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'Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn' shows how long Black people 'had to fight just to be seen', say viewers

Hawkins' murder sparked widespread outrage across the state of New York and shed light on the racial tensions that had divided the city

On August 23, 1989, Yusuf Hawkins, 16, was in the conservative and predominantly White, Italian-American working-class New York neighborhood of Bensonhurst. He had accompanied three of his friends to look at a used Pontiac that one of them was planning on purchasing. On exiting the 20th Avenue train station, the group of teenagers was ambushed by an angry White mob who had been on the lookout for Black and Hispanic youths, one of whom was rumored to be dating a White girl in the neighborhood. The group included at least two dozen White youths, at least seven of them brandishing baseball bats. In a case of mistaken identity, a violent altercation erupted which resulted in a defenseless Hawkins being shot in the chest, twice. He died at Maimonides Medical Center, soon after. Hawkins is the subject of a new, impacting HBO documentary directed by renowned filmmaker Muta'Ali entitled 'Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn.'

Hawkins' murder sparked widespread outrage across the state of New York and shed light on the racial tensions that had divided the city. It also incited relentless civil rights activism that brought to the forefront the racial prejudices, inequalities that marred the country. A series of marches and protests broke out days after his death, with demands for justice and end to systemic racism. Thirty-one years after his death, New Yorkers, including Hawkins' mother, brothers, cousins, friends and more, recount the tragedy and the demonstrations that followed, reinvigorating the fight for racial equality in New York. The film comprised of a montage of archival footage, interviews, news footage and photos that effectively and poignantly retold the life and death of Hawkins and the impact it had on the city. 

The film comes at a time where the US is experiencing a socio-political and cultural movement of similar causes. The unfair death of George Floyd in police custody in May 2020 drew focus to the centuries of oppression and injustices meted out to the African-American community. More than 60 days since, the nation-wide demonstrations precipitated by Floyd's death continue and they have simultaneously brought to the forefront harrowing accounts of fallen Black-Americans, including Hawkins. The film highlights how Black people have always been singled out for the color of their skin and deemed as "outsiders" or branded as potential criminals. In this sense 'Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn' serves as another touchstone in the current conversation on deconstructing that racial divide that is still prevalent in the country. 

Fans and viewers who watched the HBO documentary with a keen eye had a lot to say about the staggering reality portrayed in a narrative that was set to three decades ago. Many expressed the crucial talking points within the unscripted film and how it resonates with the current scenario, regarding 'Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn' as a must-watch in this space and time. To others, it was a stark reminder that the events unfolding in 1989 are pretty much akin to the situation persisting at the moment. Viewers took to Twitter to share their opinions on the same.

"Just finished the #YusufHawkins documentary film w my parents and it was so informative and left me very emotional bc not much has changed in America since that night Yusuf was murdered by white boys in August 1989," one fan wrote in a tweet.

Another said, "Watching this #YusufHawkins DOC on HBO is interesting. There was a whole race war going on in Brooklyn behind the killing of Yusuf. When you think of NYC, you don’t think of stuff like this."

"Watching the Yusuf Hawkins doc on @HBO and it never ceases to astonish me just how much and how long black people have had to fight just to be freaking SEEN," a third user added. 

A Brooklyn resident echoed the sentiments in the film in a tweet, saying, "Watching the Yusuf Hawkins documentary on @hbomax The title Storm Over Brooklyn feels different when you live here."

"This documentary. WOW!! We are looking at teenagers and young people making these vile, racist comments. But remember, that was just 31 years ago.  Some of them still live there and are in their 40s and 50s #YusufHawkins," Paul Forbes, Executive Director of Educational Equity, Anti-Bias and Diversity within the Office of Equity & Access (NYC Dept of Education), expressed. 

"do yourselves a favor & watch “Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn” & see how blatantly racist the people in the glorified Bensonhurst actually were," one viewer urged.

Director, Muta'Ali received high praise and appreciation for his remarkable work and for shining a light upon the name of a young boy who lost his life to racist tactics. He tweeted in gratitude to the positive response that he had garnered, and also shared a link to a Change.org petition to rename a street in Brooklyn after Hawkins. The petition has amassed over 1,000 signatures so far. Muta'Ali retweeted his post from August 23, 2019, which said: "Please help us name a street in Brooklyn after Yusuf Hawkins, a young teen with dreams who was murdered for the color of his skin 30 years ago today.  #yusufhawkins  #RIP."

Commending the director's work, a fan tweeted, "Great work @mutaali  on the Yusuf Hawkins documentary. Thank you for being extra careful with his story and for giving us an inside view of who he was. So glad I watched this story."

"Thank you for telling #YusufHawkins story with such care, compassion and conviction. I believe your beloved grandparents would be so proud of you for carrying their legacy#ArtIsAWeapon," another added.

One user's comment read, "@mutaali I just wanted to say Thank You, Thank You for such a powerful documentary and for your direction because it’s as relevant as it was 31yrs. ago. Let’s continue to say his name #YusufHawkins This brought back all the memories and it still keeps on happening."

‘Yusuf Hawkins: Storm over Brooklyn’ aired on Wednesday, August 12, at 9/8c on HBO and will be available to stream on-demand, on Thursday, August 13.