Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba,
host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
Far too often in America,
we hear about an unarmed black man
being killed by a white police officer.
Tonight's film, Down a Dark Stairwell tells a similar tale,
but in this case
it's an Asian American police officer behind the fatality
of an innocent unarmed African American male.
The shooting of Akai Gurley took place in a stairwell
at a Brooklyn housing project in 2014
when he was shot by officer Peter Liang.
Liang became one of the few NYPD officers
to be indicted of manslaughter and official misconduct
in a shooting case.
The incident pitted
the Asian and African American communities against each other
as they navigate the uneven criminal justice system.
Director Ursula Liang
is the perfect steward for this project.
She is of Asian descent,
has a background in African studies,
and is a practicing journalist,
a popular area of education for many documentarians.
If that wasn't enough,
Liang also shares the same last name with the offending officer.
Liang says her personal experiences and studies
allow her to see
all the nuance and complications in the story.
In an effort to practice sensitivity
to supporters of Akai Gurley,
Liang approached them and talked with them face to face
at the beginning of the project.
And to ease any potential cultural tensions on the set,
Liang was in constant contact with advisors
to make sure that her characters had texture
beyond ethnic stereotypes
and hired a very racially diverse crew.
Down a Dark Stairwell starts now
on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.