Morgan Freeman is currently promoting his new movie, “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain,” about an elderly veteran who was shot and killed by police in 2011.
Chamberlain, a former Marine and corrections officer, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a heart condition. In the early morning hours of Nov. 19, 2011, he was in his home in White Plain, New York, when he accidentally triggered his LifeAid alert button. When officers arrived at his home to check up on him, an altercation ensued despite Chamberlain repeatedly telling them that he was fine. He was tased and fatally shot.
During a recent interview, Freeman opened up about police policy and why he does not believe in defunding the police.
“I’m not in the least bit for defunding the police,” said Freeman. “Police work is, aside from all the negativity around it, it is very necessary for us to have them and most of them are guys that are doing their job. They’re going about their day-to-day jobs. There are some police the never pulled their guns except in rage, that sort of thing. I don’t know.”
Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., says what happened to his father is an example of what happens in many communities of color.
“This is just a classic example of race and class playing a role and how you respond to different neighborhoods in cities,” Chamberlain Jr. told WBUR.
He adds that the conviction of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, is just a drop in the ocean.
“That conviction represents accountability on the smallest level, but not justice,” he says. “Because there can be no justice when the rates of shootings and killings remain steady.”
“The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain” was released on Sept. 17 in select theaters and video on demand.
