Member review

George Amponsah’s The Hard Stop allows direct and emotionally engaging insight into the community affected by the death of Mark Duggan, 29 years old, shot and killed by the police in 2011.

The documentary adopts an incredibly intimate atmosphere by presenting Mark’s story through the eyes of his two childhood friends, Marcus Knox Hooke and Kurtis Henville. Their perspective is introduced by Amponsah’s inclusion of Martin Luther King’s quote, “A riot is the language of the unheard.” This quote acts as the epigraph that ultimately presents The Hard Stop as the medium allowing those voices a chance to be heard.

Archived video footage presents Amponsah’s audience with the visceral reaction that occurred after Mark's death, specifically the riots that erupted in Tottenham over the following days. Home footage also contributes to the affecting nature of the documentary by almost personally introducing the viewer to the community members directly and tragically affected by the loss of a man that did not deserve to die.

Although The Hard Stop centrally revolves around Mark's death, it also shines a light on other incidents of discrimination and heavy-handed policing in the black community. These include the death of Cynthia Jarrett, followed by the death of PC Keith Blakelock during the 1985 rioting on Broadwater Farm estate, where Mark, Marcus and Kurtis grew up.

At one point in the documentary, Stafford Scott, a community activist, makes it known that those who grow up on Broadwater Farm live under the shadow of what happened in the 80s, which proves that the Metropolitan police force’s methods of oppression are still unjustly prevalent.

By showing how Mark’s death links to the wider picture, Amponsah is demonstrating that no death should ever be a passing headline, nor should it be a nameless number on a death toll. Mark was part of a community and a family, as was Cynthia, and tragedies like these should inspire change.

From the involvement of religion to the involvement of music, family and friends, The Hard Stop may be a hard watch, but it evokes a sense of humanity and unity that resonates and educates.