Documentary ‘Hold Your Fire’ Wins Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize

It was fascinating being a very small part of this important and timely film (I served on the advisory board for Hold Your Fire).  Director Stefan Forbes, who contacted me because of my work on Philadelphia’s Black Mafia and especially its ties to the Nation of Islam, is a real pro.

From Deadline:

Documentary Hold Your Fire directed by Stefan Forbes (Boogie Man, The Lee Atwater Story) has nabbed the second annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, a $200,000 finishing grant for a filmmaker who uses original research and compelling narrative to tell stories that touch on an aspect of American history.

Produced by Amir Soltani and Tia Wou, the feature-length doc explores the longest hostage siege in NYPD history in1973 at a Brooklyn sporting goods store and how Harvey Schlossberg, an officer with a doctorate in psychology, averted a bloodbath.

In the incident, four young Black men stealing guns for self-defense were cornered by police. A violent gun battle ensued and soon a police officer lay dead in the freezing rain. Hundreds of officers poured into Williamsburg intent on carrying out then standard NYPD operating procedure: issue an ultimatum, then assault the store with deadly force despite hostages being trapped inside.

Rest is here.

Also see coverage in TIME Magazine.