Leadership In Street Fight

In Street Fight, a documentary by Marshall Curry, we see how Cory Booker tries to win an election for mayor against Sharpe James in Newark, New Jersey. The things that shape this documentary is the campaign itself, the tactics the two used, and the people's reaction to the election. Their campaigns could be summed down to experienced leadership (Sharpe James) versus change (Cory Booker). James had been serving as mayor for sixteen years and has brought many changes to Newark. He has done good for the city, and any mistakes he has made, he should know from past experiences to never be repeated again. Booker is someone new to the town. He has an outside perspective and he wants to change things for the better. He grew up living a privileged life, but he realizes the struggle many of his race has to deal with and fights so that everyone could live a better life. He advocates for more change in the communities where there has been talk of change, but no actual change. While most things in politics aren't one …show more content…
Booker starts off as a name that few people know. He has to get his name out to the people, but he also needs to gain their support. His methods are personal, he goes door to door and convince a family at a time of his leadership. He gains supporters out on the street through hard work and dedication. With James comes recognition and respect. He starts off with the advantage of people knowing and having a high opinion of him because he has been their mayor for sixteen years. His biggest issue is losing supporters to Booker. This leads to very underhand methods to sabotage Booker. He uses the police to close companies down if they show support for Booker and illegally take down his campaign signs. James uses lies to try and confuse the people, and sometimes it works. If he successfully slanders the name of Booker, the election moves in his favor. Their tactics show how a person truly