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[Photos + Video] Copwatch Documentary on Video On Demand October 6th!

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Gil Scott Heron’s famous poem/song, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, ends with the poignant verse, ‘the revolution would be live.’ Written in 1970, Heron could not have known that amateur cell phone footage captured by regular people would explode virally on social media creating a digital revolution.
In her powerful directorial debut, COPWATCH, journalist turned director, Camilla Hall, offers a rare view and intimate access to WeCopwatch, a citizen activist group, who uses simple video cameras and cell phones to capture police mis-conduct. “Copwatch focuses on the people behind the lens and how their lives have been impacted by the simple act of videotaping. It’s not as much about what happened in front of the cameras, but it’s about those who stood behind them and how their lives have been impacted since videotaping” shares Hall. “Copwatch is also about a sense brotherhood that developed through the shared trauma of standing up to police brutality.” There are several intimate moments throughout the documentary like this one on one conversation between Ramsey Orta and Kevin Moore, where the two men discuss the emotional burden of cop watching and relive the moment that changed their lives.
Today citizen activist groups like WeCopwatch are using simple video cameras and cell phone to capturing police mis-conduct. Many of them have created programs to educate and empower communities to use their cell phones and video cameras as a community defense tool. The mere presence of WeCopwatch, on the scene watching and recording helps to deter police brutality.
Featured in Copwatch are Jacob Crawford (WeCopwatch co-founder, Oakland) and 3 of its members:Ramsey Orta (Eric Garner, Staten Island, NY), Kevin Moore (Freddie Gray, Baltimore MD), and David Whitt (Wecopwatch co-founder, Ferguson, Michael Brown protests) whose videos exploded virally on social media and global/news networks outraging a nation and further inspiring the Black Lives Matter Movement and human right protests.
Ramsey Orta
The world watched in horror as Eric Garner was pinned down, his face pressed into the pavement. An illegal choke hold left Garner gasping for his final words, “I Can’t Breathe, I Can’t Breathe.” If Ramsey Orta hadn’t captured the entire ordeal, we would be left only with the police account and his family without the video evidence. Orta is the only person from the scene of the fatal Staten Island arrest to go to jail is currently incarcerated. Ramsey recently filed against for NYPD from prison.
Kevin Moore
In Baltimore, Kevin Moore, awoke to the piercing screams of his friend and neighbor Freddie Gray. Startled, he grabbed a camera, ran outside, filming as police dragged the injured young man into the back of a paddy wagon. Gray would die from the injuries and Kevin’s video, like those before his, aired on global news outlets and spread virally. Like Ramsey, Kevin became an immediate target and was arrested shortly after he filmed the video while attending a protest.
Jacob Crawford and David Whitt (We Copwatch Co-Founders)
The 2009 shooting of Oscar Grant on the BART platform in Oakland left the city shaken. Jacob Crawford (WeCopwatch co-founder), who had spent over 15 years documenting police activity became even more committed to cop watching. He traveled to Ferguson, MO., after the death of Michael Brown for the protests there and befriended David Whitt, a young father who lived in the complex where Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson police. Compelled to take action, Whitt started filming the police encounters with protesters after Michael Brown’s “Hands Up” shooting and joined Crawford to co-found WeCopwatch.
As WeCopwatch expands nationwide, they continue to educate and empower civilians, teaching them how to use their cell phones and video cameras as a line of defense. Through “Copwatch College,” the “7 Rules To Know When Recording Police posted on their website wecopwatch.org, WeCopwatch is changing how citizens respond to police brutality, and educating communities to record and protect.
Copwatch is executive produced by Oscar-winning duo, TJ Martin and Daniel Lindsay (Undefeated), Jacob Crawford, Patrick Hamm, Tirrell D. Whittley, produced by Matthew Perniciaro and Michael Sherman for Bow and Arrow Entertainment and distributed by Gunpowder & Sky under its FilmBufflabel. 2017 Emmy Award winning composer Kris Bowers composed the film’s score.
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“To Love Is To Perform”: Jada Di’Larosa’s Poetic Meditation on Love, Identity, and Solitude

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On April 17, 2026, independent artist Jada Di’Larosa introduces a deeply evocative new chapter in her creative journey with the release of To Love Is To Perform. Emerging from the rich cultural undercurrent of New Orleans, Di’Larosa delivers a project that feels intimate, cinematic, and emotionally unguarded—an album that quietly lingers long after the final note fades.

Blending elements of alternative, indie, and nu-jazz, the record is less about traditional structure and more about atmosphere and emotional storytelling. It unfolds like a series of late-night reflections—soft, immersive, and deeply personal. Each track carries a sense of stillness, where restraint becomes a powerful artistic choice, allowing listeners to fully absorb the subtle complexities within her sound.

Between the Spotlight and the Shadows

Jada Di’Larosa’s artistry is shaped by a compelling dual existence. As a professional dancer and showgirl, her nights are filled with performance, light, and spectacle. Yet beyond the stage, she retreats into solitude—writing music that mirrors her introspective nature. This contrast is the emotional backbone of To Love Is To Perform, where themes of identity, vulnerability, and perception are explored with striking honesty.

Rather than presenting a polished, conventional album, Di’Larosa embraces imperfection. The project carries the raw essence of demos—unfiltered, organic, and alive. In her own words, it is “a diary” of her experiences, offering a glimpse into a world that is both quietly glamorous and deeply introspective. That authenticity gives the album its emotional weight, transforming it into something profoundly human.

Sound as Atmosphere, Silence as Language

Musically, the album is guided by minimalism and mood. Piano and violin arrangements intertwine with her haunting vocal delivery, creating a soundscape that feels almost suspended in time. Di’Larosa’s voice is uniquely her own—delicate yet assured, drifting through each composition with a poetic cadence that enhances the storytelling.

Tracks such as “showgirl” and “movie star” reflect the tension between persona and reality, while “bayou st. john” grounds the album in a sense of place and memory. The title track, “to love is to perform,” offers a philosophical lens on relationships, suggesting that love itself can be an act shaped by roles and expectations. Meanwhile, “costume” emerges as a defining moment—an exploration of identity, illusion, and the masks we wear.

Tracklist

  1. showgirl
  2. movie star
  3. bayou st. john
  4. to love is to perform
  5. candy
  6. blackbird
  7. spinster
  8. a love noir
  9. costume
  10. curtain call

A Quietly Powerful Artistic Statement

What makes To Love Is To Perform so compelling is its refusal to conform. It does not chase trends or demand attention—it invites it. The album thrives in its subtlety, rewarding listeners who are willing to slow down and engage with its emotional depth.

There is a cinematic quality throughout the record, as if each track is a scene from an unseen film—rich with symbolism, mood, and introspection. It’s an experience designed not just to be heard, but to be felt.

Defining Her Own Space

In an industry often driven by visibility and constant output, Jada Di’Larosa stands apart through intentional distance and artistic focus. She allows her work to speak on her behalf, cultivating a sense of mystery that only enhances her presence.

With To Love Is To Perform, she offers more than music—she offers perspective. It is a body of work that explores the delicate balance between who we are and who we present to the world, capturing the beauty and complexity of both.

As the release date approaches, the album positions Di’Larosa as a distinctive voice in contemporary alternative jazz—an artist unafraid to embrace vulnerability, ambiguity, and the quiet power of self-expression.

Connect with Jada Di’Larosa
Official Website: www.jadadilarosa.com
Instagram: @jada.dilarosa
Available on Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and YouTube

For inquiries: jadadilarosa@yahoo.com

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