NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Yusuf Hawkins, a Black teenager from East New York, was 16 years old when a white mob cornered him and shot him to death in Bensonhurst on Aug. 23, 1989.
A new HBO documentary debuting at the Tribeca Festival on June 19, “Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn,” explores Hawkins’ life, death and the social uprising sparked by his murder.
“Rumors went around saying that there was a love triangle. People tried to make all sorts of excuses for what happened. But really, he was targeted because of the color of his skin,” director Muta’ Ali said in a new interview with 1010 WINS’ Sharon Barnes-Waters. “And his murder set off a spark.”
“There was a huge uprising, and they marched through Bensonhurst for a very long time — I’m talking about over a year’s time — to get justice for Yusuf, because it was very difficult to hold these men who attacked Yusuf accountable for what they did,” he explained. “This story... is about what happened to Yusuf, and what happened after he was killed. And it’s told from a really personal stance, because the heart of the film is Yusuf’s family and their experience.”
The film’s producer, Victorious De Costa, told Barnes-Waters one of Hawkins' friends reached out to him with the idea for the documentary.
“I was in sixth grade when Yusuf was murdered, and a lot of children go through trauma when some of these things come out in the news,” De Costa said. “And my whole generation went through that incident without it being fully explained, or truthfully explained, and emotionally resolved.”
“So for me it made sense,” he added. “I had already worked with Muta’ Ali, I hit him up, and the rest is history.”
Listen to Barnes-Waters’ full interview with Muta’ Ali and Victorious De Costa above.