American Justice on Trial
Description
American Justice on Trial
When Black Panther Party co-founder Huey Newton was arrested for the murder of an Oakland policeman in 1967, major news outlets covered the trial and social unrest ensued. From the jury composition to the criminal defense, racial issues were put front and center in what ultimately became a landmark murder case. Jury foreman David Harper gives rare insight into the jury’s deliberations and how the historic trial unfolded.
Biographies
Andrew Abrahams has a BA in cultural anthrolopology from Northwestern University and an MA in visual anthropology from USC, where he also studied at the School of Cinema. The founder and president of Open Eye Pictures, he is a producer, cinematographer, and photographer, in addition to being a director. His films include his documentary short debut, Positive Motion (1991), winner of Best in Show at the Dance on Camera Festival; Bubbeh Lee and Me (1997), a doc short about Abrahams’ relationship with his grandmother that garnered a Daytime Emmy Award Nomination for Best Children’s Special; Under Our Skin (2008), which was shortlisted for the 2010 feature documentary Academy Award®; and Under Our Skin 2: Emergence (2014).
A long-time documentary editor, Herb Ferrette is a seven-time regional Emmy winner and 12-time nominee. Among his projects as editor are The Missile Merchants (1985), Who Bombed Judi Bari? (1991), The Fight in the Fields (1997), The War: Bay Area Stories (2008), and Shakti’s Retreat (2013). He has managed post-production and edited programs for Discovery Channel, MSNBC, national and local PBS, and others. American Justice on Trial is his directing debut.