Hollywood and the police have a strained and complicated relationship in wake of Black Lives Matter protests

The Hollywood Reporter

While Hollywood has expressed support for Black Lives Matter and against police brutality, TV and movie productions are reliant on the police officers. "The bond between the industry and law enforcement runs deeper than onscreen portrayals," says Tatiana Siegel. "Police serve as paid consultants on movies and shows including CBS' Blue Bloods and Netflix's Mindhunter. Robert De Niro leans on a stable of NYPD alumni for protection (Glenn Cunningham, a former homicide detective, serves as vp security at the Tribeca Film Center and The Greenwich Hotel) and to inform his performances (retired top spokesman Stephen Davis connected the actor with an international jewel thief in preparation for the heist movie The Score and is credited as a technical adviser on 15 Minutes). LAPD union boss Jamie McBride himself boasts more than a dozen acting credits on IMDb, including CSI. Similarly, the Oscars ceremony employs scores of ex-cops, mostly from LAPD." She adds: "Even left-leaning MSNBC hires ex-cops to escort journalists to Black Lives Matter protests, says a source. The going rate is $75 an hour. One main requirement is they must be licensed to carry a firearm." Ava DuVernay, who has been outspoken on police brutality, wonders if police are even needed on sets. "If I am a director and I am shooting a scene where I'm driving with cameras in the car, do I really have to have cops with guns escorting me through that?" she asks. "These militarized forces have been allowed to invade so many parts of our lives. Folks that live in certain areas may not feel it, but if you are in areas where there are no other resources, the police are a stopgap in our current society for everything. And that can be reimagined. That is not a radical idea. That is an idea that's steeped in humanity and dignity and justice. Pull back and say, 'We've given the police too much wherewithal, too much power in that space.' And that's what defunding the police is about."