“Isolation and silence about these huge social challenges is what is killing our young people.”

Marcus Knox-Hooke

The observational documentary directed by George Amponsah, The Hard Stop, is being re-released this Spring by eXeFilm, nearly ten years since its first theatrical release.

The film follows the aftermath of the shooting of Mark Duggan, which led to the London riots of 2011. The coverage of Duggan’s death was initially reported as a “shoot out” between him and the police, depicting Duggan as an armed aggressor. It was soon revealed that Duggan did not fire any shots and was not holding a gun when he was killed. As director George Amponsah explained in an article for The Independent:

Mark Duggan was not given a chance to explain himself. He was subject to the “hard stop,” a procedure by which three police cars force a suspect’s car to come to a halt by surrounding it from the front, back and the roadside. The idea is to psychologically dominate the suspect, so that they can’t move, or draw their weapons. Except in the case of Duggan, despite the fact that he was not carrying a weapon, he was shot dead by a policeman.

The false reporting and injustice surrounding Duggan’s death led to peaceful protests that escalated and sparked the 2011 London Riots. However, the tension between the police and residents in Tottenham already had a turbulent history. In 1985, riots broke out on Broadwater Farm estate after resident Cynthia Jarrett died of a heart attack when police searched her house with false allegations that her son had stolen a car. The clash between officers and residents also resulted in the death of PC Blakelock. This film, The Hard Stop, depicts this turbulent period, with Marcus Knox-Hooke and Kurtis Henville sharing their experience as friends of Mark Duggan.

The Hard Stop is not alone in its subject matter. Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in the US, the Black Lives Matter movement encouraged a plethora of new stories to be told, keeping the conversation alive so that those like Duggan and Floyd will not be forgotten. It is within these necessary stories that Amponsah’s work exists.

When looking at his past work, it is not surprising that The Hard Stop is part of George Amponsah’s back catalogue, with observational documentaries like The Fighting Spirit (2007) and Diaspora Calling (2011) suggesting his skill in the genre. Amponsah has received

BAFTA nominations for The Hard Stop and for directing the 2021 documentary called Black Power: A British Story of Resistance which was executive produced by Steve McQueen. His work doesn’t stop there, with 2023 seeing Amponsah’s first feature film release called Gassed Up, which is about London youths who get mixed up with a gang of thieves.

Steve McQueen has also been influential in platforming marginalised stories, with his 2020 film anthology series for the BBC, Small Axe, depicting the real-life experiences of London’s West Indian community between 1969 and 1982. A key episode is called Mangrove and tells the story of Frank Crichlow, whose restaurant became a community hub in Notting Hill, serving West Indian cuisine and attracting locals, activists and artists. The story of the Mangrove restaurant is one of racist violence from the police and the discriminatory society in which Crichlow and others had to live. The film is a re-telling of real events, with well-known actors in starring roles, such as Letitia Wright as Black Panther Altheia Jones, and Malachi Kirby as Darcus Howe. This anthology series is yet another example of how cinema can be a tool for change by allowing stories that need to be heard to reach new audiences.

George Amponsah was able to get The Hard Stop screened in Parliament to challenge the notion that racism in the UK is “not as bad” as in America. Yet, as Amponsah says, the ‘police are representative of the society that they serve’ and the only difference between the violence here and in America is the ‘gun culture.’

This statement from Amponsah echoes the argument of a famous Darcus Howe quote, in which he said:

“A policeman is only racist in that he’s part of a racist society. And you cannot ask the policeman to change his racist clothing if you don’t change the society.”

He should need no introduction, but just in case you’re not familiar, Leighton Rhett Radford “Darcus” Howe was a British broadcaster, writer and racial justice campaigner who was part of the Mangrove 9, a trial that was retold in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series (2020). Archival footage of Howe was also featured in Amponsah’s documentary, Black Power, which brough him together with powerhouse Steve McQueen. The film depicts a much-forgotten history of West Indian migration to the UK and their maltreatment in society, resulting in the rise of the Black Power movement. It is a documentary with much sorrow and injustice but becomes emblazoned with hope through the archival footage of activism and protests. Although the events and people within it are so integral to the history of Britain, it is unfortunately not surprising that much of it has been disregarded in documented history.

