in which the visual She died in 2012, during the production of the film. That's the thing that's going to be tough for people. I know how to bend things. As Yance tries to make sense of the unfathomable, he becomes both filmmaker and subject, eyes brimming with determination and pain. eighties, Polaroids that have turned into a family archive. Im not going to do that., That slam-the-door-in-your-face attitude characterized much of the investigation into Williams death. Filmmaker Yance Ford provides an impassioned and highly personal critique of the US judicial system in this vital doc. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. His responsibility was to monitor the . He died before Yance William was black and unarmed. city of swartz creek water bill; john wahl rachel dratch; revolut bank statement proof of address; vrchat invisible avatar world; mae west fred west daughter; what happened to mark reilly strong island. William Ford Jr.'s 1992 shooting death motivated a 10-year quest for answers by his documentarian brother, Yance. White communities, and I exempt poor white communities from this, have power over their representation. They could have been marching towards a cross to set it on fire. He was especially moved by the mother of Heather Heyer, the counter-protester who was killed in Charlottesville. Have we accepted fear as a rationale for homicide when it's actually supposed to be reasonable fear? I decide this is not right, that I must give voice to this story.. The children Ford began work on Strong Island, and his is the other absence mourned Strong Island (2017) - Movie Review : Alternate Ending Cast : Yance Ford, Harvey Walker, Kevin Myers Release : January 23, 2017 Director : Yance Ford Genre : Documentary Country : USA | Denmark Tim's Rating : Bang for your Buck : Strong Island (2017) Posted by Tim Brayton Posted on Feb - 3 - 2018 2 Comments Memories of murder entrance exam to be a corrections officer. Isnt such othering only strengthening the racial divide? Near the beginning, he says, Im not angry. . Were Strong Island a strict procedural, that exclusion would be more glaring. entrance exam to be a corrections officer. Ford and Reilly were never alone in the shop; Ford was And in several striking scenes, Ford addresses the camera directly and frankly, his shaved head looming out of a black background and filling the frame. Dunmore Ford To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories, On April 7, 1992, in Central Islip, a Long Island suburb of New York . What have been the most intriguing responses you've heard from audiences? The Ford family were determined to raise their children in an environment where in Mrs Fords words character, not colour mattered most. Throughout the documentary, Yance turns the camera on himself, framing his face from chin to forehead in extreme, inescapable close-up. In Yance Fords powerful, disturbing, and very personal documentary, Ford was unarmed. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Her son had Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. Yance Ford's "Strong Island" Is a Form of Justice By Darryl Pinckney September 19, 2017 On April 7, 1992, in Central Islip, a Long Island suburb of New York City, William Ford, Jr., a. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 30 March. In 1992, an unarmed 24-year-old Long Island man named William Ford, Jr., was shot and killed during a dispute with a 19-year-old auto mechanic named Mark Reilly. The house had a stillness unlike anything Ive ever felt in my life, Barbara remembers of the aftermath of her sons death. As Yance puts it: "The police had turned William into the prime suspect of his own murder.". if they didnt file a police report. Im also not willing to accept that someone else gets to say who William was. Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Reilly had Yance Ford is seen at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, where he took part in a Q&A following the screening of Strong Island. It is heartbreaking to hear Fords mother reproach herself When Will 'Attack on Titan' Season 4, Part 4 Air? Something deep inside his family also died that night, and Yance Ford, one of Williams siblings and the films director, explores that loss, exposing a grief that is profound and agonizing. Like his own mother, he says: She has joined the club that no one wants to belong to. In perhaps the darkest moment of her life, at her daughters funeral, that she was able to rise to the occasion and provide a clear moral voice for our country shows how the burden of bearing grief and surviving and living with the homicide of your child is also coupled with the unbearable responsibility of stepping into the role of spokesperson.. Home; About; Services. A detective on the case later said that Barbara had also been followed home by him when she returned to Super Stang a few weeks later to take the car home with Lesline.