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Grieving families gather for special screening of 'The Hate U Give'

The newly released movie 'The Hate U Give' is hitting close to home for several families across Dallas-Fort Worth.

DALLAS — The newly released movie ‘The Hate U Give’ is hitting close to home for several families across Dallas-Fort Worth.

"I’m scared,” said Allison Jean as she entered LOOK Cinemas Prestonwood for a special screening of the movie. The film explores a community’s reaction after a teen witnesses the fatal shooting of her friend at the hands of a police officer.

“I’m not looking forward to reliving the moment,” Jean explained. Her son, Botham Shem Jean, was killed inside his apartment by a Dallas Police officer back in September.

The storyline of the film is heavy. Yet, the topic is a reality connecting the parents of Jean, Tavis Crane, and O’Shea Terry. Crane was fatally shot by an Arlington officer last year. Terry was killed during a traffic stop in the same city last month.

Terry’s mother, Sherley Woods, attended the screening. "Every night, I’m waking up through the night and he’s the first thing on my mind. Every day, throughout the day, he’s on my mind," Woods said.

The grieving families never imagined they would meet. Let, alone, like this. The special movie screening in Dallas brought survivors whose loved ones have been killed by officer, together with victims of police brutality and concerned community members.

“It’s not just local,” Dee Crane said. “It’s not just in the poor black neighborhoods. It’s hitting all neighborhoods.”

The families said the chance to meet introduced them to a circle of support. The moment around a movie about social justice, they said, is sending a strong message.

"I think it sends a message to the authorities that we are together in this fight. And fight we will for justice," Bertram Jean explained.

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