Street Fight (film)
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| Street Fight | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for Street Fight |
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| Directed by | Marshall Curry |
| Produced by | Marshall Curry |
| Written by | Marshall Curry |
| Distributed by | Marshall Curry Productions |
| Release date(s) | 2005 |
| Running time | 83 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Street Fight is a documentary by filmmaker Marshall Curry, chronicling Cory Booker's unsuccessful 2002 campaign against Sharpe James for mayor of Newark, New Jersey. Other credits include Rory Kennedy (executive producer), Liz Garbus (executive producer), Mary Manhardt (additional editor), Marisa Karplus (associate producer), and Adam Etline (story consultant).
The film details the hard-fought mayoral campaign by a young community activist and City Council member against a 16-year incumbent mayor with a powerful political machine. The documentary follows Booker and several of his campaign workers from their early days of door-knocking on Newark streets through the campaign's dramatic conclusion. Toward the end, Curry captures on film attempts by Mayor Sharpe James and city employees, including police and "code enforcement," to sabotage Booker's campaign, using tactics that include shutting down local businesses that hold Booker fundraisers, demoting city workers who support Booker, and demolishing Booker signs, in what becomes a true urban political "street fight."
Street Fight screened at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival and was later aired on the PBS series P.O.V. on July 5, 2005, and CBC Newsworld in Canada on May 7, 2006.
[edit] Aftermath
Booker fell short in his 2002 bid to unseat incumbent Sharpe James. In 2006, James decided not to run for a sixth term of office, and Booker defeated Ronald Rice, winning over 70% of the vote. On July 1, 2006, Booker was sworn in as the 36th mayor of Newark. James continued to serve in the New Jersey State Senate until 8 January 2008.
