Two years prior to “Defacement”, Basquiat painted “Irony of Negro Policemen.” This earlier painting depicts a black cop in a blue uniform with the title painted next to him. To closely examine Basquiat’s message of this painting, we reached out to James Forman Jr. In 2017, he published Pulitzer winning “Locking Up Our Own: Crime And Punishment In Black America” which examines the role played by black people in shaping America's criminal system today, the history of (notably for this video) black cops, and all of the nuances of this history.
0:00 Intro
2:27 What Is The Irony? Part I
3:59 James Forman Jr.
4:43 James Forman Sr.'s Arrest
9:11 Why Criticize Black Law Enforcement?
13:32 History of Black Law Enforcement
18:16 The Irony of Black Policemen Part II
25:55 Conclusion
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