Daniel Kaluuya features as the voice over narrator and he ends the documentary with an important statement:

“The story of Britain’s Black Power movement has until recently been largely overlooked. But to ignore this history is to risk not learning key lessons from the past.”

Amponsah’s Black Power documentary focuses on the history of racism in Britain and the collective struggle experienced by many, whilst The Hard Stop provides a more intimate and contemporary depiction of racism, a reminder that society has struggled to learn any lessons from the past. Thomas Waugh said in his 1984 book, Show Us Life, that ‘If films are to be instrumental in the process of change, they must be made not only about the people directly implicated in the change, but with and for those people as well.’ The work of Amponsah and his team, the trust provided by Marcus and Kurtis, the solidarity and support shown from celebrities like Kaluuya, are all examples of how such films are instrumental in making change happen.

With most stories of activism centred around London, it was exciting to discover Drummer Television, a production company based in Bristol, that specialises in documentary activism. In 2020, Drummer TV made a few short films for Channel 4 about the statue of slave owner Edward Colston being removed from its plinth in Bristol, one being called The Plinth and the Black Lives Matter Movement. The film is fascinating as it follows Jen Reid who during the protest, stood on the plinth and raised her fist, as she said:

“I raised my hands for George Floyd. I raised my hands for all the people who’ve died at the hands of the police for being black. To show people who think we don’t matter that we do matter.”

There was a temporary sculpture made of Reid that was placed in the position of Colston but unfortunately got taken down after twenty-four hours, as it was not officially accepted by the council beforehand. Whether in short film form, long form documentary or feature film, these examples show us how our history is full of stories that we are yet to hear; stories that need to be told now.

These stories of police violence are still prominent today, with the shooting of Chris Kaba in 2022, and the coverage continuing into 2024, displaying how dominating techniques like the hard stop are still being used. George Amponsah recently directed and produced a Panorama episode about Chris Kaba’s death, which aired on the 4th of November 2024. Kaba’s death

has been a harsh reminder that, as campaigner Kayza Rose said, the ‘police can kill without consequence.’ This sentiment is echoed at the end of The Hard Stop, with the fact that:

“Since 1990 in the UK there have been over 1500 deaths in custody or following police contact. No officer has ever been charged with unlawful killing.”

The harsh reality of Britain’s corrupt police and justice system reminds me of something Marcus says in the film, when Duggan’s family and friends receive the news that his death was deemed a “lawful” act. Marcus says:

“The people who we are taking our argument to, are the same people who gave us the verdict, so who is really listening to us?”

Marcus Knox-Hooke did not give up hope of this story being heard, as he went on to use his experience to educate and support youth programs in London, before touring the film around the UK.

This intimate, human, thought-provoking and highly acclaimed documentary also raises critical questions about the life of young men growing up in deprived areas and the limited choices they often have for their futures. The Hard Stop tells the story of Mark Duggan’s death and breaks the silence on the systemic issues of racism and police violence that are still prominent today. By re-releasing The Hard Stop, Mark Duggan’s story will be a reminder of the changes that still need to be made; his story is one that must be told until it is heard.

For more information, please see:

• Black Power: A British Story of Resistance (2021) available on BBC iPlayer

• Small Axe (2020) series on BBC iPlayer

• Panorama: The Chris Kaba Shooting on BBC iPlayer

• Drummer Television and the 2020 short film The Plinth and the Black Lives Matter Movement

• A book called Story Movements: How Documentaries Empower People and Inspire Social Change by Caty Borum Chattoo, 2020.

• Article in The Independent, The Hard Stop: The London Riots documentary that we can’t ignore. By Kaleem Aftab, 2016.

• Article in the Huffington Post, I was Jailed For My Role In The London Riots – Now I Want to Show Young People How to Avoid My Mistakes. By Marcus Knox-Hooke, 2018.

• BBC News article, Police officer cleared of murdering Chris Kaba. By Liz Jackson and Jeremy Britton, 2024.

• The 1984 book by Thomas Waugh called Show Us Life: Toward a History and Aesthetics of the Committed Documentary.